Riots, Strikes, and Conspiracies in American History
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this seminar on short-term, disruptive events in American history and what they reveal about politics, culture, and social organization. Readings and discussions work through episodes of civil unrest, labor conflict, and alleged conspiracies, treating each as a lens on larger processes of historical change rather than as isolated incidents. Students practice primary-source research through a term paper assignment, building skills in archival interpretation and historical argument. The course materials include the syllabus, readings list, and assignment guidelines as published by MIT, with no enrollment fee since it is offered through OCW. It suits anyone wanting a structured introduction to how historians reconstruct chaotic, contested moments in the American past and connect them to broader questions of change and continuity.