Name_____________________________
Date_____________
APUSH SUMMER ASSIGNMENT 2012-2013
The following consists of your summer assignment for the 2012-2013 school year. The
assignment must be completed BY THE FIRST FULL DAY OF SCHOOL (not a half day). There
are TWO mandatory assignments and an extra credit option. You are to turn in this packet with
the required materials.
I PLEDGE that I have completed the following assignments, including reading any assignments:
(Check all that apply)
MANDATORY:
____1. Completion of the assigned summer reading and required assignments:
Robert Cowley, editor. The What Ifs? of American History: Eminent Historians Imagine What Might
Have Been. 2003 (hardback, Putnam Adult); 2004 (paperback, Berkely Trade). 320 pages.
 Paperback ISBN: ISBN -10: 0425198189; ISBN-13: 978-0425198186
 Hardback ISBN: ISBN-10: 0399150919; ISBN-13: 978-0399150913
 Either the hardback or paperback edition can be ordered from major booksellers such as Amazon
for under $15.00.
_____2. Selection of 11th grade research paper topic that will fit the National History Day contest:
Turning Points in History, and completion the tasks on the attached NHD Assignment worksheet. The
NHD theme sheet, some suggested topics and the NHD Assignment worksheet are attached. Your topic
must relate to U.S. History.
_____EXTRA CREDIT: You may receive up to 2 points of extra credit on your first test for
reading and writing a critical analysis essay after watching one of the following movies. You may
watch a total of 3 movies, for a total of 6 additional points on the first test.
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Summer Reading Assignment for The What Ifs? Of American
History
This work is a collection of essays by scholarly historians in counterfactual history. Counterfactual
history examines what might have happened if certain key events had not taken place, and helps us
determine the true ―turning points‖ in history. Each of the essays is an article on a major topic in
American history by some of the best contemporary historians. Topics included:
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What if the Mayflower had not sailed?
What if George Washington and the Continental Army had not escaped under the cover of fog
from the Battle for New York?
What if the Pearl Harbor attack had not occurred?
What if JFK had not been assassinated?
What if the Watergate break-in had not been discovered?
DIRECTIONS:
1. Read the book. Submission of the assignment is your pledge that you have read the book in its entirety.
2. You will have a quiz over Chapters 1-8 (the first 8 articles) on the first full day of school (not a half day). The
quiz will concern key events, people and ideas discussed in the first 8 chapters.
3. Create one of the following projects on one of the last seven chapters of the book. This project is due the first
full day of school.
(a) A ―What If‖ or counterfactual front page of the newspaper or news show (on video), with articles on 3 separate
events that did (or did not) occur, if the event in the article had not occurred. (This requires you to look at the
consequences of the event).
(b) A ―What If‖ game that is played concerning one or more of the key events discussed in the book. This requires
you to look at the facts that were critical to the event, and their consequences.
(c ) An essay addressing the validity of the author’s conclusions about the ―what if?‖ event, with a thesis, 3 body
paragraphs addressing separate points about the consequences of the event with which you agree or disagree, and a
conclusion.
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National History Day 2013 Theme:
TURNING POINTS IN HISTORY:
People, Ideas, Events
By Adrienne Pritchard
Adrienne Pritchard is the Contest Manager for National History Day.
Congratulations on beginning your National History Day journey! This year’s theme is Turning Points in
History: People, Ideas, Events. For those of you who have traveled this road before, you know that
creating a great NHD project takes you out of the classroom and into exciting libraries, museums and
archives in search of primary sources related to your topic. And since you get to choose the topic, you
know that you will be interested in learning about it! You will discover history firsthand - seeing the very
documents or historic sites that you read about in your textbook and, based on your research, come to
your own conclusions about historical events. For those of you who are brand new to the National History
Day experience, welcome!
You may be wondering where to begin this challenge and to that question we answer, right here! Reading
through this theme sheet will give you guidance on the 2013 theme, Turning Points in History, helping you
to successfully choose an interesting historical topic to research for your project.
Perhaps the first question you are asking yourself is, what exactly is a turning point in history? The
dictionary defines “turning point” as a point at which a decisive change takes place. So a turning point in
history is more than just an important event that happened a long time ago. It is an idea, event or action
that directly, and sometimes indirectly, caused change. This change could be social or cultural, affecting a
society’s way of thinking or way of acting. It could be political, leading to new legislation or to a new
government taking charge. It could be economic, affecting how goods are produced, bought and sold, or
how much or how little a society has to spend on such items. A turning point can even cause all of
these changes and more. Okay, you say, but how do I know what changes my topic has caused? Ah,
good question. This is where you begin to dig for information about the time period in which it occurred,
where it happened, the people involved and what else was going on in that area at that time. In other
words, you are studying the context of your topic. This is one of the most important aspects of historical
research. Events do not just happen all by themselves — there are always factors involving time, place
and people that influence the causes and effects. Don’t just think about how you understand the topic but
also how people at the time thought about what was happening. It is important to examine the historical
context of your topic so that you see your topic more clearly, understanding the “big picture.” Turning
Points in History: People, Ideas, Events always have at least two sides, or opposing perspectives. Part of
being a thorough researcher is looking at a topic from all angles to see the whole story. Discovering the
historical background of your topic will allow you to do this.
Now that you have a better idea of the historical context of your topic, you can narrow in on the turning
point more precisely. What act, idea or event caused a change in how people thought or what they did?
How about the effects: new ideas, new laws, new technologies, new cultural standards? And how did
these develop over time? What was the end result? Your answers to these questions will provide the
historical evidence you need to form a conclusion about the event’s significance in history and the impact
that it had. Speaking of significance in history, don’t forget the very important “in history” part of the
theme. To fit the theme, your topic must truly be historical and not just a current event or recent idea.
Remember that you can choose to focus on a turning point in local, state, national or world history. When
many people think of significant turning points that changed the course of history, one of the first things
that often comes to mind are wars. World War II significantly changed the hierarchy of nations as new
global powers emerged and also altered large portions of the map as some nations were divided or
added together with new borders and new identities. But to successfully choose a topic related to
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World War II, for example, you should focus on specific aspects of the war. An exhibit could discuss a
turning point within the war, such as Guadalcanal in the Pacific or the invasion of Normandy on the
European front. A web site could examine the war itself as a turning point in a particular geographical
area, or even in a specific aspect of life for a group of people. To sustain economic needs
with so many men at war, women in the United States increasingly held jobs in previously male
dominated
fields such as manufacturing. How did this become a turning point for women’s equality, and how did it
affect their lives after the war? Did this happen for women in other countries too? Or what about human
advancements? How was the discovery of penicillin a major turning point in medical care? A performance
could show how agricultural innovations, such as irrigation and the use of fertilizer, changed how crops
are grown, creating a much more efficient method that can produce food for millions of people. You could
also look at Henry Ford and how his advancements in the manufacturing of automobiles changed the way
goods were mass produced. How has society and the world economy changed as a result? A web site
could explore how the Interstate Highway Act led to the staggering growth of the American suburbs and
how that was a turning point in American society. Gutenberg’s printing press was a crucial turning point,
leading to greater access to information. How did this affect education and communication? What
religious implications did this have? How did it help advance the fields of science and art?
Environmental factors and natural events can also be explored. You could look at how the discovery of
gold in California shifted the American focus and launched the great westward expansion. How did this
further affect land rights, relations with the Native Americans and the map of the United States? Or what
about turning points in the business world? A paper could explain how the Sherman Anti-Trust Act
changed the scene of big business monopolies and gave the U.S. federal government power to protect
competition in trade. What effects did this have on the businesses, the people involved or future related
events?
You should also think about new ideas and the people who have been a part of significant turning points.
How was Gandhi’s “Quit India” movement a catalyst for change in India? Did the British imprisonment of
the Congress set the stage for the Muslim League to gain ground in its “Pakistan Movement?” Or what
about the development of the Impressionist movement in Paris? How did the artists’ desire to capture
change and fleeting moments change how people viewed art? A performance could explain how the case
of Brown v. Board of Education was a significant turning point not only for civil rights, but also in the
American public school system. People who brought the injustice and suffering of a group to the attention
of the general public have also caused great change. A documentary could discover how the photography
of Lewis Hine showcased the plight of child laborers. How did this lead to legislation that protected
children in the workplace? What effects did this have on other aspects of manufacturing?
As you can see, the theme Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events has exciting possibilities for
choosing a research topic. Think about the sorts of things you are interested in and then think about how
they have changed the course of history. Almost any topic — from sports, to television, to science — can
be turned into a National History Day project. You can begin brainstorming topic ideas with your
classmates, your teachers and your parents. Read about areas of history that interest you and see what
important turning points you discover. You can search on the internet or search through your textbook. It
might be handy to carry a notebook with a list of topic ideas and as you find information, circle those you
are interested in and cross off those that no longer seem appealing. Once you find the topic that fits the
theme and interests you most, go ahead and jump right into research. Your local library is an
excellent place to start!
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SUGGESTIONS TO GET YOU THINKING ABOUT YOUR NHD TOPIC
The National History Day theme for 2012 is “Turning Points in History. “ After reading the theme sheet from NHD
(attached), consider topics that interest you that relate to United States history. Your topic should be interesting
to you, as you will be spending considerable time with it. For example, consider a topic that relates to a career you
are considering, or a hobby you pursue, that also relates to a revolution, reaction or reform in history. What
follows is a list of suggested topics. Your topic must be approved by me!
An added note: there are additional contests in which you may enter your paper for local history, or for original
work (that usually involves local history).
NATIVE AMERICANS
Native Americans—how should Native Americans be treated and why did attempts at a Pan-Indian response to
European invasion fail? What were the major revolutions, reactions and attempts at reform in addressing Native
Americans in U.S. history? (Early reactions to Native Americans such as the Jamestown Massacre, Pequot Wars,
King Phillip’s War, Pontiac’s Revolt, the Iroquois Confederacy, Tecumseh, the Seminole Wars, the Trail of Tears,
the Cherokee Indian cases and legal treatment of Native American tribes, Manifest Destiny, Chief Joseph and the
Nez Perce, the Dawes Act of 1887, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, Wounded Knee,
Native American citizenship, the Native American Reorganization Act of 1934, the American Indian Movement
(AIM) of the 1960s. You may even want to do research on Native American resistance to white settlement in this
area or in Georgia.
AFRICAN AMERICANS AND OTHER MINORITIES:
How should African-Americans be treated? (The introduction of slavery and treatment of Africans in colonial
society, the early debates over slavery and the Quaker petitions in the 1790s, the Three-Fifths Compromise, the
slave trade, the response to slave rebellions, the Gag rule, the American Colonization Society, abolitionism
(immediate vs. gradual), the Missouri Compromise, the Wilmot Proviso, the Compromise of 1850, the KansasNebraska Act and popular sovereignty, Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott, the Election of 1860, the treatment of African
Americans during the Civil War, the Thirteenth Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, the Fifteenth
Amendment, Reconstruction issues such as the manner of Reconstruction, the role of African Americans in
government, Jim Crow laws, Plessey v. Ferguson, the Niagara Movement, W.E.B. Dubois vs. Booker T. Washington,
the NAACP creation and fight for desegregation, Brown v. Board of Education, Brown v. Board of Education II and
the road to desegregation, the split in the civil rights movement (black power, Malcolm X and black nationalism,
the Black Panthers), bussing, Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act, the poll tax, Bakke, Affirmative Action
vs. equal opportunity.
WOMEN
What is the proper role of women in society, in government, in the economy? What are the political and legal
rights of a women at various times in history? (Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, and early women rights’
advocates), Republican motherhood vs. a political role for women, the “Cult of Domesticity” and the BeecherGrimke debates, the role of women in early reform movements (abolitionism, temperance, etc.), the Seneca Falls
Declaration and its impact on women rights, the role of women in the Civil War, World War I, World War II or
other wars, the post-Civil war women’s movement including Susan B. Anthony, the split in the women’s rights
movement, the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, the New Woman of the 1920s, the flapper girl and social
propriety for women, birth control, working women, Betty Friedan and the 1960s women’s rights movement, the
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Griswold v. Connecticut decision regarding birth control, the Sexual Revolution, the Equal Rights Amendment, the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act, the Roe v. Wade decision and pro-life/pro-choice debate.
EDUCATION
What is the proper role of the federal government in education? Should women/African-Americans/other
minorities be educated? What is the role of education? Women’s education movement, the freedmen’s schools.
The entry of the federal government in education in the 1950s, the No Child Left Behind Act.
EXPANSION
The Proclamation Act of 1763, the Louisiana Purchase, the United States Exploring Expedition, the annexation of
Texas and the Mexican-American War, the Wilmot Proviso, the Ostend Manifesto, the Spanish-American War,
Imperialism and the annexation of Hawaii, the Filipino War, the Platt Amendment, the Panama Canal and Big Stick
Diplomacy, the Roosevelt Corollary and Latin America, the Good Neighbor Policy, return of the Panama Canal.
WAR
Debate over entry into any of U.S. Wars, whether there should be a draft, who should be drafted, protest over any
war, role of media in the debate over war, the issue of entry into the League of Nations, the United Nations, the
creation of NATO or other significant treaties.
DIPLOMACY
Isolationism vs. interventionism, human rights, arms race and Cold War (diplomacy related to the Revolutionary
War, the Quasi-War, the Embargo Act, the Monroe Doctrine, the Roosevelt Corollary, diplomacy related to the Civil
War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc.), Theodore Roosevelt and Big Stick Diplomacy, Woodrow Wilson and the
Fourteen Points, the Kellogg-Briand Pact, the Nye Commission and isolationism during the 1930s, WWII Diplomacy
(Japan, the Atlantic Charter and the United Nations, Europe First strategy, Truman’s decision to drop the bomb,
the Big Three talks, Yalta, Potsdam), the Cold War, the decision to intervene in Korea, Vietnam, or other Cold War
issue, the U-2 Spy Plane incident, the SALT treaties, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the end of the
Vietnam War, Détente with the Soviet Union or China, the Middle East Peace talks, the end of the Cold War.
POLITICAL RIGHTS/GOVERNMENT
Any change in or debate over the form of American government, including the Constitution, any compromise, the
Federalist papers, the Bill of Rights, any amendment, any landmark court case, voting rights and suffrage, major
changes in government such as the Populists, the Progressives, the New Deal, the War on Poverty and the Great
Society.
Colonial Era
Why did Europeans immigrate to the Americas? How should people be allowed to worship? How should the
colonies be governed? (The Puritan treatment of Heretics, Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams, the Salem Witch
Trials, the Navigation Acts, the colonial wars, the French and Indian Wars, the Albany Plan of Union, events leading
to the Revolutionary War such as the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party).
Revolutionary Era
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Should Britain be able to tax American colonials? Should the American colonies unite? Should Americans seek
independence? How should Loyalists be treated?
Constitutional Era
What type of government should we form? What individual rights should Americans have? (The failure of the
Articles of Confederation, the Annapolis Convention, the Constitutional Convention, the constitutional
compromises, the Bill of Rights, the Federalist Papers, the tariff, the presidency, the ratification debates (overall or
in a particular state), the Federalists vs. Antifederalists, the role and creation of political parties, the Whiskey
Rebellion, Marbury v. Madison, the Bank of the United States, the Revolution of 1800.
Reform Movements
What changes should be made in politics or society? (Any of the steps toward universal political suffrage—postrevolutionary governments, Jacksonian democracy, African-American suffrage, female suffrage, citizenship and
suffrage for Native Americans; immigration reform including the Know Nothing Party, the Chinese Exclusion Act,
the Emergency Quota Acts and 1920s immigration reform, the Red Scare and the Sacco-Vanzetti case, immigration
reform in the 1960s; the Second Great Awakening and related reform movements for temperance, women’s
rights, abolitionism, education, penitentiaries and insane asylums; the Free Soil Movement, the labor movement
including the Knights of Labor, the Grange movement, the Populist movement, the Progressive Reform movements
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including the 16-19 amendments; the Equal Rights Amendment, the Civil Rights Movement, the Sexual
Revolution, the Counter-Culture Movement, the Environmental Movement of the 1960s, the Pro-Life/Pro-Choice
Movement, the Reagan Revolution.
Famous Court Decisions
Marbury v. Madison, McCullough v. Maryland, Gibbons vs. Ogden, Worcester v. Georgia, Dred Scott v. Sanford,
Plessey s. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Schenck v. United States, Schechter v. United States, Roe v. Wade
and many, many others!
RELATED TO CAREERS or PERSONAL INTERESTS
Business: Economic issues such as the Tariff, Government Regulation of Businesses, the New Deal, the role of
government in business, the government protection of businesses, government subsidies to business.
Medicine: Vaccinations in colonial America, the licensing of medical professionals in the late 1800s, the role of the
midwife, the impact of technology in medicine, Medicare and Medicaid, national health care insurance (beginning
with Fair Deal through present).
Law: Court cases, changes in the structure of government, any of the amendments.
Music and Theatre: Censorship of American media, McCarthyism, the Harlem Renaissance and segregation of
artistic performers, the negative impact of jazz, rock and roll, heavy metal, etc.
Animal rights and protection
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The Environment: Theodore Roosevelt and the Conservation movement of the early 1900s, the Green Party,
nuclear energy and the Three Mile Island incident, the 1970s Environmental Movement—the debates over the
Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act.
Technology: Funding of the Space Race, the role of the FCC in television content, the role of the media in national
debates, the Kennedy-Nixon debates.
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NAME____________________________________________________ DATE____________________
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY ASSIGNMENT WORKSHEET
You will need to read 1 secondary source and 1 primary source on your topic and write a two paragraph
explanation of your planned research and paper. Choose carefully as you will be spending at least 1
entire semester with this topic! This grade will go in as the first assignment for your research paper,
which will count 15% of your course grade first semester.
INSTRUCTIONS: Complete the following required tasks and email this sheet to me at
susanmullis@fredericaacademy.org and susanmullis@comcast.net by the first day of school.
1. Read over the National History Day topic sheet, and peruse the Suggested Topics sheet. Your topic
can be anything that fits the NHD topic, relates to U.S. history, and inspires you! I will need to approve
your topic when you submit this worksheet. You must do this by the first day of school, but can submit
it to me earlier if you would like, in the event that you want to start working on the paper this summer.
Please note that the topic requires you to (1) choose a debate, controversy, or issue of diplomacy in
some aspect of American history; (2) trace the consequences of that event and determine whether it
was a success or a failure.
2. My topic is _______________________________________________________. The turning point in
history at issue with respect to this topic is _______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
(For example, if you wanted to study early colonial medicine and the changes in medicine relating to the
acceptance of vaccinations, you would write “vaccinations in early America” in the first blank and
“reforms in medicine and vaccinations” in the second blank.
3. ATTACH A 2 PARAGRAPH EXPLANATION OF YOUR TOPIC. You should read a reliable secondary
source and locate 1 primary source related to your topic and using those sources, write a 2 paragraph
explanation of your planned research topic and paper. The secondary source can be a scholarly article,
or an authoritative website such as a college or government institution about your topic, such as your
text, one of the nonfiction works on the reading list. Your primary source can be located using an
authoritative website such as a college or government institution.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/ (using online textbook or reference) or
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/
www.loc.gov (the Library of Congress)
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EXTRA CREDIT--THE MOVIE GUIDE TO US HISTORY
INSTRUCTIONS: You may watch a movie and complete an assignment for up to 2 points extra credit
on your first test; you may watch up to 3 movies, for a total of 6 points extra credit on your first test. You
will need to provide a brief email movie review for each movie (see below). If you watch more than 1,
each movie should be from a different time period (see below). All of these should be movies that you
have not seen before.
1. Choose a total of up to 3 movies—1 movie from Part I, 1 movie from Part II, and 1 movie from Part
III. Watch them chronologically. The exceptions to the 3 movie requirement are the movie series John
Adams and Roots. If you choose either of those movies, you will only need to watch the entire series.
Please note that you are more than welcome to watch these with several of your friends, but you each
must come to your own separate conclusions about the movie, and do your own research!
2. Before you watch each movie, go to a reputable source online (not Wikipedia) or to your textbook to
learn about the event that is covered in the movie in general terms. Acceptable books include your
textbook or one of the nonfiction books on the reading list. Acceptable sites include
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/ (using online textbook or reference) or
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/
www.loc.gov (the Library of Congress)
3. Watch and enjoy the movie. Be on the lookout for historical accuracies and inaccuracies.
4. After you have completed a movie, you need to send me an email at
susanmullis@fredericaacademy.org providing the information and answering the questions below.
(Note—my email will say that I am out of the office, but I will be checking it periodically.) For
questions, email me at susanmullis@comcast.net. These email reviews should be relatively short; the
body of the paper should be about 3 paragraphs. There is no need to summarize the movie for me!!
Your email should be in this format--(1) Title of Movie—With the statement, ―I have never seen this movie before. I watched the
movie in its entirety.‖
(2) Year Movie Made—
(3) Time period in history where story is set—
(4) Complete citation for source you used to review the time period before watching the
movie—
(5) If rated R (and many are), you must include the following pledged statement: ―I sought and
obtained my parent’s permission to watch (name of movie) prior to watching the movie. ―
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(6)Historical analysis—This section of your response should be 1-2 paragraphs addressing the
historical accuracy of the movie, and the relation of the historical event in the movie with the
time period in which the movie was made. The following questions may guide your response:
(a) what historical accuracies/inaccuracies did you find in the movie? (b) How was the movie
accurate/inaccurate? (c) what information was in the historical reference you used but not in
the movie (or in the movie, but not in the text)? Note the year the film was produced—what
about the time period in which the movie was produced made it interesting to viewers of the
time period? For example, the movie, To Kill A Mockingbird was produced in 1962, two years
after the book. The story is set in the 1930s Depression era. The story was interesting to 1960s
viewers because race relations were heated and the civil rights movement was occurring at that
time.
(7) Your recommendation of the movie to your classmates (1 paragraph)—its strengths and
weaknesses. Why/why not would you recommend this movie to your friends? Support your
opinion with specific facts. (1 paragraph)
MOVIES
Part I—Colonial Era through Civil War and Gilded Age—choose 1movie from this list.
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Last of the Mohicans (French & Indian War—a/k/a Seven Years War, starring Daniel
Day-Lewis)—1992 (Rated R for violence)—A great remake of the great American
writer James Fennimore Cooper’s novel. Set in America during the French and
Indian War, this movie has great romance, tragedy, and fight scenes!
The Patriot (The Revolution, starring Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger)—2000 (Rated R for
violence)—The story of how a South Carolina farmer (and French and Indian War hero)
takes up arms against the cruelties of the British Redcoats. Mel Gibson/Heath Ledger.
John Adams (HBO miniseries, counts as all three movies, starring Paul Giamonti)—A
great dramatization of America’s greatest story!
Amistad (A famous slave revolt and legal case, starring Morgan Freeman, Anthony
Hopkins, Matthew McConnaughey, and other accomplished actors) –1997 (Rated R
for violence and some ―brief related nudity‖) Captured Africans on a slave ship lead
a mutiny and take over the ship. When they arrive in the United States, they are
imprisoned as runaway slaves. Former president John Quincy Adams takes their
case.
Gone with the Wind (antebellum South, the Civil War, and the post-war South, starring
Vivian Leigh and Clarke Gable)—1939. One of the first blockbuster movies, a great
love story, against the backdrop of the antebellum South, the Civil War, and the
devastation following the war. Note that the movie has many historical inaccuracies, but
is a classic, really more historically significant for being among the first blockbuster
movies in the 1930s.
Roots Miniseries (counts as all three movies, starring Levar Burton, Louis Gossett, Jr.)—
1977. The fictional account of the ancestry of author Alex Haley, as he searches for his
identity.
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Glory (filmed partially on Jekyll Island, although not ―set‖ there, starring Matthew
Broderick, Denzel Washington) (Rated R for violence)—1989. The story of the Civil
War black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts regiment.
Gods and Generals (the story of Stonewall Jackson, counts as 2 movies)—2003. Starring
Jeff Daniels, Robert Duvall, Mira Sorvino. Historically accurate, but somewhat long.
When it showed in the theaters, it had an intermission!
Gettysburg (the story of the turning point of the Civil War, counts as 2 movies)—1993.
The story of the epic battle of the Civil War, attempting to tell it from the perspectives of
both North and South.
Cold Mountain (the story of the Civil War, told from the perspective of women and the
lowly private, starring Nicole Kidman and Jude Law, rated R for violence and
sexuality)—2003. A great love story, and gory battle scenes.
Gangs of New York (New York during the mid19th century, Civil War draft riots, Gilded
Age corruption, ethnic hostilities and treatment of immigrants)—2002. Although some
events in the movie are somewhat off-kilter time-wise, this movie gives a great birds-eye
view of what life was like in America’s greatest city during the mid-19th century. Rated
R for strong violence (much fighting!), sexuality/nudity, and language.
Dances with Wolves (Western frontier, post Civil War) –1990. A different type of
cowboy movie—a soldier comes to respect the native peoples he finds on the frontier.
Stars Kevin Costner—a blockbuster when it was made.
Part II--The Early 20th Century through World War II—Choose 1 movie from this list.
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It’s A Wonderful Life (1930s Depression era, and Christmas classic)—1946. Set in a
small town during the Depression, George Bailey (played by the great American actor
Jimmy Stewart) seeks the meaning of his life.
All the King’s Men (1930s, tells the story of populist Louisiana politician Huey P.
Long)—2006. This version (the movie has been made three times) stars Sean Penn and
Jude Law.
To Kill A Mockingbird (1930s, race relations in the South)—1962. Lawyer Atticus Finch
must represent a black man accused of raping a poor white girl, as racial tensions
escalate in a small Alabama town in the 1930s.
Casablanca (World War II, set in Morocco during the time of the Vichy French)—1942.
Noted as one of the greatest movies of all time, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid
Bergman, this movie is full of great one-line classics such as ―Round up the usual
suspects.‖ Play it again, Sam!
Saving Private Ryan—(World War II, D-Day Invasion)—1998. A great depiction of
what the D-Day invasion might have looked like. The army command sends a unit to
locate Private Ryan, the last of several brothers.
Mussolini---The Untold Story—(Italy, between the wars and World War II)—1985.
George C. Scott brings the Italian World War II leader to life!
Patton—(George C. Scott plays the great World War II general)—1970.
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Part IV—Beyond World War II—Choose 1 movie from this list.
 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Race relation, mid 20th century)—1967. Acting greats
Katherine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, and Spencer Tracy, in a movie about what happens
when a young woman brings a distinguished doctor home, who happens to be AfricanAmerican. Ashton Kucher remade this movie with Bernie Mac recently, in the reverse.
 Mississippi Burning (1960s South, civil rights movement)—1988. Gene Hackman and
Willem Dafoe star as local and FBI agents investigating the murder of two white and
one black civil rights workers during the civil rights movement. Rated R for violence.
 A Time to Kill (1960s South, civil rights movement)-1996. Mathew McConnaughey and
Sandra Bullock star in this movie version of the John Grisham novel, which tells the
story of the trial of a black man for shooting the rapists of his ten year old daughter.
Rated R for violence and nudity. Please note that the account of the rape is emotionally
disturbing.
 JFK (The story of the JFK assassination retold by Oliver Stone)—1991. Oliver Stone
tells the story about those who believed that the Kennedy assassination was a
conspiracy. Kevin Costner plays Jim Garrison, a New Orleans DA who begins an
investigation into JFK’s assassination. Rated R for language.
 Thirteen Days (the Cuban Missile Crisis)—2000. Kevin Costner stars in this story of the
time when the U.S. came as close as it has ever been to nuclear war.
 Platoon (Vietnam)—1986. A gritty story of Vietnam with a star-studded cast. Rated R
for violence.
 Good Morning, Vietnam! (Vietnam)—1987. An irreverent early version of a ―shock
jock‖ radio dj takes an irreverent look at the role of the U.S. in Vietnam. Rated R for
violence, sex, nudity.
 The Deer Hunter (Vietnam)—1978. Three high school friends go off to Vietnam, and
into tragic circumstances. Cast includes Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep and Robert
de Niro. Some disturbing scenes—rated R. The classic post-Vietnam movie.
 Apocalypse Now (Vietnam)—1979. A secret military operation to eliminate a U.S.
soldier who is believed to be insane and is leading raids into Cambodia. Also, the
classic post-Vietnam movie. Also rated R for violence.
 We Were Soldiers (Vietnam)—2002. A movie that tells of the noble fight of the soldiers
in Vietnam. Rated R for violence.
 Malcolm X (1950s and Civil Rights Movement, Black Nationalism)—1992. Denzel
Washington stars as the black nationalist Malcolm X.
 The Manchurian Candidate (Cold War Era—1962; Terrorism—2004). In the original
version (starring Frank Sinatra), the bad guys are Chinese Communists. In the remake,
starring Denzel Washington, the story is set in Kuwait, not Korea! 2004 version is rated
R.
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All the Presidents’ Men (Watergate, 1970s)—1976. The story of how two Washington
Post reporters, Woodward and Bernstein, break the story of Watergate. By the way, we
now know who Deep Throat is!
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/01/politics/01throat.html?_r=1&ref=washington
Black Hawk Down (Somalia, 1990s)—2001. Rated R for violence. Starring Josh
Hartnett, Ewan McGregor. The story of a heroic rescue of a downed Black Hawk
helicopter, and a look at a new military reality in Africa, where Americans are hated, and
military superiority doesn’t necessarily help. Rated R for violence.
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