Eisenhower High School Advanced Placement United States History – 2015-­‐2016 Summer Assignment Welcome to Advanced Placement US History (APUSH) with Mr. Mills The 2015-2016 school year will be a
very busy one as we prepare for the Advanced Placement exam in May 2016. APUSH is a rigorous college-level
course that will require extensive background knowledge in US History.
Since this is a college-level course that requires extensive knowledge in US History we cannot waste any
time in preparing, and need to hit the ground running in August. To do this, every APUSH student will be required
to complete the following summer reading assignments that will be due throughout the summer. The final complete
assignment is due on the first day of school in August.
The assignments are listed below. Please contact me prior to July 1, 2015 if you are having difficulty
getting a book. The People’s History can be found at Eisenhower High School, but can also be found at the local
library, bookstores and on various websites. Please see the website below which contains the entire book. The
reading questions are attached, but you may also email me for an electronic copy. All assignments must be
completed as specified for credit. Once you have received this packet, please email me at the address listed below
and introduce yourself. Have fun!!!
Mr. Mills ~ [email protected] Assignment #1: A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
1. Read chapters 1 and 2 of the novel. – Assigned at school or found at
http://www.historyisaweapon.org/zinnapeopleshistory.html
2. Answer the attached questions (there are some for each chapter) in complete sentences in blue or
black ink only in your own handwriting (no typing please). Please put your name (first, last) in the upper
right hand corner, followed by the date on the next line. (SUBJECT TO CHANGE IF MACBOOKS ARE
ISSUED EARLIER IN THE SUMMER THAN EXPECTED)
3. Students will be expected to write an essay on the first day of class using material from Zinn’s book.
Students will be allowed to use their responses to the questions on the timed essay.
Chapter 1: Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress
- Each question is worth 1 point. (30 pts total)
1. How did the Arawaks greet Columbus and his men? (Use the excerpts from Columbus’ journal)
2. What were the Arawaks known for and why was this remarkable to the Europeans?
3. Why had the Spanish monarchs financed the Columbus expedition?
4. How did gold earrings lead to the Arawak’s downfall?
5. Evaluate the ways that Columbus attempted to pay back his dividends.
6. What way(s) did the Arawaks fight Columbus’ actions?
7. What were encomiendas?
8. Who was Bartolome de las Casas and his significance?
9. Describe the treatment of women in the Arawak culture?
10. Explain Zinn’s statement of, “Total control led to total cruelty.”
11. Why is Zinn critical of “Columbus Day”?
12. Why is Zinn critical of Harvard Historian Samuel Eliot Morison?
13. How does Zinn argue that past historians (and teachers!) have justified Columbus’ genocide
of the Arawaks?
14. What “lens of history” does Zinn examine history through? Which “lens” does he avoid? Why
does he feel this is necessary?
15. Describe Cortes’ conquest of the Aztecs.
16. How were the English colonial settlements similar to that of the Spanish?
17. How did the Pilgrims and Puritans respond to the “Indian problem”?
18. What was the Pequot War?
19. What, does Zinn argue, is the sacrifice of human progress?
20. Describe the Native American peoples of the North and South American continent that
Columbus considered “inferior”.
Chapter 2: Drawing the Color Line
21. What is significant about J. Saunders Redding’s description of the arrival of a ship in 1619?
22. How did slavery develop? How did racism develop along with it?
23. What elements of helplessness led to the Africans continued enslavement?
24. Describe the African civilization during the time of colonization.
25. Describe the conditions on a slave ship.
26. Describe the treatment of slaves early in the colonies.
27. Describe slave resistance.
28. What did slave owners consistently avoid? What methods did they use to avoid it?
29. When was the first large scale slave revolt? Why was it significant?
30. Why was it feared that whites would join slave revolts? How was this prevented?
Assignment #2: United States Maps PART A: LABELING MAP 1. In black ink label the fifty states IN BLACK INK. You may use the state abbreviations to do this. (10 points) 2. Label the following bodies of water IN BLUE INK (you may have to draw in the rivers): (1 point each-­‐ 6 points total) a. Five great lakes (HOMES!!!) b. Mississippi River c. Rio Grande River d. Atlantic Ocean e. Pacific Ocean f. Gulf of Mexico 3. Draw the following mountains in BROWN and label in BLACK ink: Appalachian and Rocky. (1/2 point each-­‐ 2 pts total) 4. Draw the following boundary lines in orange and shade using appropriate colors or patterns to demonstrate the following historical territorial acquisitions. CREATE A KEY AND INDICATE THE APPROPRIATE COLOR OR PATTERN IN YOUR KEY. (1/2 point each-­‐ 4 pts total) a. Original Thirteen Colonies b. Treaty of Paris, 1783 c. Acquisitions from Spain in 1810, 1813, and 1819 d. Louisiana Purchase e. Texas Annexation f. Treaty of Guadalupe-­‐Hidalgo g. Oregon Treaty h. Gadsden Purchase 5. Draw in RED the Missouri Compromise Line. Label it in black ink next to your line. (1 point) Part B: Answer the following geography questions below: (You may use state abbreviations when applicable) 1. List all the states that are considered part of the original 13 colonies. (1/2 each – 6.5 total) a. b. h. i. j. c. k. d. l. e. m. f. g. 2. List the three major regions of the 13 original colonies (3 points) a. b. c. 3. List ALL fifteen slave holding states in the United States in 1860. (1 pt each– 15 points total) a. i. b. j. c. k. d. l. m. e. f. n. o. g. h. 4. List five places that are currently U.S. territories. (1/2 point each – 2.5 points) a. b. c. d. e.