US History II Honors (For Sophomores becoming Juniors)
Shuman’s Summer 2015 Reading
 Read one of these two books: The Thirteen American Arguments*, by Howard
Fineman or Overthrow, by Stephen Kinzer and complete the following
assignments
Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq (Stephen
Kinzer)
A fast-paced narrative history of the coups, revolutions, and invasions by which the United
States has toppled fourteen foreign governments -- not always to its own benefit. "Regime
change" did not begin with the administration of George W. Bush, but has been an integral
part of U.S. foreign policy for more than one hundred years. Starting with the overthrow of
the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 and continuing through the Spanish-American War and
the Cold War and into our own time, the United States has not hesitated to overthrow
governments that stood in the way of its political and economic goals.
Expectations & Requirements
1. Read Overthrow, by Steven Kinzer. For each section: The Imperial Era, Covert Action or
Invasions, identify the author’s main point and through research, find a counterargument to his point. This should be a 1-2 page paper, in standard 5 paragraph format,
no citations are necessary. It is due the second day of class and is worth 25 points; there
is a 7 point penalty for a late paper. Argue for or against this statement: These
interventions were necessary to protect the national security of the United States.
Cite evidence.
2. You are not required to write out definitions, but being familiar with these terms
may make the reading a little easier. Please keep in mind that there will be a
quiz on these terms during the first week of the class. For five points of extra
credit create 3 X 5 note cards for the terms you are unfamiliar with.
Terms & Concepts
Anaconda Copper Mining
Dean Acheson
Big Stick Policy
Company
Afghanistan
Buddhist Monks
Agrarian Reform
George HW Bush
Emilio Aguinaldo
Anglo-American Oil Company
Anti-colonialism
Ayad Allawi
Anti-Communism
Smedley Butler
Salvatore Allende
Anti-imperialism
Cambodia
Al Qaeda
Banana Republic
Jimmy Carter
American Exceptionalism
Fulencio Batista
Fidel Castro
Charles Beard
Platt Amendment
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George W Bush
Teller Amendment
Mikhail Gorbachev
Arthur MacArthur
CIA
Great White Fleet
Douglas MacArthur
Guatamala
Grenada
William McKinley
Chile
Gulf War
Robert McNamara
Pinochet
Gunboat Diplomacy
George Marshall
Christian Messianic Mission
Bill Clinton
Che Guevara
Jose Marti
Halliburton
Shah of Iran
Annexation of Hawaii
Mohammad Mossadegh
John Hay
Multinational Corporations
Ho Chi Minh
National Security Council
Alfred Mahan
Neocolonialism
Iran
Nicaragua
Iraq
Richard Nixon
Iran-Contra Scandal
Pakistan
Islamic Fundamentalism
Panama
Lyndon Johnson
Philippines
JP Morgan Bank
Theodore Roosevelt
Kennecott Copper Corp.
Dean Rusk
John Kennedy
Taliban
John Kerry
Harry Truman
Henry Kissinger
Weapons of Mass Destruction
KGB
Wahhabi Islam
Coffee Industry
Cold War
Columbia
Communism
Costa Rica
Cuba
DIA
Capitalism
Dollar Diplomacy
Ngo Dinh Diem
Domino Theory
DEA
John foster Dulles
Dwight D Eisenhower
Expansionism
Closing of the Frontier
Barry Goldwater
Kuwait
Henry Cabot Lodge
What should you turn in at the beginning of school for your summer reading assignment for
Overthrow?


Your two page paper supporting the argument for or against: These interventions were
necessary to protect the national security of the United States.
Extra Credit note cards.
OR
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The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates
That Define and Inspire Our Country (Howard Fineman)
Introduction: “At a time when most public disagreement seems shrill and meaningless,
Fineman makes a cogent case for nurturing the real American dialogue. The Thirteen
American Arguments runs the gamut, including Who is a Person? The Declaration of
Independence says ‘everyone,’ but it took a Civil War, the Civil Rights Act, and other
movements to make that a reality….The Role of Faith: No country is more legally secular
yet more avowedly prayerful. From Thomas Jefferson to James Dobson, the issue
persists: Where does God fit in government? American in the World: In Iraq and
everywhere else, we ask ourselves whether we must change the world in order to survive
and honor our values – or whether the best way to do both is to deal with the world as it is.
Whether it’s the nomination of judges or the limits of free speech, presidential power or
public debt, the issues that galvanized the Founding Fathers should still inspire our
leaders, thinkers, and fellow citizens. If we cease to argue about these things, we cease to
be.” (Back Cover)
1. Be Familiar with the list of terms below; I strongly recommend that you review
these concepts before you begin the reading assignment, as all the terms and
concepts appear in the book. Understanding their significance ahead of time
may help you work more efficiently through the book. I am not requiring you to
write out definitions, but you must be familiar with these items as we will return to
these ideas throughout the year. There will be a quiz on these concepts in the
first week of class
Terms & Concepts
You are not required to write out definitions, but being familiar with these terms may
make the reading a little easier. Please keep in mind that there will be a quiz on these
terms during the first week of the class. For five points of extra credit create 3 X 5 note
cards for the terms you are unfamiliar with.
Abortion
American
Revolution
Apathy
Argument
Bill of Rights
Boycott
Budget
Cabinet
Capitalism
Checks and
Balances
Citizenship
Civil War
Congress
Conservative
Constitution
Culture
Currency
Declaration of
Independence
Democracy
Democrats
Diplomacy
Discrimination
Elite
Evangelicalism
Federalism
Foreign Policy
Freedom of Speech
Globalization
Government
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Healthcare
Ideology
Immigrant
Individualism
Isolationism
Judicial Review
Labor Unions
Laissez-Faire
Liberal
Majority Rule
Marbury v. Madison
Mass Media
Meritocracy
NAFTA
National Debt
Political Party
Popular Sovereignty
Public Policy
Republicans
Supreme Court
Taxes
Terrorism
2) THEN, once you have read the book (or while you are reading the book), you are also
assigned to watch TV (the news). You will need to keep up with the current events over the
summer and find FOUR examples of the arguments discussed in Fineman’s book. If you would
like, you can also read the newspaper or follow the news on acceptable news sources on the
internet. You need to find examples of four DIFFERENT arguments (you may only use each
argument one time). You have 13 arguments to choose from, and these arguments are evident
in our current issues, therefore, this task should not be difficult. Once you find the examples,
you will turn in a summary of the current event and explain how it portrays one of the thirteen
arguments. In addition to this explanation, you need to provide citations for the various sources
for current events. Where did you get the information?
There will be a quiz over all the chapters on the second day of class.
What should you turn in at the beginning of school for your summer reading assignment for
Thirteen Arguments?
1. A summary of four different current event issues.
2. An explanation of how each event reflects an argument that was described in the book,
Thirteen American Arguments.
3. A citation list of all of the sources that you used for the current events portion of this
assignment.
Your next question should be: when is this due? This assignment will be due on the SECOND
day of school,
Have a great summer! I am looking forward to seeing you in August!
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