US History 2 Honors
Shuman’s Summer Reading
ξ Read The Thirteen American Arguments*, by Howard Fineman and
complete the following assignments
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)
Expectations & Requirements
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 Quizlet note
cards for these terms. (quizlet.com)
Abortion
American
Revolution
Apathy
Argument
Bill of Rights
Boycott
Budget
Cabinet
Capitalism
Checks and
Balances
Citizenship
Civil War
Congress
Conservative
Constitution
Culture
Currency
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Declaration of
Independence
Democracy
Democrats
Diplomacy
Discrimination
Elite
Evangelicalism
Federalism
Foreign Policy
Freedom of Speech
Globalization
Government
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. After you read the book (or after reading each chapter- your method is your choice), you are
to SUMMARIZE the 13 arguments that Fineman describes.
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.
What should you turn in at the beginning of school for your summer reading assignment?
1. Chapter summaries (these summaries will briefly describe the argument that is explained in
each chapter- IN YOUR OWN WORDS.)
2. A summary of four different current event issues.
3. An explanation of how each event reflects an argument that was described in the book,
Thirteen American Arguments.
4. 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, August 29 or 30.
Please see the back of this page for your rubric for this assignment.
Have a great summer! I am looking forward to seeing you in the fall!
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Summer Reading Assignment Rubric:
Fantastic! (9-10)
Good (7-8)
Okay (4-6)
Needs work (1-3)
All 13 chapters are
summarized; the
summaries are clear
and accurate.
Four current events
have been
summarized; the
summary is
thorough and
provides a good
explanation of the
current event.
The student
included an
explanation of four
current events and
each relate to one
argument discussed
in the book, 13
American
Arguments. Four
different arguments
were used.
10-12 chapters are
summarized.
Summaries are
clear and accurate.
Three current
events have been
summarized, and
the summaries
provide a good
explanation of the
current event.
5-9 chapters are
summarized.
Less than 5
chapters are
summarized.
Two current events
have been
summarized, and the
summaries provide a
good explanation of
the current event.
Only one summary
was turned in.
The student
included an
explanation of three
current events and
each relate to one
argument discussed
in the book, 13
American
Arguments. Four
different arguments
were used. OR four
current events were
explained, but the
connection to the
book arguments is
unclear.
The student included
an explanation of two
current events and
each relate to one
argument discussed
in the book, 13
American Arguments.
Four different
arguments were
used. OR three
current events were
explained, but the
connection to the
book arguments is
unclear.
Citation
All current event
sources were cited
properly.
Some citations are
missing.
Punctuality
Assignment was
nd
turned in on the 2
day of school.
Citations were
provided but the
sources were not
cited properly.
Assignment was
rd
turned in on the 3
day of school.
The student
included an
explanation of one
current event and
each relate to one
argument
discussed in the
book, 13 American
Arguments. Four
different
arguments were
used. OR two
current events
were explained,
but the connection
to the book
arguments is
unclear.
No citations were
included.
Assignment was
th
turned in on the 4
day of school.
Assignment was
th
turned in on the 5
day of school.
Chapter
summaries
Current
events
summary
Current
events
explanation
** Any work that is submitted but is plagiarized will result in an automatic termination of the
student’s summer reading assignment. Please use original ideas and write everything IN YOUR
OWN WORDS!
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