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This course will examine twelve military engagements—on both land and sea—that had a major impact on the course of American history. Chronologically, it will cover the entire history of the United States, from the Battle of Saratoga during the American Revolution to Desert Storm in 1991. The goal is to illuminate not only what happened in each case and describe and explain the outcome, but also to understand why that particular engagement had a disproportionate impact on American history. We will examine what happened, try to explain why it happened, delineate the roles of the principal decision makers from presidents to petty officers, and discover the main reason why the battle unfolded the way it did. The purpose of the course is to look not only at the biggest battles, but at those battles that moved history, and it is not merely to describe military engagements but also to explain them in political and cultural terms as well as in military terms.

COURSE CONTENT

• Twelve lectures
• Primary source readings to complement the lectures
• A certificate of completion for 15 hours of professional development credit

Readings: The suggested readings for each session will be listed in the “Resources” link on the course site. You are not required to read or purchase any print materials. The quizzes are based on the lectures.

Course Access: After your purchase, you may access your course by signing into the Gilder Lehrman website and clicking on the My Courses link, which can be found under My Account in the navigation menu.

Questions? Please view our FAQs or email selfpacedcourses@gilderlehrman.org.

LEAD SCHOLAR: Craig L. Symonds

Craig L. Symonds is professor emeritus of history at the United States Naval Academy, where he taught for thirty years. He was the first person to win both the academy’s Teacher of the Year award (1988) and its Researcher of the Year award (1998). From 2017 to 2020 he was the Ernest J. King Distinguished Professor of Maritime History at the US Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, for which he received his fourth Superior Civilian Service Medal (2020). Symonds is the author of seventeen books. His work has won multiple awards, including the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Prize for Naval History, the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, and the Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize. In 2014 he was awarded the Commodore Dudley Knox Medal for lifetime achievement.