Summer Assignment 2015
Advanced Placement United States History II
1. In Give Me Liberty by Eric Foner, read and take notes on all of Chapter 16 and Chapter 17 through “The Politics of
Memory” (page 697).
2. Read The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
3. Relate both readings to the following SEVEN (7) themes. You can do this by developing a Foner paragraph and a
Larson paragraph complete with examples for each theme. Be as specific as possible in the examples you include and
the rationales for selecting them. You should cite your examples – if you are using an electronic version, referencing
by chapter is sufficient. This will be collected on the first day of school and utilized in class discussions and
assessments.
 Identity: focuses on the formation of both American national identity and group identities. How did various
identities, cultures, and values stay the same or change in different contexts of U.S. history? How have gender,
class, racial, and ethnic identities developed and interacted with each other and with the larger conceptions of a
national identity?
 Work, exchange & technology: focuses on the development of American economics based on agriculture,
commerce, and manufacturing. How have different economic and labor systems, technological innovations, and
government policies shaped American society? The lives of working people and the relationships among social
classes, racial and ethnic groups, men and women, including the availability of land and labor, national and
international economic developments, and the role of government support and regulation need to be considered
in examining this theme.
 Peopling: focuses on why and how the various people who moved to, from and within the United States adapted
to their new social and physical environments. How did newcomers and indigenous inhabitants impact the
nation? The theme also includes the ideas, beliefs, traditions, technologies, religions and gender roles that
migrants/immigrants brought with them and the impact these factors had on both these people and the U.S.
society.
 Politics & power: focuses on the ongoing debates over the role of the state in society and its potential as an
active agent for change. This includes mechanisms for creating, implementing, or limiting participation in the
political process and the resulting social effects, as well as the changing relationships among the branches of the
federal government and among national, state and local governments. How have the tensions between liberty and
authority in different periods of U.S. history evolved?
 America in the world: focuses on the global context in which the United States originated and developed as well
as the influence of the United States on world affairs. How have various world actors (people, states,
organizations and companies) competed for territory and resources in North America and influenced the
development of American and world societies and economies? How have American foreign policies and military
actions affected the rest of the world as well as social issues within the United States itself?
 Environment & geography – physical & human: focuses on the role of environment, geography, and climate
in both constraining and shaping human actions. How have the environment and humans interacted in efforts to
survive and thrive?
 Ideas, beliefs & culture: focuses on the roles that ideas, beliefs, social mores and creative expression have
played in shaping the United States. How have aesthetic, moral, religious, scientific and philosophical principles
developed and how have they affected individual and group actions?
4. For 1 point extra credit on our first assessment, take a picture of yourself this summer (not from when you were 6) at
an American history site, print it, and write a one paragraph explanation of the place and your experience there. Hand
it in on Day 1.