AP US HISTORY Summer Assignment (Busbin, 2017)
Reminder: Schedule change requests for the 2017-2018 school year will end June 16.* Therefore, any
student registered for AP US History 11 after June 16 is responsible for completing the summer reading
assignment.
Purpose of Summer Reading:
• Challenge students to consider a long-standing issue within American history and grapple with its
place in historical memory
• Encourage students to practice and apply college-level reading and analysis of texts
• Prepare students for close reading/analysis as well as historical thinking as required by AP College
Board The Assignment:
1. Read the AP US History common reading selection: The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and
the Making of American Capitalism by Edward Baptist. You can purchase a copy of the book ($12.37 on Amazon),
borrow it from a friend or family member, or check it out of the local library. (I have several copies that may be borrowed
for up to 3 weeks at a time for those with financial difficulties)
2.
Complete the Major Works Data Sheet (50-point homework grade):
• The Major Works Data Sheet, which is a 100-POINT homework grade, is DUE the first day of class. Late assignments
will be penalized 10 points PER DAY for each day it is late. [must contact in advance if there is a problem with this
deadline]
• Please correctly complete all of the boxes on the Major Works Data Sheet regarding your reading of The Half Has
Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism. Note: You may type the responses if your
handwriting is either too large or ilegible and submit responses on a separate sheet(s) of paper.
• Before you begin reading, preview the Major Works Data Sheet to see what type of information you need to note as
you read.
• As you are reading, identify and record the following information: the key arguments presented by the author, author’s
structure and organization, and relationship to the course theme of “Power, Powerlessness, and the Quest for Freedom.”
• After you have finished reading, be sure that you have completed each part of the assignment.
• Make certain that wherever you are asked to include text quotations and page numbers, you do so.
No half-efforts or excuses. Don’t throw this together at the last minute. Don’t copy information from others—from either
online (That’s plagiarism and will result in a zero on the assignment) or from other students in the class (That’s cheating and
will also result in a zero). Remember: This is my first impression of you. Make it a good one!
3.
Compose a précis analysis paragraph based on your reading of The Half Has Never Been Told (50-point test grade):
Prior to the first day of class, you will use your completed Major Works Data Sheet and your knowledge of the book to
complete a précis (See following pages for prompt, précis template, and example). Bring the précis and Major Works
Data Sheet with you on the first day of school, regardless of if you have your AP US History class on your schedule
for that day or not. Sometimes students’ schedules change over the summer. Please be prepared.
4.
Demonstrate your understanding on a short-answer reading assessment. (36-point homework grade) On your secondday of class, you will complete a short-answer reading assessment demonstrating your holistic understanding of the text. The
format will be reviewed the first day prior to your assessment on the second day of class.
5.
A word of caution: The Half Has Never Been Told is an adult text (at times containing some adult content and language)
written about slavery in American history. [You may omit pages 215-217, the intro to the chapter “Seed”] Please be aware
that AP US History is a class for mature students who can read and discuss such topics with critical minds. Some of the texts
we read in class explore adult themes and issues while, in some cases, utilizing adult language and scenarios. Reading works
that investigate difficult aspects of American history does not ever condone or celebrate the material covered. Instead, AP
classes are designed to allow students to understand American history and the related human experiences in both their
celebratory and disheartening moments. I expect my students to be mature readers (or at least on their way to being so).
Keep this in mind as you read and write this summer.
6.
If you have Mrs. Robinson, please remember you must also complete her assignment. Her assignment provides a
unique different view of slavery from an artistic/literary perspective.
---Please feel free to contact Dr. Busbin with any questions at [email protected]*Students requesting a schedule change after the first day of school and only during the first ten days of each semester must receive approval from the
principal or designated administrator and will pay a schedule change fee per course they request to be changed. Be aware that we may not be able to honor
the requests due to classes that are at capacity or if a conflict exists between current and required courses and desired courses.
NOTE: If you cannot fit the required information in the
designated boxes, you may attach additional pieces of
paper to complete the assignment.
AP© US HISTORY (Dr. Busbin)
Name: _____________________________
Block: ______ (2B; 2W; 3B; 3W; 4B; 4W)
MAJOR WORK DATA SHEET
Significance of the Subtitle (explain Baptist’s argument
regarding relationship between slavery and capitalism):
Based on your explanation to the right, write out four key
facts/concepts from the text that SUPPORT your claim.
1)
2)
3)
4)
Author’s Thematic and Organizational Approach-Select THREE chapter titles that you think were well-developed in their
preceding pages and explain how the chapter symbolically reflected these titles.
(Baptist was praised in book reviews for his thematic chapter titles and how these were incorporated symbolically into the
respective chapter)
Chapter Title:___________________________
How chapter reflects title?
Chapter Title:___________________________
How chapter reflects title?
Chapter Title:___________________________
How chapter reflects title?
Responses should meet the TASK expectation, the basis for AP US History reading assignments: Thorough, Accurate, Specific, and include the Key Information
RELATING THE TEXT TO “POWER, POWERLESSNESS, AND THE QUEST FOR FREEDOM”
Fact/Quotation and page #
Select 5 facts OR quotes that demonstrate the sense of POWERLESSNESS
of slaves in American society (be sure to cite the page number):
(1) _____#Page
Fact/Quotation and page #
Baptist seeks to show that slaves were not the only ones stripped of power.
Select 4 facts OR quotes that demonstrate the sense of POWERLESSNESS
of groups OTHER than slaves. In doing so, identify group being discussed.
(be sure to cite the page number)
(1) _____#Page ________________________: Group
(2) _____#Page
(2) _____#Page ________________________: Group
(3) _____#Page
(3) _____#Page ________________________: Group
(4) _____#Page
(4) _____#Page ________________________: Group
(5) _____#Page
Fact/Quotation and page #
Fact/Quotation and page #
Select 5 facts OR quotes that demonstrate the sense of QUEST FOR
FREEDOM by slaves and those that supported them in American society
(be sure to cite the page number):
(1) _____#Page
Identify one specific set/group/type of people who you believe represents
power in the text. Select 5 facts OR quotes that demonstrate the sense of
POWER that this group represents (be sure to cite the page number):
SELECTED PEOPLE:__________________________________________
(1) _____#Page
(2) _____#Page
(2) _____#Page
(3) _____#Page
(3) _____#Page
(4) _____#Page
(4) _____#Page
(5) _____#Page
(5) _____#Page
Responses should meet the TASK expectation, the basis for AP US History reading assignments: Thorough, Accurate, Specific, and include the Key Information
AP US HISTORY SUMMER ASSIGNMENT PRÉCIS PROMPT
DIRECTIONS: After reading The Half Has Never Been Told and completing the Major Works Data
Sheet, use the template on the following page to compose a précis paragraph in response to the prompt below.
CONTEXT:
According to the text Reading Rhetorically:
A…précis differs from a summary in that it is a less neutral, more analytical condensation of both the content and
method of the original text. If you think of a summary as primarily a brief representation of what a text says, then
you might think of the rhetorical précis as a brief representation of what a text both says and does. Although less
common than a summary, a rhetorical précis is a particularly useful way to sum up your understanding of how a
text works rhetorically. (Bean, Chappell, and Gillam 62)
In this précis, you will analyze the title of the book, The Half Has Never Been Told. The title is the underlying and
controlling theme of this groundbreaking study of America and slavery. As an abstract concept, this title suggests
much about the content of the text. Its commentary about the reader’s knowledge of slavery as well as the rise of
American capitalism is open-ended. The concept of a previously unrevealed or untold truth is almost always implicit in
his writing. Use the following information to help you analyze by what Baptist meant through the title The Half Has
Never Been Told.
PROMPT: With the title The Half Has Never Been Told, what is the truth that Baptist is trying to reveal to the
reader through the title?
FORMAT: Your précis should be typed, double-spaced, and utilize a size 12 Times New Roman font and MLA format
for heading/header and citations of the text. Do not copy anyone else’s work, as this is cheating and will result in a ZERO
for the assignment.
MLA FORMAT HEADING
Your Name
Dr. Busbin
Course Title
Due Date
AP US HISTORY 11 PRÉCIS TEMPLATE (50-point test grade)
The précis format is a highly structured, six-sentence paragraph that blends summary and analysis. The most important
part of the paragraph is the analysis part. The summary is used to provide context for the insights revealed in the analysis
statements. Below is the format you should follow to complete your précis paragraph:
THE FIRST SENTENCE (Claim/Central Argument of Paragraph): Includes the text’s title and author, uses a
power verb (such as argues, suggests, or claims; not says or shows), follows the verb with the word that, and provides
your main assertion for the paragraph identifying the main message of the book. [Context + Title + Author’s full name]
+ [power verb] + [that clause] + [theme].
EXAMPLE: In his analysis of the post-World War II United States, Grand Expectations, James Patterson
illustrates that Americans possessed an idealistic vision for their country that unwound as the decades
progressed.
THE SECOND SENTENCE (First Evidence of Claim/Argument): [Author’s last name] + [a power verb] + this event
or concept through [name the evidence] + [expand on provided evidence or couple with similar evidence] + [explain a
specific use of plot device in the text that demonstrates the theme + include textual evidence by embedding a
quotation(s)].
EXAMPLE: Patterson first establishes the concept of “grand” through his portrayal of the economic boom that
America underwent following World War II, which included the rise of the American suburbs and the growth of
white collar jobs raising the average family income.
THE THIRD SENTENCE (Commentary/Elaboration): The author’s purpose is to [insert purpose] in order to
[include what larger point or understanding you think the author is demonstrating with this evidence].
EXAMPLE: Through this description, he seeks to reveal a new outlook that Americans had in believing that
their post-World War II future was one filled with optimistic growth and a resurgence of America’s leadership
abroad through its economic prosperity.
THE FOURTH SENTENCE AND FIFTH SENTENCES: You will repeat the process from the second and third
sentences by either adding new evidence that supports the overall idea or through providing countering evidence to
reveal a shift or rebuttal to the original evidence.
THE SIXT SENTENCE (Closure of Argument): Revisits the central argument of the paragraph, but “wraps” the essay
together through circling back to the primary claim. Does not seek to introduce new information.
FULL PARAGRAPH EXAMPLE:
In his analysis of the post-World War II United States, Grand Expectations, James Patterson illustrates that
Americans possessed an idealistic vision for their country that unwound as the decades progressed. Patterson first
establishes the concept of “grand” through his portrayal of the economic boom that America underwent following World
War II, which included the rise of the American suburbs and the growth of white collar jobs raising the average family
income. Through this description, he seeks to reveal a new outlook that Americans had in believing that their post-World
War II future was one filled with optimistic growth and a resurgence of America’s leadership abroad through its
economic prosperity. Yet, he contrasts this prosperous description of the United States with the turmoil that emerges
primarily in the 1960s, notably the unrest of the various social movements and the tragedy of the Vietnam War. Through
this dichotomy, Patterson exposes that the “expectations” that Americans had set forth in the late 1940s and through the
1950s crumbled during the 1960s failing to become a reality. Through his work Grand Expectations, historian James
Patterson succeeds in demonstrating that while America indeed had grandiose hopes for its future and believed in such
through the first fifteen years following World War II; yet, through both domestic strife and setbacks abroad, these
beliefs failed to materialize into long-term successes.
If you have Mrs. Robinson, please remember you must also complete her assignment. The precis is due
the first day of class.