Summer+Assignment+2012

Summer Assignment 2012



Advanced Placement United States History - Summer Assignment – 2012 Mr. Max - bmax@malden.mec.edu

Congratulations on your choice to take AP US History next year. If you work hard, it will be a rewarding experience for you. Like many opportunities, what you get from taking this course will be relative to what you put into it, beginning this summer. Below you will find the summer assignment, which is due on the first day of school. Perhaps the most important characteristic you must possess for success in AP US History, and beyond, is having disciplined work habits. In other words, do not complete this assignment on the night before school begins. A second extremely valuable characteristic is critical thinking. These assignments provide an opportunity for that, so take advantage of it and __show that you can think__ and that you are going to push yourself to become an even better thinker. In other words, do not simply read an answer from about.com and copy it down as yours. Think about what you are reading, consult multiple sources, and carefully consider your answers.

__Due the first day of school: Thursday, August 30, 2012__

//Let’s be clear that any work you present must be yours. Make sure that you paraphrase, using your own thoughts and words as much as possible. Any sources you use must be kept track of and cited. If you do take any information directly, word for word, from a source, it must be shown as such by using quotation marks.// _______________________________________________________________________________

Our summer assignment is entitled “Capitalism & Democracy”. You will deal with America’s economic system: capitalism and its political system: democracy. The goals of the assignment are for you to become deeply knowledgeable about these two systems and the ways they are practiced in America, and to do some critical thinking about how they work. Limit your answers to a paragraph for each question below.


 * 1) What is (pure) capitalism?
 * 2) What form of capitalism does the United States practice? What are the key details of this form of capitalism as practiced in the U.S.?
 * 3) Why capitalism – why is it the economic system that the founders of the United States favored and established?
 * 4) What is (pure) democracy?
 * 5) What form of democracy does the United States practice? What are the key details of this form of democracy as practiced in the U.S.?
 * 6) Why democracy – why is it the political system that the founders favored and established?
 * 7) What is the relationship between capitalism and democracy? How do their principles coincide and how do they oppose each other?

Please __type__ your answers to these questions and have your work __printed and ready to hand in__ on the first day of school. Also, don’t forget to __keep track of and cite your sources__. _________________________________________________________________________________

The website for our AP US History course is http://MaxAPUSHistory.wikispaces.com This assignment will be posted on that site, along with other important information for the course. Take a little time to familiarize yourself with the site and the course, check out each page. If you have questions about the website, the course, or the summer work, you may email me at bmax@malden.mec.edu, but do not expect a speedy response and do not wait until the last night or two of the summer.

Have a great summer! See you for AP U.S. History in September.

- Mr. Max