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This course examines the economic history of the United States and its relevance for understanding contemporary policy and economic outcomes. We will study topics such as migration, transportation, education, innovation, industrial development, inequality, and the role of culture. These topics will be situated within major historical periods, including the Westward Expansion, slavery and the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Great Depression and the New Deal, World War I and the interwar years, World War II, and the postwar era. Students will critically read research papers and learn about the empirical methods used in applied microeconomics.