TO: AP U.S. History Students
FROM: Mrs. Cole McIntosh, APUSH Teacher
DATE: Summer, 2013
RE: APUSH 2013-14
Below you will find general information about the course. More specific information will be provided in a detailed
syllabus at the beginning of the 2012-13 school year.
Read the following information carefully and refer any and all questions to sarah.cole2@jefferson.kyschools.us
PLEASE do not contact the school office as they will not be able to provide specific assistance. I will check my
email frequently throughout the summer and will answer any questions or address any concerns. Please note that
there is work that should be completed prior to the start of school. Questions should be asked in a timely manner.
Summer Reading Students should purchase A Short History of the United States by Robert V. Remini. Students
have the option of purchasing a hardback or paperback edition, but please DO NOT purchase an audio or
electronic version. Students will utilize the book for the entire school year and will be responsible for having it in
class on a regular basis. Please do not feel obligated to purchase the hardback as it can be a bit expensive.
Purchasing from Amazon is likely the best option. Students will also receive a textbook at the beginning of the
school year as well as additional resources and readings throughout the year.
Hardback Cover
Paperback Cover
Students are required to read the first TWO chapters (approximately 62 pages) during summer and
complete the attached assignments. Assignments will be collected the first week of school and students
should arrive prepared to submit and discuss their work. The subsequent chapters of the book will be assigned
throughout the year as appropriate to the course of study.
Course Information The purpose of this course is to provide students with a college-level study of the history of
the United States. Therefore, students should be prepared for a rigorous course which includes high expectations
and requires students to perform at the college level. Classes will be comprised of discussion, lecture and a variety
of assignments and activities to guide the students through the course material. Content addressed in this course
generally focuses on the themes of social, political, economic, cultural and diplomatic history. A strong emphasis
will be placed on reading, writing and the utilization of historic documents and primary sources. Students are
required to take the AP Exam in May. The 2013 cost for the exam was $89. In order to receive college credit,
students must pass the exam. Additional information about the exam and a more detailed course description can
be found by visiting: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/sub_ushist.html?ushist
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2013 Summer Reading Assignment
Task A: Dialectical Journal
Directions: Students are to complete a dialectical journal over the first two chapters of the Remini book,
(Discovery and Settlement of the New World and Independence and Nation Building). A dialectical journal is a
conversation between you and what you are reading. You will write down the passages and quotations that are
most significant or interesting to you and then provide a rationale. Students should select passages or quotations
that help them understand, summarize, clarify, question, critique or analyze the text.
Students should complete TWENTY entries for each chapter and should bring the completed journal with them to
class the first day of school, August 20. The examples provided may NOT be used. Journals must be typed and all
your own work.
Examples:
Quotation or Passage
“Another disaster occurred on September 25,
when Benedict Arnold, a splendid general who had
participated in the surrender of Burgoyne at
Saratoga, turned traitor and deserted to the
British.”
”There was virtually no question as to who would be
elected President. George Washington was
universally loved as the military hero who had won
the nation’s freedom. Without him no Union
seemed possible.”
Page
#
Why do I find this passage significant or
interesting? Do I have any follow-up questions?
Do I have an opinion about what I read?
44
I’ve always heard the name Benedict Arnold
associated with being a traitor but I never really
knew who he was or what he did. I wonder what
happened to him after the war.
52
This describes how and why Washington was
selected to be the first President under the
Constitution. The rest of the paragraph below
the passage also talks about the characteristics
that made people want him to be President. I
think they’re different than why people like
Presidents now.
Task B: APUSH Thematic Connections
Directions: Select any THREE of the themes listed on the following page. For each theme that you have selected,
explain how that theme is demonstrated within the two chapters that you were required to read. Some themes
may be more applicable to the early history of the United States than others so choose carefully. You should refer
to passages from your dialectical journal for evidence. Specific examples are required. Each thematic connection
should be 2-3 paragraphs in length. Be sure to clearly identify which theme you are writing about. Thematic
connections must be typed (12 pt font, double spaced) and students should bring the completed work with them
to class on the first day of school. All work must be your own.
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Themes in AP U.S. History
The themes listed in this section are designed to encourage students to think conceptually about the American
past and to focus on historical change over time. In other words, the themes help you understand the “big
picture” and look at history as more than a sequence of events.
Theme
American Diversity
American Identity
Culture
Demographic Changes
Economic Transformations
Environment
Globalization
Politics and Citizenship
Reform
Religion
Slavery and Its Legacies in
North America
War and Diplomacy
Description
The diversity of the American people and the relationships among different
groups. The roles of race, class, ethnicity, and gender in the history of the United
States.
Views of the American national character and ideas about American
exceptionalism. Recognizing regional differences within the context of what it
means to be an American.
Diverse individual and collective expressions through literature, art, philosophy,
music, theater, and film throughout U.S. history. Popular culture and the
dimensions of cultural conflict within American society.
Changes in birth, marriage, and death rates; life expectancy and family patterns;
population size and density. The economic, social, and political effects of
immigration, internal migration, and migration networks.
Changes in trade, commerce, and technology across time. The effects of capitalist
development, labor and unions, and consumerism.
Ideas about the consumption and conservation of natural resources. The impact of
population growth, industrialization, pollution, and urban and suburban
expansion.
Engagement with the rest of the world from the fifteenth century to the present:
colonialism, mercantilism, global hegemony, development of markets,
imperialism, and cultural exchange.
Colonial and revolutionary legacies, American political traditions, growth of
democracy, and the development of the modern state. Defining citizenship;
struggles for civil rights.
Diverse movements focusing on a broad range of issues, including anti-slavery,
education, labor, temperance, women’s rights, civil rights, gay rights, war, public
health, and government.
The variety of religious beliefs and practices in America from prehistory to the
twenty-first century; influence of religion on politics, economics, and society.
Systems of slave labor and other forms of unfree labor (e.g., indentured servitude,
contract labor) in American Indian societies, the Atlantic World, and the American
South and West. The economics of slavery and its racial dimensions. Patterns of
resistance and the long-term economic, political, and social effects of slavery.
Armed conflict from the pre-colonial period to the twenty-first century; impact of
war on American foreign policy and on politics, economy, and society.
The above themes are from the College Board’s course description of U.S. History and form the framework for the
content covered in the course and included on the AP exam in May.
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