A.P. United States History II
Summer Assignment
2012
In order to accomplish our goals for this course, it is imperative that reading and writing
assignments are completed over the summer. The below assignments are due on or before Friday,
September 7, 2012. The last date to submit them, for partial credit, will be Tuesday, September 11,
2012. No assignments will be accepted after that. All submitted work should be proofread and
typed. If you have questions over the summer, you can always contact me at
nesposito@longbranch.k12.nj.us.
Assignment #1: Writing a Free Response Essay
 One of the sections of the AP exam is to be able to successfully write a response to a given
free-response question.
 Choose one of the below essay topics and write a response.
 *Remember: A grade of a 0% will be rewarded to any student who plagiarizes.
 Rubric is located on the following page.
 Format to Follow:
o 12 size font
o 1” margins
o Double space
o Times New Roman Font
o Title Page
o *Include Works Cited page if you are referencing research information.
 Grade: This assignment will be worth 100 points (a test grade), which will account for part of
your writing average during 1st marking period.
Option A:
Evaluate the economic and social impact on the Native American population by two of the
following: Spanish, French, English.
Option B:
Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely people of English
origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. Why did this difference in
development occur?
Option C:
Although many Northerners and Southerners came later to think of themselves as having
separate civilizations, the Northern and Southern colonies in the seventeenth century and
eighteenth centuries were in fact more similar than different. Assess the validity of this statement.
Option D:
From 1600-1763, several European nations vied for control of the North American continent.
Why did England win the struggle?
Option E:
In the seventeenth century, New England Puritans tried to create a model society. What were
their aspirations, and to what extent were those aspirations fulfilled during the seventeenth
century?
Assignment #2: Reading and Analyzing a Book of Your Choice
 Please choose one of the books from the attached list.
 As you are reading the book, you will create a dialectical journal, which will be set up
in the following format:
 By quotation, I mean choose a passage from the book that you find interesting or
important. It does not have to be an actual direct quotation from a historical
personality. It can simply be a quotation of a fact or opinion that the author makes
in the book. You need to choose a minimum of 50 interesting quotes. Your
explanation should be a few sentences long.
Quotation

Page #
Why I find this quotation interesting
or important…
Grade: This will be worth 100 points for a test grade.
Assignment #3: Memorizing the location of the 50 States and Specific Countries
 Practice learning the location of the 50 states and their spelling. During the first
week of school, you will be asked to take a map quiz where you will need to locate
and spell the 50 states correctly.
 You will also be responsible for locating the following 20 countries:
o Spain
o Portugal
o Italy
o France
o England
o Germany
o Japan
o Belgium
o Mexico
o Ireland
o Poland
o Austria
o Iran
o Iraq
o Israel
o Pakistan
o Afghanistan
o Philippines
o China
o Vietnam
Essay Scoring Rubric 2012 For Assignment #1
8 - 9
Points
(94% - 100%)
5 – 7
Points
(80% - 90%)
2 – 4
Points
(65% - 78%)
1
Point
(60%)
• Presented a clear, well-developed thesis
• Supported their thesis with substantial,
relevant information
• Brought in significant outside information
• Understood the complexity of the
question(s); dealt with question(s) in depth,
although treatment may have been uneven
• Offered an effective analysis
• Made only minor errors that did not detract
from the overall knowledge ability of the
essay
• Offered a clear thesis with limited
development
• Brought in outside information in support of
answer
• Showed limited or lack of understanding of
complexity; may have dealt with question(s) in
some depth
• Provided limited analysis, mostly described
• May have had error that did not detract
from the overall essay/argument
• Lacked a thesis, or presented a thesis that
was confused or undeveloped
• Provided little outside information
• Ignored complexity; may have dealt with
question(s) in a superficial way
• Offered no analysis
• May have had major errors
• Provided an incompetent, inappropriate
response
• May have simply paraphrased or restated the
question
• Showed little understanding of the question
Essay Format Suggestions For Assignment #1
Here is a guideline you can use to help you set up your outline for the essay.
1. Introductory Paragraph
 Length: 4-6 sentences
 What to include:
o Establish a time & place
o Create a clear, THESIS STATEMENT. (underline or highlight it!)
o Allude to the SUB-TOPICS or categories you will discuss to support your thesis
statement. (Do not give a “laundry list” of facts/ideas.)
o Focus on the question – do not begin with a “flowery” sentence.
2. Body Paragraphs
 Length: 8-12 sentences (or more) per paragraph
 What to include:
o Identify your sub-topic or category in the first sentence of each paragraph.
o Suggestion: The 3rd paragraph (which is really your 4th paragraph of your essay) should
argue the other side of what you are trying to portray. This gives the reader of your essay
a different perspective of what you are arguing.
3. Concluding Paragraph
 Length: 3-4 sentences
 How to start?
o Start with a “concluding phrase.”
 What to include:
o Restate your thesis statement a bit differently.
o Put your essay answer in a larger historical perspective.
 End of some trend/movement/idea etc.
 Beginning of some trend/movement/idea
 End of one and beginning of another.
 DO NOT end on the note that is the reason we are where are today!
Book Choices For Assignment #2

(Douglas Blackman). Slavery by Another Name
ISBN 978-0-385-50625-0
This is a book about the re-enslavement of black people in America from the Civil War to World War II.
This book explains the lost stories of slaves and their descendants who journeyed into freedom after the
Emancipation Proclamation and then back into the shadow of involuntary servitude. It also reveals the stories of
those who fought unsuccessfully against the re-emergence of human labor trafficking, the modern companies that
profited most from neoslavery, and the system’s final demise in the 1940s, partly due to fears of enemy
propaganda about American racial abuse at the beginning of World War II.

(David Von Drehle). Triangle: The Fire that Changed America ISBN 10: 0871138743
About labor in the 1900s, particularly as it focuses on women and the horrific Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.

(Joseph Ellis). Founding Brothers
ISBN 0375705244
About the Revolutionary generation. Considered a classis study in the key figures from the crucial time
period.

(John Steele Gordan). Empire of Wealth
ISBN 978-006050127
About the mercantilism system in early America. You will only be responsible for reading up to the Civil
War time period in the book.

(Joseph Ellis). American Creation
ISBN 9780307276452
From the first shots fired at Lexington to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the
negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, Ellis guides us through the decisive issues of the nation’s founding, and
illuminates the emerging philosophies, shifting alliances, and personal and political foibles of our now iconic
leaders—Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and Adams. He casts an incisive eye on the founders’
achievements, arguing that the American Revolution was, paradoxically, an evolution—and that part of what
made it so extraordinary was the gradual pace at which it occurred.

(Iris Chang). The Rape of Nanking
ISBN-10: 0140277447 | ISBN-13: 978-0140277449
An important book about an under-reported genocide of hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens at the
hands of the Japanese soldiers in the early stages of WWII. A shocking, but critically important book.

(Harold G. Moore & Joseph Galloway). We Were Soldiers Once . . and Young
ISBN · 0-679-41158-5
This book is on the movie Mel Gibson created. However, the book is significantly different from the
movie. This is an excellent book, but some of the battle sequences can get difficult. So make sure to take notes!

(Steven Gillon). 10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America
ISBN 978-0307339348
The book tells the story of 10 key events in American History from 1637 to 1964.