<<

AP US History Summer Reading Assignment Course: APUSH Teacher: Mr. Daniel Gidick Email: [email protected]

Materials:

th John F. Kennedy’s : 50 ​ Anniversary Edition. It can be found online for ​ ​ ​ ​ purchase at a variety of sites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble) or purchased on the Miller School online bookstore. US Political & Geographic Map Assignment (below)

th Chapters One and Two of Alan Brinkley’s American History 15 ​ Edition (may be purchased on ​ ​ ​ Miller School’s online bookstore).

APUSH students are to purchase a copy of John F. Kennedy’s book Profiles in Courage 50th ​ ​ ​ Anniversary Edition for the summer assignment. Students read the introduction, forward & eleven chapters, as well as the brief biography on Kennedy found at the end of the book. Below is a list of guided questions that will be useful for the assessment in the first week back to school.

To assess reading comprehension and retention, students will answer an essay prompt and several multiple choice questions. Notes will not be allowed in class for this test. Students are also to complete the map assignments. There will be a map test in the first week of class. This helps provide students with geographic background knowledge required for the course. Finally, as APUSH requires extensive studying and reading, students should read chapters one and two of the textbook. This should give students an understanding of the work required for this course level. Weekly quizzes on textbook chapters are standard in APUSH.

John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage ​ The following questions should serve as a guide to your reading of the narrative. It is suggested that you write out your responses by hand as you complete a chapter. These will be useful for the test. Chapter One: Introduction (1) What is Kennedy’s purpose for writing Profiles in Courage? What do the men he profiles ​ ​ have in common? (2) famously said, “One man of courage makes a majority.” Explain the meaning of this paradox.

th th (3) In the late 18 ​ century and early 19 ​ century, what were the strengths and weaknesses of the ​ ​ Senate? How did it compare to the House of Representatives in terms of legislative power? Chapter Two: (4) In what ways did ’s religious faith shape his ethics and political beliefs? (5) Kennedy writes of the “failure of John Quincy Adams to recognize the political facts of life.” What political realities is Kennedy referring to in this statement? (6) What were the personal and political consequences of Adams’s break with the ? Chapter Three: (7) Why was the admission of new states into the Union a contentious issue for senators from the North and South? Explain the series of compromises that preserved the Union during the decade leading up to the Civil War. (8) What state did Daniel Webster represent in the Senate? Summarize Webster’s position on slavery. (9) Why did Webster agree to support ’s compromise? What were the immediate consequences of Daniel Webster’s act of courage? What were the long-term consequences? Chapter Four: Thomas Hart Benton (10) What state did Thomas Hart Benton represent in the Senate? Was this a slave or a free state? (11) Why did Benton work to defeat the treaty for the annexation of ? How did his constituents respond to his position? (12) What issue led to Benton’s break from his party? Why do you think Kennedy says, “he towered over his more famous colleagues in terms of sheer moral courage.”

Chapter Five: (13) Why was Houston’s support of the Compromise unpopular with his constituents? Why did he support this legislation? (14) Kennedy writes, “The contradiction in the life of Sam Houston a century ago may seem irreconcilable today.” What contradiction is he referencing? (15) According to Kennedy, what was Houston’s “one basic, consistent quality”? Chapter Six: Edmund G. Ross (16) According to the Constitution, what is required to override a Presidential veto? What is required to impeach the President? What was the reason for bringing an impeachment hearing against President Johnson? (17) What did Senator Ross do to earn the epithet, “the man who saved the President”? What were his reasons for opposing his party? (18) Describe the political pressure that Ross and other senators endured. What were the immediate consequences of Ross’s actions? What were the long-term consequences of his actions? Chapter Seven: Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (19) Why was it surprising that Senator Lamar would deliver a eulogy for ? Explain what Kennedy means by calling Lamar “violently pro-Southern”. (20) In what ways did suffer after the end of the Civil War? What did Lamar believe would be necessary to help Mississippi recover? (21) What was controversial about the Hayes-Tilden Presidential contest? What position did Lamar take in the controversy? Why did his position anger his constituents? Chapter Eight: George Norris (22) Why did Senator Norris oppose Speaker Joe Cannon? What was courageous about his resolution to change the way that the Rules Committee members are selected? (23) What “twin tragedies” did Senator Norris dedicate his life to combating? What personal experiences caused him to care deeply about these two issues? (24) Senator Norris changed his political party affiliation in the middle of his political career. What factors led him to change parties? Chapter Nine: Robert A. Taft (25) What does Kennedy identify as the source of both Senator Taft’s “personal tragedy” and “national greatness”? (26) Why did Taft’s support of “education, housing, health, and other welfare measures,” require political courage? (27) What reasons did Taft have for his opposition to the Nuremberg Trials? Why were people outraged by his opposition to handing the convicted Nazi leaders? Overview (28) In Kennedy’s inauguration he proclaimed, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” What does this quote mean to you?

APUSH Maps Assignment

I. On the physical map of the United States, please draw in and label the following:

Rocky Mountains Grand Canyon Delaware River Lake Huron Long Island Savannah River Appalachian Mountains Cape Cod Connecticut River Lake Erie Potomac River Adirondack Mountains Nueces River Hudson River Lake Ontario Santee River Chesapeake Bay Sierra Nevada Mountains Arkansas River Delaware Bay Lake Michigan Wabash River Mobile Bay Cascade Mountains Platte River Puget Sound Lake Superior Mississippi River Great Salt Lake Ozark Mountains Columbia River Mojave Desert Lake Champlain Colorado River Black Hills The Great Basin River Sea Islands Everglades Missouri River Central Valley of CA The Great Plains River Erie Canal James River

II. Then, on the full political map, label ALL 50 states and locate the following cities: ​ ​

Jamestown, VA Los Angeles, CA Richmond, VA Plymouth, MA Salt Lake City, UT Chicago, IL Charleston, SC , CA Pittsburg, PA Santa Fe, NM Seattle, WA Birmingham, AL , MD Atlanta, GA San Antonio, TX Philadelphia, PA Cincinnati, OH Gettysburg, PA , MA St. Louis, MO Vicksburg, MS , NY Denver, CO Nashville, TN Quebec, Washington, DC Milwaukie, WI Ottawa, Canada Atlanta, GA Chattanooga, TN Detroit, MI Cincinnati, OH Savannah, GA St. Augustine, FL St. Louis, MO , LA Denver, CO