This course will examine American political history from the earliest colonial settlements through the antebellum era, emphasizing the informal political speech of those outside formal structures of governance. We will explore the ways in which ordinary people--pirates and mutineers, Indigenous activists, religious reformers, petitioners, vigilantes, pamphleteers, runaway slaves, anonymous newspaper columnists, boycott organizers, and rebels--used their political voices to demand a "redress of grievances" from governing authorities, sometimes turning to violence when words did not achieve their ends. Approaching early American politics from diverse perspectives allows us to consider from many historical angles: why the right to free speech and petition was the first freedom enshrined in the Bill of Rights, how individuals interpreted and attempted to expand the definition of "we the people," and what role a free press played in the founding of the United States. After taking this course, you will have a historical basis for understanding the ethical, social, and political questions raised by the rights enshrined in the First Amendment that continue to shape public discourses today. (Offered every other year.)