AP U.S. Government and Politics
Summer Assignment
Luella High School
Step 1: Email me at rmay@henry.k12.ga.us and let me know that you are aware of your
summer reading assignment and that it is due August 2, 2010. Make sure to use an email
address that you will check regularly throughout the summer and next school year. I will use
email to communicate often. Feel free to email me over the summer if you have any
questions.
Step 2: Read Gideon's Trumpet by Anthony Lewis. This book can be purchased at amazon.com
or at a local bookstore. (I purchased my copy through amazon.com for under $5, including
shipping)
Step 3: Watch Gideon's Trumpet, the movie, with Henry Fonda.
Step 4: Respond to the questions and define the vocabulary (on p.2) below.
DIRECTIONS:
FIRST, read the book and define terms as you read. SECOND, answer each of the following
questions in paragraph form. Responses should come from the book, Gideon's Trumpet,
unless otherwise specified. Your answers should be thorough; you will be graded primarily
on the content of your responses. Grammar, punctuation, spelling and clarity will also be
considered. FINALLY, watch the movie and answer question ten below.
1. Write a brief (3 - 5 paragraph) plot summary. (You may use information from the book
or movie.)
2. In what circumstances does the Supreme Court grant writs of Certiorari? Was it
unsurprising or surprising that Gideon's writ was granted? WHY?
3. When is the Supreme Court in session? Describe what takes place at a Supreme Court
conference and at oral arguments before the Supreme Court. Describe the oral
arguments made by Fortas and Jacob.
4. How does Fortas (and his assistants) use federalism to help argue his side of the case?
5. How does Bruce Jacob, the Attorney General of Florida, attempt to use federalism to
help argue his side of the case?
6. Discuss, using specific examples, the problems Fortas encounters in making his
argument?
7. Discuss, using specific examples, the problems Jacob has in proving his case?
8. Describe the process by which the Supreme Court writes an opinion?
9. What did the court decide in Gideon v. Wainwright and what were the consequences of
the decision?
10. What are the differences between the book Gideon's Trumpet and the movie Gideon's
Trumpet? What does each medium do effectively?
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DIRECTIONS:
Define each of the following terms within the context of the novel. Underline each word. A
thorough definition will adequately explain the term and reference its significance in
Gideon's Trumpet. Definitions should be three to five sentences (or sentence fragments) long
as appropriate. For example - the terms federalism and the Fourteenth Amendment will
require more lengthy responses than Solicitor General. You do not have to list these in any
particular order.
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American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
amicus curiae
Article III
Barron v. Baltimore
Betts v. Brady
due process of law
double jeopardy
federalism
Fifth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment
Gideon v. Wainwright
habeas corpus
Judicial restraint
in forma pauperis
Judicial review
Mapp v. Ohio
McCulloch v. Maryland
Powell v. Alabama
rule of four
Sixth Amendment
Solicitor General
stare decisis
Writ of certiorari
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