Primary Source #4: William Penn

Read Penn's advertisement

What, in Penn’s eyes, makes his colony different from the other British colonies? How accurate do you think his description was?
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Primary Source #3: Nathaniel Bacon

Read Bacon's declaration

Were Bacon’s complaints more economic or political in nature? Do you think this had an impact on the rebellion’s success?
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Primary Source #2: John Winthrop

Read Winthrop's sermon.

Did colonial New Englanders stay true to John Winthrop’s vision? Is America today "a city upon a hill"?

Primary Source #1: Captain John Smith

Read Smith's exchange with Powhatan.

How accurately does this exchange reflect the relationship between Native Americans and British settlers in Virginia? What about elsewhere in the North American colonies?

The Assignment--Read Me First!

The AP curriculum is far too broad to be covered effectively in the just the class time we have together. Therefore, it’s important that you develop a familiarity with the main themes of the course, embrace some of the skills of close reading and analysis that are necessary for the class, and begin to cover the required content over the summer. Hopefully, this summer assignment will help you to do that in a meaningful way. Its basic requirements:

1)      Complete hand-written answers to nine content questions and familiarize yourself with the terms in italics. Be prepared for a quiz on this material on the first day of class.

2)      Complete four document analyses according to the rubric on the site and post a 100-200 word response to the questions below each document. These responses should be posted as comments. Your document analyses should be handwritten and turned in with part #1 on the first day of class.

3)      Stay current with news issues in the United States and read a variety of sources. I will facilitate this by posting weekly articles with questions on the blog. You will need to write 3 comments responding to articles over the course of the summer. Comments should be 100-200 words and can offer your opinion on the topic at hand, respond to a classmate’s comment, or ask questions related to the material. Remember that your writing will be posted for all to see—therefore it should be carefully proofread, reflect thoughtful analysis, and be respectful of others ideas.  Please do not wait until August to write all three responses, post your answers directly to the site and sign with your first name and last initial.

Grading:

• 1/2 test grade: Written answers will count for 7 points each (63 total) + primary source analysis and comments count as 9 points each (36 total) + a point for being you.
• Quiz grade for your current events responses.
• Quiz on day one of class on content/vocabulary.