This course studies the development of the U.S. economy from colonial times to the 21st century. The role that institutions, innovations and government policy play in economic development is a central theme of the course. Western settlement, slavery and abolition, the rise of manufacturing and the corporate business, emergence of affluence and consumer society, and the Great Depression are some of the topics addressed. Prereq: ECON 401 or ECON 402;/or permission.