Brooklyn Technical High School
AP US History 2014-2015
Summer Reading and Writing Assignment in Preparation for AP United States History
Welcome to AP US History! AP United States History is a course that is meant to emulate an entry-level course in its
content and is meant to help prepare you for college.
The class is very fast paced so that we can cover everything in order to prepare you to take the AP Exam in May
2015. This class is 20% the teacher and 80% you. Because we have so little time a summer assignment is required as a
“slow start” to help you get a handle on things and help prepare for the class. This preparation is to be done before you
arrive in September. The goal of these assignments will be to introduce students to the pace of the class, the level of
work that will be expected, and keep your minds fresh with historical thought. The expectation is that these
assignments will be completed and turned in on the first day of class in September. Activities on those first days of
school will be connected to the summer material. No late assignments will be accepted for the summer reading
activities.
Complete the following activities in the order that they are listed. Each assignment will build off of information
from the previous section. These assignments (Parts 1, 2, 3) must be handwritten. Part 4 is optional. THIS WILL
PREPARE YOU FOR A FORMAL ASSESSMENT (examination) which you will take during the first week of school.
Welcome to APUSH! We are excited to meet you in September!
Ms. Castillo, Mr. Dennie, Ms. Lucisano, Mr. Pratt & Ms. Scherman
Required Resources for 2013-2014 APUSH Summer Assignment:
1) A People’s History of the United States: 1492- Present. Howard Zinn*
The full text of the book is available online at : www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html.
2) Amsco United States History: Preparing for the AP US History Examination Review Book (It would be wise to
purchase the 2015 edition, as the AP US History exam is changing this year and those changes are reflected in
the new edition). However, the older version is available online at:
http://www.caroddoapclasses.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/apushamsco.pdf
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: This assignment is due ON THE FIRST DAY you return to school. Please do not leave this for the
last minute; finish it during the summer. Your heading will be at the top of the first page of the assignment and it will
include all of the information below:
Your Name
APUSH
Instructor’s Name
Period #
Summer Assignment
PART ONE:
Read the first three chapters of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Answer the
questions that follow by writing a couple of sentences to a short paragraph for each question. For each of the chapters,
preview the questions you will have to answer before you begin reading. It is wise to print a copy and ‘talk to the text’ or
highlight and annotate the reading. It is also suggested that you take outline notes on each chapter of the book to help
organize your thoughts. *Taking good notes from the text DOES NOT mean copying the text; it means ORGANIZE and
REWORD the main points in your own words - the way you think.
A) Chapter 1: Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress
a. What is Zinn’s thesis for this chapter?
b. According to Zinn, how is Columbus portrayed in traditional history books?
c. What major issues does Bartolome de las Casas bring up regarding Spanish expeditions in the Caribbean?
d. Identify one early and one subsequent motive that drove Columbus to oppress indigenous peoples.
e. What were the major causes of war between the Powhatans and the English settlers?
f. Explain John Winthrop’s legal and biblical justification for seizing Indian land.
B) Chapter 2: Drawing the Color Line.
a. According to Zinn, what is the root of racism in America?
b. Why were Africans considered “better” slaves than Indians in Virginia?
c. How did slavery in Africa differ from slavery in Europe and the Americas?
d. What was the relationship between slavery and the plantation system?
e. What evidence exists that American slaves did not accept their fate easily?
f. Why did slave owners fear poor whites?
C) Read Chapter 3: Persons of Mean and Vile Conviction.
a. What is Zinn’s thesis in this chapter?
b. What were the underlying causes of Bacon’s Rebellion? What groups took part?
c. Explain indentured servitude (aka the Headright System). What generally happened to indentured servants after they
became free?
d. To what extent did a class structure emerge in America by 1700? What evidence does Zinn provide regarding a
monopoly of power by the rich in Boston?
e. Explain the statement “race was becoming more and more practical.”
PART 2: Key Questions. Read chapters 1-3 of the AMSCO U.S. History review book.
For each of the key questions
below, provide a one-paragraph response using specific examples from the reading/s. The Zinn readings will also help
you with this portion of the assignment.
Key Questions
 How has geography influenced the settlement of the United States?
 What were the events in Europe that helped shape the character of American colonization?
 How was the European interaction with the native populations defined?
 Compare and contrast the roles of economic and religious motives in the beginnings of English settlement in the
New World.
 What factors contributed to the successful colonization of British North America?
 What were the motives for founding of the restoration colonies in English America and explain how they benefited
from earlier colonizing experiences?
 Compare and contrast the demographic characteristics, political institutions and economic pursuits of the New
England, middle, and southern colonies.
 Explain why slavery came to be the dominant labor system in England’s southern North American colonies.
 Assess the impact of the Great Awakening and Enlightenment on the intellectual and spiritual life of the colonies.
 Define the basic assumptions of the British colonial system and describe its operation.
PART 3: Key Terms/Identifications. For each term/person below, write 3-5 sentences addressing the following:
A)
Define the term/identify the person B) Describe the historical significance in your own words, ie. identify why it is
important to history and make connections to other terms. Please highlight or underline the significance. Terms are
grouped by region and chronology. You may include more than one term in a longer paragraph, discussing it
simultaneously with another related term/s; be sure to highlight EACH TERM. If you do not find the term in the Amsco
book, look it up (Wikipedia is fine for this). (SEE TERMS ON NEXT PAGE)
Terms/Identifications are grouped chronologically and by region/theme. If you do not see a term/person in the Amsco
book, look it up (Wikipedia is fine for this).
Chapter 1:
*Treaty of Tordesillas
*Conquistadores
*Encomienda system
*Bartolome de las Casas
*Anglican Church
*Joint stock company
*Virginia Company; Jamestown
- John Smith
- John Rolfe
- Virginia House of Burgesses
*New England Colonies
-Separatists; Plymouth Colony
-Mayflower Compact
-Puritans; Massachusetts Bay
-John Winthrop; “city on a hill”
Chapter 2:
*Types of colonies: royal, proprietary,
corporate
*Mercantilism
-Navigation Acts
*New England Colonies
- Roger Williams
- Anne Hutchinson
-Salem witchcraft trials
- King Philip’s War
*Chesapeake Colonies
-Bacon’s Rebellion
-Headright system; indentured
-servitude
-cash crop
-Tobacco
-Slavery; slave trade
-Middle passage
-Lord Baltimore
-Maryland Act of Toleration
-Plantation economy
* Middle Colonies
*Quakers; William Penn; Society
of Friends
*Restoration Colonies
*James Oglethorpe
Chapter 3:
*J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur
*New immigrants in 18th century
*Enlightenment
*Great Awakening
- Old & New Lights
- Jonathan Edwards and George
Whitefield
*Stono Rebellion
*John Peter Zenger trial
PART 4 (SUGGESTED):
In order to be prepared for the first week of class and the first exam, we suggest you do the following to reinforce the
reading material/assignment.
1. Watch John Greene videos on colonial America, which are great for reviewing. This will help tie the whole
narrative of colonial history together. Following are the YouTube links for John Greene’s 4 videos on colonial
America:
1st: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E9WU9TGrec&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtMwmepBjTSG593eG7ObzO7s
2nd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o69TvQqyGdg
3rd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTYOQ05oDOI (THIS IS A PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT ONE)
4th: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p47tZLJbdag (THIS ONE TOO!)
2. Take practice multiple choice questions on www.historyteacher.net/quizzes