Advanced Placement United States History
2019 Summer Assignment

Note well:  Read this entire packet before you begin any of the assignment.  You might want to print this for ease of reference.

The College Board exam requires us to study all of American history from “1491” (the time before Columbus’ arrival in the New World) to the present, focusing on political, economic, social, and cultural developments.  Therefore, in order to do this successfully, we must begin our study this summer.

Colonial American history is vital to understanding the foundation of our nation’s political, socio-cultural, and religious heritage.  The colonial period will comprise our “Unit 1: Colonial America (1491—1750).”  It is imperative you dedicate yourself to studying this period in American history before regular classes begin in August.  The following assignment will help you establish a solid understanding of the era and will be a sample of the coursework you will be experiencing throughout the school year.  That said, here is your task:

•	Read   
Read chapters 1, 2, 3, and part of chapter 4 in the textbook.  Reading the textbook is the single most important key to success in this class.  Students who do not develop good reading habits will struggle.  Use the Unit 1 syllabus (on pages 7 and 8) to break this reading up into manageable sections.  You’ll notice that each day on the syllabus has a short reading, some “terms to identify” (in the first column), and some “reading comprehension questions” (in the second column).  This syllabus is broken up in a way that is comparable to the reading you will do during the school year.  Start this reading at least two weeks before school starts.  You might want to follow the schedule I created for you, with the first reading being done around August 1.

•	Take notes
As you read, you must also take notes on the reading.  All year, I will provide you with a basic outline of course notes for each unit.  Use these notes as a guide while you read, keeping in mind they cannot replace the reading, nor do they necessarily follow the text.  The course notes are organized to help you see the “big picture” of history.  As you add your own notes to them – from the textbook and class lectures – they become an invaluable study guide.  More information on note-taking is provided below.

•	Identify the “key terms”
While reading and taking notes, you need to be able to “identify” important terms and events in the manner described below.  (Again, see the unit syllabus for the list of terms.)  These terms, or “identifications” (ID’s) as I call them, include the most important people, events, concepts, and ideas from the reading.  These ID’s make up the “stuff” of history – the “who,” “what,” “when,” and “where” of the past.  Whereas, in your previous history courses, you may have expected your teacher to tell you these things, in APUSH, you are expected to come to class each day with a basic knowledge of these terms.  In other words, you should come to class knowing what happened, when and where it occurred, and who was involved; in class, I will help you understand how and why it happened and why it is important.

o	See pages 4 and 5 to learn how to properly “identify” a term or concept.
o	The textbook should be the primary source of information for identifying these terms.  Realize, however, that very few of these terms can be simply “defined” with a glossary definition of the term or concept.  It is very important to read the paragraph(s) before and after to get a better sense of the context of the term.
o	Although the textbook should be the primary source, it need not be the only source.  You are encouraged to use as many sources as possible.  If the textbook seems light in its coverage of a particular term (or does not include it at all), a prep book or trusted academic website can be helpful.  You can also use encyclopedias, even Wikipedia, as long as you back them up with other sources.  I must, however, reiterate: the textbook should be your primary source.
o	To complete the ID’s, you should simply add hand-written additional notes from the textbook, websites, and class lectures, to the course notes I provide you, using the substantial space in the right margin of the course notes.  (See page 6 for an example and tips on how to do this.)  As you do this, keep in mind that not every term is in the notes, nor are those terms in the notes always thoroughly identified for you.  The course notes are not intended to be complete (if they were, I would call them a “textbook”); your job is to make them as complete as possible.
o	Regardless, your goal is to make note of – and comprehend – the causes, description, results/effects, and significance (think “CaDRES”) of each term.  You should be able to label each part (Ca, D, RE, S) of the identification for every term.
o	You must realize these ID’s constitute a substantial part of your class notes.  They are not simply a supplement to the course notes I provide; they are a critical component.  You could say that 50% of the content you need to grasp is in the course notes I provide, and the remaining 50% you will add with your ID’s, textbook reading, and in-class note-taking.  You will rely on all of these notes throughout the year, so the neater and more organized you are in completing these the more you will benefit from them later on.
o	You will notice that some terms are in BOLD print.  This indicates that these terms are major events or concepts and ones you should thoroughly identify and understand.  These items will appear frequently on tests and in essays throughout the year.  Furthermore, each class (when reading is assigned) can – and often will – begin with an “ID quiz” in which you will have 3-4 minutes to “identify” a term I select from the previous night’s reading.  Although these quizzes are only worth a few points each, taken together they will constitute 15% to 20% of your overall grade.  Moreover, identifications are the foundation of everything we do; if you do not know the ID’s well enough for a daily quiz, you will not know them well enough for a unit test or when asked to write about them in an essay.  Knowing these terms is your primary responsibility in this class.  As the teacher, my role will be to clarify the terms and make sure you understand how and why they are significant.  Furthermore, I will ensure that you understand the broad themes and connections in history (the “big picture”), but that cannot be done effectively if you do not know the details.
o	You do not need to be as thorough with the terms that are not in bold print.  It is enough to have a simple grasp of what the item is.  You will not be quizzed on these non-bold terms specifically, however, you will likely need to include these items in your ID quizzes, essays, and class discussion, so do not ignore them.

•	Consider the “reading comprehension questions”
While completing the identifications will help you understand the events of the past, they will not be sufficient in helping you see the “big picture” of history.  To do well in this course and on the College Board exam, you need to go beyond what happened and be able to analyze events.  This means that you must be able to explain or describe how and why things happened; it means you have to understand causes and effects; and it almost always means that you see how events are interconnected.  This is what I often refer to as seeing the “big picture” of history.

o	To help you see the “big picture,” you need to focus on the “reading comprehension questions” listed in the right column of each unit syllabus (labeled with letters).  These are the major concepts and developments in American history that often make up the core of an essay question and will often be the focus of our class discussion.  As you read, consider these and take notes to help you answer them.  
o	Like ID quizzes, which focus on the key terms, class could also begin with a quiz on one of these comprehension questions; these are known as “reading comprehension” quizzes.  You will be quizzed on the reading comprehension questions as much or more than the terms to identify.

The First Day of School
To be prepared for the first day of class in August, make note of the following:

•	Be sure you have read the assigned textbook readings.
•	Be sure you have identified (and can identify) all the bold terms for Unit 1.
•	Be sure you have considered and taken notes on all the reading comprehension questions for Unit 1.  Be ready to have meaningful discussions of these questions each class during the first two weeks of school.
•	Have the following materials with you every day beginning with the first day:
o	a pen and pencil
o	a set of Crayola colored pencils (12 pack)
o	a 3-ring binder with a two-inch binding (required)
o	a package of college-ruled loose-leaf paper
•	You do not ever need to bring your textbook to class.  We do not use it in class; however, you will use it extensively at home.

Keys to Success in APUSH
I have often asked my successful students to identify the most important keys to succeeding in this class.  Here is a list of the eight things I have heard most frequently.  Take this advice seriously.

•	Read the textbook.  There is no substitute for reading the textbook.  If you are not committed to reading the textbook throughout the year, APUSH is not the class for you.
•	Keep up with the readings, ID’s, and RC questions.  Do not fall behind.  Work ahead if you can.
•	Be prepared for a quiz every day reading is assigned.  Do not try to guess when there will be one.
•	Participate in class discussions every day.  Ask a lot of questions about the material.
•	Be an active note-taker.  Add your own notes to the course notes as you read and in class.
•	Study for all tests and quizzes at least five days in advance.  Last-minute cramming does not work.
•	Keep a well-organized binder.  The binder is the ultimate study guide for the final and AP exams.
•	Take advantage of as many bonus-point opportunities as you can.  This will not only improve your grade, but will also help you understand material better.	

How to Complete “Identifications” (and “Think Historically”)

“Identifications” are more than definitions and go far beyond what a textbook might list in its glossary.  The goal of identifying terms is to make sure you understand everything historically significant about a particular term or concept.  This is a daunting task, but it is necessary if you plan to succeed in this course.

Identifications have four main parts.  I use the acronym “CaDRES” (pronounced ‘KAH-drays’) to help students remember how to structure an identification.  The “Ca” stands for causes; the “D” means description; the “RE” stands for results and/or effects; and the “S” means significance.  Each part is more thoroughly explained below:

•	Part I – Causes
Start the identification by describing all of the causes of the event.  Every significant development in history occurred for several reasons and had several causes.  Every identification should begin with an explanation of what preceded the event, what was going on before it, or what caused it to occur.  By starting the identification this way, you provide context for the event.  Nothing just happens without reason or cause; something always preceded it and led to it.  For example, if a student punched another student in the cafeteria, the story of this fight wouldn’t make sense unless we first understood what was said or done in the past that caused this student to throw a punch.  Likewise, the Great Awakening was a major religious revival in the mid-18th century that swept across the colonies.   But the Great Awakening didn’t just arise because someone woke up one morning and said, “You know what would be fun…?”  It was caused by several factors, including sagging church membership, concerns that parishioners were no longer motivated by fear of damnation, and new liberal ideas of the Enlightenment that had been challenging traditional religious views.  All events have causes, and often several causes.  Start your identification there.

•	Part II – Description
Continue the ID by thoroughly describing the term or concept.  To do this, it is helpful to answer these questions about the term:
o	What is it?  This may be an actual definition of the term.  You should describe what the term is.  For example, consider the Maryland Act of Toleration.  Do not begin this identification by saying “This was when...”  Instead, start by stating what it is: “The Maryland Act of Toleration was a law…”  If the term is a person, such as Jonathan Edwards, start by stating, “Jonathan Edwards was a fiery preacher…,” and not “Jonathan Edwards was a guy who…”
o	Who is involved?  This can include specific individuals or groups of people.  If you are identifying one person, then it is obvious who is involved, but in the case of the Mayflower Compact, you should note that it involved a group, the Pilgrims, and one individual in particular, William Bradford.  In identifying the Maryland Act of Toleration, you would likely discuss Lord Baltimore, the Catholic minority, and the Protestant majority.
o	When did this occur?  Not every date in American history is critically important, but each term should be placed in time.  In some cases, this may be as broad as a century or decade, but with other terms you may want to know the exact year.  Be as precise as possible with the date, but be certain to place the term in context of other events.  For example, the Pilgrims established the Plymouth colony in 1620, and as you will soon learn, that is a “key date” to know and so you should note the exact year.  The Great Awakening primarily spanned the decades of the 1730s and 1740s, and in this case, that is as precise as you need be.  However, someone like John Smith is important because he saved Jamestown from early destruction, so it would be acceptable to state in that ID: “In the early years of the Jamestown settlement, John Smith…” rather than give a specific year.
o	
Where did this occur?  When necessary and not completely obvious, identify where the item took place.  Do not be so broad – and sarcastic – and state that “the Maryland Act of Toleration was passed in Maryland.”  However, it is important to note that the House of Burgesses existed in Virginia or that the Witch Trials were in Salem, Massachusetts.
o	How did it develop?  Especially when identifying an event, discuss how the event developed over time.  This could be a chronological listing of key steps in its development.  Include additional information or details that you find in the textbook or another reliable source as these may further your understanding of the topic.
o	Examples?  Whenever possible, include examples.  This helps make your identification stronger and it will help you better understand the topic.  Consider this example:  In identifying the Great Awakening, you will likely mention fiery preachers who delivered a series of rousing sermons.  You can strengthen this ID by mentioning examples of the preachers (Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield) and the sermons (“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”).

•	Part III – Results and Effects
Even more important than describing the causes of an event is discussing its results and the effects it had on people and society.  Identifying the effects can be more challenging because it requires you to understand what is to come, and you may not read or learn that for some time to come.  However, the effects are often noted in the text, notes, and other sources, and this information should be available to you.  If not, do your best to “see ahead” and definitely make note of the effects later on.  And, as stated about causes, results and effects are plural words.  Most events have multiples results and effects. 

•	Part IV – Significance (Analysis)
Perhaps the most important part of the identification is analyzing the event or concept and explaining why it is significant to this period in American history.  At times, determining the significance of a term can be challenging because it requires you to step back and take a broader view of history.  In other words, you have to see how this item fits into the “big picture.”  To do this, consider the following:
o	What does this item tell us about “change (or continuity) over time?”  History is largely an examination of the changes that occur over time.  Your identifications (as well as your essays) should demonstrate how and why these changes occurred and how things changed (or remained the same) over a significant period of time.  For an example of a significant change, consider salutary neglect.  After describing it and noting examples, state how it marked a significant change in British colonial policy from the strict Navigation Acts to a more relaxed policy that allowed the colonies to develop semi-independent governments and economies.
o	Did this item establish a precedent or did it mark a “turning point” in history?  Many key events will mark the start of something new or will indicate a turning-point in history.  Your ability to see this is critical.  For example, both the Mayflower Compact and the Zenger trial set precedents.  The Compact established the principle of self-government and democracy in colonial New England, while the Zenger trial established the principle of freedom of the press which will later be embedded in the First Amendment.
o	What if this event did not occur?  Many students of history often forget that the past was not predetermined.  No more than we can “know” our own future, those who lived in the past did not know their own.  As historians, our focus should not be on what didn’t happen but what did happen.  However, it is helpful when trying to understand the significance of key events to think about how things would have been different had that event not occurred.  For example, had Columbus not reached the New World in 1492 and begun to establish permanent European settlements, how would the history of Europeans and Native Americans been different?  Would Europe have grown as powerful in the last several centuries if it didn’t have the staple crops of corn and potatoes to form the foundation of its diet?  If the Native peoples had another century to develop before “contact” would they have grown strong enough to ward off European colonizers?  Thinking about these things helps us better understand the significance of the Columbian Exchange.

Sample Course Notes

Below is an excerpt from the course notes I provide for you.  On the left-hand side are the original course notes; on the right-hand side are some handwritten notes a student might add from the textbook.  Note how the student’s notes include elements of “CaDRES” not included in the course notes.

•	Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)
o	William Berkeley, royal governor, upset VA’s western frontier settlers by favoring the wealthy eastern planters and failing to protect the frontier from Indians attacks  Indians were responding to white encroachment
o	Nathaniel Bacon raised an army and led raids against Indian villages on the frontier; he then defeated the governor’s forces and burned Jamestown
o	Bacon soon died of dysentery; his army collapsed; and Berkeley brutally punished them
o	rebellion highlighted two long-lasting disputes that would continue into 18c:
•	sharp class differences between wealthy planters (east) and poor, frontier farmers (west)
•	colonial resistance and resentment of royal control  
Maryland
•	1630s – Charles I divided VA and granted land on either side of Chesapeake Bay to Catholic George Calvert (Lord Baltimore) for his loyal service
•	under Calvert’s son, Cecilius, Maryland became first of several proprietary colonies
•	Act of Toleration (1649)
o	to avoid persecution from Puritans, many English Catholics flocked to MD but were soon outnumbered by Protestant farmers
o	Calvert persuaded MD’s assembly to pass Act of Toleration which:
•	was first colonial statute to grant religious freedom to all Christians
•	but also called for death of anyone who denied divinity of Jesus (or belief in the Holy Trinity)
•	Protestant revolt against Catholics in late 1600s led to brief civil war and repeal of act; Catholics were denied right to vote

Causes of Bacon’s Rebellion:
•	VA economy depressed
•	VA gov’t feared indentured servants and disfranchised the landless poor
•	Bacon himself envied VA’s ruling elite

VA’s colonial gov’t did not realize that the poor frontiersmen wanted serious reforms

VA’s wealthy elites came to resent British authority and formed a united front against royal appointees

tension between Md’s Catholics & Protestants intensified due to English Civil War

Signif:  this was rather tolerant considering religious persecution was common in Europe at this time

act was repealed when local Puritans seized control of gov’t (more evidence of Puritans’ intolerance)

 Advanced Placement United States History
Unit 1: Colonial America
Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 (partial) in the Divine text and Chapters 1 and 2 (partial) in Fast Track to a 5

The AP student’s primary responsibility is to read each assigned section of the textbook and add notes from the reading to the course notes.  To better understand the reading, students should focus on the “terms to identify” (left column) and “concepts to grasp” (right column) and be prepared for a quiz and/or discussion on any of these items.  The teacher’s role is to clarify the readings, terms, and concepts, and to show the student how they fit into the “big picture” of American history.  If the student does not understand a term or concept, he/she must ask in class.

Day 1 (Monday, August 5):  “New World Encounters”  (Ch. 1; pp. 2-17)	
1-1	
Columbian Exchange (see also pp.14-15)	

	A	
Describe how the natural environment affected the ways Native Americans lived in different regions of North America	

B	
Explain how the Columbian Exchange affected both the Old and New Worlds	

Day 2 (Wednesday, August 7):  “Spain, France, and England in the New World”  (Ch. 1; pp. 17-30)	
1-3	
conquistadores (see also pp. 19-20)	

1-6	
Cortés and the Aztecs	

1-7	
encomienda system	

1-9	
New France, fur trade	

1-13	
“lost colony” of Roanoke	

Day 3 (Friday, August 9):  “Chesapeake Colonies”  (Ch. 2; pp. 32-42)	
1-15	
joint-stock company, London (Virginia) Company; Jamestown colony, John Smith	

1-16	
John Rolfe, tobacco	

1-17	
House of Burgesses	

1-18	
headright system	

1-20	
Maryland Act of Toleration (“Act concerning Religion”)	

	C	
Compare Spanish, French, and English objectives and settlements in the New World	

Day 4 (Monday, August 12):  “New England Colonies”  (Ch. 2; pp. 42-50)	
1-21	
Pilgrims/Separatists; William Bradford	

1-22	
Mayflower Compact; Plymouth colony	

1-23	
Puritanism; the “elect”	

1-24	
John Winthrop, Massachusetts Bay colony; Great Migration	

1-25	
“city upon a hill”	

1-26	
Roger Williams; Anne Hutchinson’s exile, Antinomianism	

1-27	
Thomas Hooker, Fundamental Orders of Connecticut	

1-29	
Pequot War (1634-38)	

1-30	
New England Confederation	

	D	
Analyze the role religion played in shaping New England’s social and political structures	

Day 5 (Wednesday, August 14):  “Middle Colonies and Southern Colonies”  (Ch. 2; pp. 51-61)	
1-31	
Quakers	

1-32	
William Penn, “Holy Experiment,” Frame of Government	

1-33	
James Oglethorpe, Georgia colony	

	E	
C&C the English settlements in New England (Mass, Conn), the Mid-Atlantic (Penn, NY), and Chesapeake (Md, Va) / South (Carolinas, Ga)	

F	
Describe the religious diversity in British North America, including Puritans, Anglicans, Quakers, and Catholics	

G	
Assess the degree of religious tolerance in British North America	

Day 6 (Friday, August 16):  “Contrasting Societies of New England and the Chesapeake”  (Ch. 3; pp. 62-81)	
1-34	
Half-Way Covenant	

1-36	
yeomen (independent) farmers	

1-37	
indentured servants (see also p. 39)	

1-38	
“triangular trade,” Middle Passage	

1-39	
slave codes	

1-40	
Stono Uprising (Rebellion); New York Conspiracy of 1741	

1-41	
mercantilism	

1-43	
Navigation Acts (1660 and later)	

	H	
Trace the evolution of cheap labor in the Chesapeake from indentured servitude to slavery	

I	
Explain the impact of transatlantic trade on the colonies, including the growth of Atlantic seaports	

J	
Trace the evolution of British imperial policy in North America, including mercantilist policy, the Navigation Acts, and salutary neglect	

K	
Describe the role of women in the colonies; C&C the roles of women in New England with those in the Chesapeake/South	

L	
C&C life in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Chesapeake/South, particularly life expectancy, family structure, community, and religion	

Day 7 (Monday, August 19):  “Political Revolt in the Late 17th Century”  (Ch. 3; pp. 81-92)	
1-45	
Nathaniel Bacon, Bacon’s Rebellion	

1-46	
King Philip’s (Metacomet’s) War	

1-47	
Dominion of New England, Sir Edmund Andros	

1-49	
Salem witchcraft trials (see also pp. 88-89); Increase Mather, spectral evidence	

Day 8 (Wednesday, August 21):  “Life in 18th-Century America”  (Ch. 4; pp. 94-113)	
1-52	
Pueblo Revolt (1680) (p. 103)	

1-53	
the Enlightenment (Age of Reason)	

1-55	
salutary neglect (see pp. 108-09)	

1-57	
Great Awakening	

1-58	
Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”	

1-59	
George Whitefield	

	M	
Explain the causes and effects (C&E) of resistance to colonial authority, including Bacon’s Rebellion, the Glorious Revolution, and Pueblo Revolt	

N	
Describe the population growth and immigration patterns in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Chesapeake/South	

O	
Describe the political and social impact of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening on the colonies	

TBA	
Unit 1 Test (Colonial America)