Dear Student:
The following questions are designed to guide your note-taking for the material on colonial America covered by
the first five chapters in The American Pageant. Do not let the number of questions intimidate you. The
questions are a guide only. Only you can determine the amount of notes that you need to take. If it is
information that you know very well, you may end up taking relatively few notes but you must take notes for
each question to provide concrete evidence that you have made some effort to process and comprehend the
information and concepts presented in these chapters. PLEASE NUMBER YOUR NOTES!!! The sole
purpose of this assignment is to provide a review of material that you should have covered previously in other
social studies courses you have taken, especially those which included a study of US History. By completing
the summer reading, we will also buy ourselves time in covering material that is less familiar to you. Do not
feel obligated to answer the questions in complete sentences. The notes you take and the responses you develop
will serve as your study guide for an assessment on colonial America that you will have the second week of
school and to help you more fully participate in class discussions/activities. I will be more than happy to
entertain any questions that you have on the material during the first week of classes. However, you must
adhere to the following guidelines:
1. You must take your own notes. All notes must be in your handwriting. No typed notes. Notes from
on-line sources are unacceptable. Please number your notes to the corresponding questions. This policy is
designed to provide evidence that you have read the assignment and that you have not used somebody else’s
work when doing so. If there is conclusive evidence that you have done so, you and the student with whom you
have collaborated will receive a 0 for the assignment. No credit will be awarded if notes are taken from on-line
sources as well. The bottom line is: DO YOUR OWN WORK!!! Do not copy anybody else’s work. The
excuse “I worked with another student” is invalid. NO CHEATING!!! Individual processing must be done if
one is to begin to understand and make sense of the material.
2. Be accurate and thorough in your work. If you want this assignment to serve as an effective study guide,
your notes will need to reflect these two characteristics. Limited effort will result in limited academic gain; the
greater the effort, the greater the gain.
3. Notes for the first two chapters will be due the Wednesday that you return to school; notes for Chapters 3 –
5 will be due the first Monday upon your return to school. Failure to complete any portion of the assignment
will result in a 0 being assigned for the parts not completed. Do not procrastinate. AP does not mean
“Advanced Procrastination”. However, it might mean “Advanced Pain” (academically speaking) if you do not
complete this assignment on time. Plus, not having it completed upon your return will leave gaps in your
knowledge when we begin discussing this material. Remember, as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
once said, “With each day’s delay, how much harder the task”.
Have a great summer! All that is needed from you to succeed in the AP US History course is your best effort. I
will not ask for more nor will I expect anything less. Neither should you. Remember, mediocrity is no
accomplishment. Just getting by is not good enough. As seniors, it is time for you to realize your full potential
and to impress those college admissions officers, showing them, in a concrete fashion, that you are ready for the
challenges that they will offer.
Guide Questions for AP US Summer Reading Assignment
CHAPTER ONE – New World Beginnings – 33,000 B.C.-A.D. 1769 (pp. 4 – 24)
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How and why did the original inhabitants of the Americas migrate to North and South America?
How diverse were the cultures of the Native Americans?
Why were the civilizations established by the Incas, the Mayans, and the Aztecs notable?
Why was corn cultivation important to Native American tribes?
How sophisticated were the civilizations established by the Native Americans living in North America compared
to those living in Central and South America?
To what extent did Native Americans alter the physical environments in which they lived?
Before the first Europeans arrived in the New World, what factors promoted long-range exploration and
discovery on their part (consider the following influences: the Norsemen, the Crusades and the development of
trade with the East, Polo’s accounts, the rise of nation-states, the Renaissance, the printing press, and other
technological innovations)?
Why was Portugal the first European country to engage in long-distance exploration? How did their contacts
with Africa affect the people living on that continent, the Portuguese themselves, and all of Europe?
Why were the voyages of Bartholomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama significant?
What factors encouraged Spanish exploration?
Why was Columbus’ “discovery” of the Americas significant?
Describe the positive and negative effects that European exploration and colonization of the Americas had on
both the Europeans and the Native Americans (you will find answers to this question throughout the chapter).
Why was Spain the dominant power in the Americas in the 1500s (identify the factors that contributed to their
preeminent position)?
What contributions did the following make to the growth of the Spanish colonial empire: Balboa, Magellan, de
Leon, Coronado, de Soto, Pizzaro?
Why was Hernan Cortes able to topple the Aztec empire?
How did the success of Spanish colonization in the New World influence other European nations?
CHAPTER TWO – The Planting of English America, 1500=1733 (pp. 25-42)
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What factors delayed English colonization of North America?
How were the Irish affected by England’s efforts at colonization?
What factors encouraged English exploration and colonization of North America during the 1500s and 1600s?
What were the results of England’s initial attempts at colonization in North America?
Why did the Virginia Company attempt to establish a colony at Jamestown? Why did the colony almost fail?
Why did it ultimately survive?
How were the Powhatans affected by English colonization at Jamestown? Why did they fail to successfully resist
English encroachment on their lands? Why did the English not desire their presence?
How were the Native Americans of North America affected by English colonization?
What environmental, economic, and social effects did the cultivation of tobacco have on Jamestown and in
Maryland (see p. 67 as well)?
Why was the establishment of the House of Burgesses significant?
Why was the Maryland colony established? Why was Catholic control of the colony tenuous?
What role did indentured servants play in the establishment of the Chesapeake colonies?
Why was the Maryland Act of Toleration significant?
Upon what were the economies of the Caribbean colonies established by England based? Why did slavery
develop there? How did the English control the slaves?
14. Describe the relationship between England’s Caribbean colonies and those on the North American mainland
(especially those with Carolina).
15. Why was Carolina established? How were the Native Americans living there affected by England?
16. What role did African slaves play in the economic develop of Carolina?
17. Why was the city of Charleston unique?
18. What types of people settled in North Carolina? How were they different from those inhabiting South Carolina?
How did the English government address these differences?
19. How was North Carolina similar to the New England colony of Rhode Island?
20. How were the Native Americans affected by the colonization of the Carolinas?
21. Why was the colony of Georgia established? Describe the colony in terms of its ethnic diversity and the religious
toleration it extended to those who settled there.
22. Why did the Georgia colony grow slowly?
23. Make a list of the common characteristics shared by the southern plantation colonies.
24. What was the Iroquois Confederacy? Why was it established? What role did women play in Iroquois society?
25. What factors undermined the Iroquois Confederacy?
CHAPTER THREE – Settling the Northern Colonies, 1619-1700 (pp. 43 – 65)
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Who was John Calvin? What were the key beliefs held by him and his followers?
Who were the Puritans? Why did they come into conflict with the Church of England?
Who were the Separatists? How and why did they migrate to Plymouth?
What was the Mayflower Compact? Why was it a significant document?
What factors allowed Plymouth to survive as a separate colony until 1691 when it became part of
Massachusetts?
Why and how was the Massachusetts Bay Colony established? What factors contributed to its success?
To what extent was religion important to the inhabitants of Massachusetts Bay?
Describe the political structure of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. How democratic was the government that was
established in that colony?
How religiously tolerant were the Puritans of the Bay Colony (consider their treatment of the Quakers, Anne
Hutchinson, and Roger Williams)?
How was the colony established by Roger Williams in Rhode Island different from other New England colonies?
Describe the colonies established in Connecticut.
What was the significance of the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut?
Why did indentured servants come to America? What conditions did they face? Why did their numbers
decrease in the late 17th century (see pp. 67-68 as well)?
How were New England towns reflections of English communities?
Describe the development of New Hampshire.
Why did conflict erupt between the English colonists and the Native American tribes of New England? How
were both groups affected by this warfare? Consider especially the impact of the Pequot War and King Philip’s
War.
What was the purpose of the New England Confederation? Why was its establishment significant?
How did the Restoration of Charles II to England’s throne affect Massachusetts and English colonization of North
America?
Why was the Dominion of New England created? Why did New Englanders dislike it and its Governor Sir
Edmund Andros?
How did England’s Glorious Revolution affect her American colonies?
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Why did Americans resent English officials?
Why was New Netherlands established? Describe its notable features.
How did the Dutch deal with the Swedes who settled on the Delaware River?
Why did the Dutch lose control of New Netherlands? What legacies of the Dutch survived after the colony was
taken over by England and renamed New York?
Describe the practices of the Quakers. Why were they persecuted by the English?
Why did William Penn establish the Pennsylvania colony? What factors accounted for the colony’s rapid
growth?
How were New Jersey and Delaware formed?
What were some of the common characteristics of the Middle colonies?
CHAPTER FOUR – American Life in the Seventeenth Century, 1607 – 1692 (pp. 66 – 83)
1. How did the environment of the Chesapeake colonies affect those living there and the family structure of the
region? Why had conditions stabilized by the beginning of the 18th century?
2. What was the headright system?
3. Why was Bacon’s Rebellion significant? What caused it?
4. Why did slavery become entrenched in the English colonies by the 1700s?
5. Describe the trip from freedom to slavery for those Africans who were transported to North America. Include
some mention of the Middle Passage.
6. What were the slave codes and how did they facilitate the development of slavery in Britain’s North American
colonies?
7. Contrast the lives of slaves in South Carolina with those living in the Chesapeake region.
8. What cultural contributions did African slaves make to America (see page 75 as well)?
9. What were some of the common features of African slave religion?
10. What contributions did slaves make to the development of America?
11. How did the slaves express resentment of their conditions?
12. Make a chart comparing and contrasting the Southern colonies and New England colonies taking into account
the following: longevity, family structure, women’s rights, education, climate, social structure, settlement
patterns, local political structure, and economies.
13. What was the Half-Way Covenant? How did it affect the Puritan congregations?
14. What were the Salem witch trials? Why did they occur? What were their results?
15. How was the approach of New England settlers regarding the land and its use different from those of local
Native Americans?
CHAPTER FIVE – Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution, 1700 – 1775 (pp. 84 – 105)
1. To what extent did the English colonies of North America grow during the 1700s? Why?
2. Make a chart showing the non-English ethnic groups that settled in North America including where they settled,
countries of origin, etc.
3. How diverse were the Native American and African slave populations in England’s North American colonies?
4. Describe the social structure that existed in England’s North American colonies.
5. How advanced was American medicine in the 1700s?
6. How prestigious were the occupations of clergyman and lawyer during the 1700s?
7. Describe the economic activities of New England’s North American colonies. Why was manufacturing of
relatively little importance?
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What was the triangular trade?
Why did the British pass the Molasses Act of 1733? How effective was it?
Describe the various forms of transportation used during the colonial period and its impact on colonial society.
Why were taverns important in colonial America?
What religions were widely practiced in the English colonies during the colonial period?
How influential were the Anglican and Congregational churches? What problems did the former face?
Why did the Great Awakening occur? What impact did it have on American religion, education, society, and
politics?
How did the New England and Southern colonies attempt to meet the educational needs of those who inhabited
their respective regions?
What contributions did American colonists make to art, architecture, literature, and science?
How important were newspapers in colonial America?
Why was the John Peter Zenger case significant?
Compare and contrast the political structure of royal, proprietary, and self-governing colonies.
Why were relations between colonial governors and colonial legislatures strained?
How democratic were the governments established in Britain’s North American colonies?
Describe the lives of the American colonists in terms of their diets, living conditions, community activities,
favorite pastimes, and holidays.
How were Britain’s North American colonies similar?