AP UNITED STATES HISTORY
Summer Assignment
Mrs. Carmichael
Assignment #1 – Personal History
We all have our own, very important and special personal history. Knowing a little about your personal
history is important as we embark on a year of study together. Write a letter of introduction in 1-2 pages.
Provide your name, some information about your family and life as a child, and a brief statement about
who you are. Include why you chose to take APUSH, what you hope to get out of this class, and what
you are most looking forward to learning about U.S. History. Also include your favorite quote(s) and the
why you chose it/them, i.e., what does the quote(s) mean to you?
Requirements: typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font with 1-inch margins all around.
*This will not be graded, but you will receive 40 homework points for completing it and emailing it to
me on time.
Please email your letter to me ON or BEFORE August 10, 2015.
Email: [email protected]
Assignment #2 – Summer Reading
Welcome to Advanced Placement United States History (commonly referred to as APUSH). The
APUSH exam covers the entire span of American history, and demands that you be prepared and
committed to taking a challenging year-long course. As part of this preparation process, you will be
required to complete the summer assignment detailed below. We have a LOT to cover this year and the
summer homework will place you on the right track toward the ultimate goal of passing the APUSH
exam. There will be absolutely no unethical behavior regarding the completion of your summer
homework (i.e. copying answers off of the internet, sharing work with someone else from class, etc.).
Your summer assignment will be your first opportunity to prove yourself. A failure to complete the
summer assignment at an acceptable standard will place you behind in the course, jeopardize your grade,
and/or endanger your enrollment in APUSH. *Please note that you will be given a multiple-choice
exam at the beginning of the year over the information covered in the summer homework.
DIRECTIONS FOR SUMMER ASSIGNMENT:
The summer assignment is representative of the workload that will be required of you in APUSH.
Read chapters 1-3 in the 13th edition of The American Pageant by Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey. (ISBN:
0-618-47940-6). *This assignment is due on THURSDAY/FRIDAY, August 20/21 BY THE END
OF THE CLASS PERIOD (DEPENDING WHAT DAY YOU HAVE CLASS ON) – NO LATE
ASSIGNMENTS ACCEPTED.
1. Answer the short answer questions using complete sentences. Be thorough. A good answer will
be at least two paragraphs in length.
2. Define the terms listed below using complete sentences. A good answer will be at least a
paragraph in length.
3. Answer the essay question using the standard five-paragraph format (complete with thesis and
supporting details).
4. Create a detailed timeline of the significant events for each chapter. (This must be done in
colored pen on a separate piece of paper. (This is the only part of your assignment that WILL
NOT BE TYPED).
Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper. Re-type the question (or copy and paste)
and then provide the answer. Answers must be typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font,
and you must use complete sentences.
CHAPTER ONE: New World Beginnings
Short Answer Questions:
1. Describe the geological and geographical conditions that influenced the historical development
of North America
2. Describe the similarities and differences of major pre-Columbus native cultures in America
3. Explain the European developments that led up to Columbus’s voyage to America
4. Describe the impact of European explorations and conquests on Native American cultures
5. Describe the Spanish conquest of Mexico and South America, and identify the major features of
Spanish colonization and conquest in North America
6. What were the positive and negative benefits of the Columbian Exchange?
Terms: Define the significance of each as it applies to the theme or chronology of the era discussed:
Anglo-Powhatan Wars
Charter
Jamestown
Black Codes
Feudal
Joint Stock Company
Cash Crop
Indentured Servitude
Maryland Act of Toleration
Essay Question #1
Compare and contrast the English and Spanish motivations for the colonization and conquest of the New
World. What impact did these two groups have on Native American cultures?
CHAPTER TWO: The Planting of English America
Short Answer Questions:
1. What factors contributed to England’s successful establishment of colonies on the North
American continent?
2. Discuss the similarities and differences between the southern English colonies in North America.
3. Why did colonial masters first adopt the institution of indentured servitude rather than Indian or
black slavery to meet their demands for labor?
4. How did tobacco and sugar affect the social and economic development of colonial America?
5. Explain the diverse motives for founding each of the five southern colonies and indicate the
distinctive qualities of each
6. Describe the common features of England’s southern colonies
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Terms: Define the significance of each as it applies to the theme or chronology of the era discussed:
Anglo-Powhatan Wars
Charter
Jamestown
Primogeniture
Restoration Colonies
Spanish Armada
Black Codes
Feudal
Joint Stock Company
Protestant Reformation
Royal Colony
Cash Crop
Indentured Servitude
Maryland Act of Toleration
Proprietary Colony
Self-Governing Colony
CHAPTER THREE: Settling the Northern Colonies
Short Answer Questions:
1. Describe the Puritans culture and beliefs and explain why they left England for the New World
2. In what ways was the Mayflower Compact a genuine step toward self-government?
3. Did the Puritans really come to America seeking religious freedom? How did they reconcile
their own religious dissent from the Church of England with their persecution of dissenters like
Hutchinson and Williams? Does their behavior make them hypocrites?
4. Explain how conflict with religious dissenters, among other forces, led to the expansion of New
England
5. What efforts were made to strengthen English control over the colonies in the seventeenth
century, and why did they generally fail?
6. What economic, social, and ethnic conditions typical of the early southern colonies (Chapter 2)
were generally absent in the New England and middle colonies? What characteristics did the
middle colonies have that was generally not present in the South?
7. Explain why New York, Pennsylvania, and the other middle colonies became so ethnically,
religiously, and politically diverse
8. Describe the central features of the middle colonies and explain how they differed from New
England
Terms: Define the significance of each as it applies to the theme or chronology of the era discussed:
Anne Hutchinson
Calling
Conversion
Heresy
Navigation Laws
Puritan
Separatists
Autocracy
Calvinists
Elect
King Philips’ War
Pequot War
Quakers
Theocracy
Blue Laws
Commonwealth
Mayflower Compact
Predestination
Seditious
Visible Saints
Essay Question #2
Were the American colonies more or less tolerant of religious differences than the people of their
homelands? Cite specific examples to justify your answer.
Essay Question #3
Read pages 64-65 (Varying Viewpoints: Europeanizing America or Americanizing Europe?).
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Summarize the reading in 3 paragraphs and then explain why you think historical interpretations of the
past change over time. What influences these changes and why? What impact can these changes have on
society today – especially in the context of young students learning the history of the United States?
Your grade for the summer assignment will be based on the following:
• Short Answer Questions
= 10 points each section (3 x 10 = 30 points total)
• Terms
= 10 points each section (3 x 10 = 30 points total)
• Essays
= 20 points each (3 x 20 = 60 points total)
• Total Summer Assignment Points = 120 points
*If you fail to complete any part of the assignment, you will receive a zero on the entire
assignment.
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