Course Description
Today the ghostly silhouette of a wooden ship lying hull over on a barren stretch of beach evokes images of a bygone era, when life seemed to move at a slower pace. However, the truth is far more compelling. The nation's coastlines served as crucial avenues for tens of thousands of ships. They were the highways of the new nation, tying the country together and connecting it to the larger world. However, unpredictable storms, less than perfect navigational techniques, and shifting shoals all conspired against these ships and their crews. The threat of shipwreck represented a real and ever-present danger, not only to property and to commerce, but to the lives of the sailors who lived and worked on these vessels.

Standing between these vessels and certain tragedy were America's Life-Savers, the men, and sometimes women, of the United States Life-Saving Service(USLSS, the precursor to the United States Coast Guard. Living and working at life-saving stations constructed along the coasts, the life-savers guarded the nation's shipping lanes, rescuing over 170,000 lives during the 44-year period of 1871 - 1915, and warding countless other vessels from danger.

This course explores the history of the United States circa 1870 - 1920 from a maritime perspective through the stories of the USLSS. As a national story it uncovers a dynamic period in America's economic and social growth at the end of the Nineteenth Century. As a local story it provides a framework for beginning a study of your local history and the contributions of small communities to the American experience.

Learning Objectives:
- Explore American History circa 1870 - 1920 from maritime perspective and discover how America's relationship to the sea helped the nation grow
- Use both primary and secondary sources as research tools
- Use the story of the USLSS as a model to explore the relationship between local and national history
- Interact with historians working in the field

Coursework Course work will include numerous online discussions and team centered activities based on reading and online research that explore late Nineteenth Century America and its unique relationship with the sea, the rich and diverse history of the United States Life-Saving Service and its subsequent evolution into the United States Coast Guard, and the link between local and national history. Particular attention will be paid to the nontraditional histories of women and minorities and their role within the larger historic framework. In addition, each student will develop an individual project utilizing his or her local historical resources that will explore their community's contribution to the larger national pageant.

Delivery Method

• Internet

Prerequisites
None.

Course Materials
Virtual High School will have course materials, if any, shipped directly to students. While there is no additional cost for course materials, there is an additional charge for shipping. Students are required to return such course materials to course instructor upon completion of the course.