All students enrolled in AP US History at Providence Grove High School are expected to have read, 10 Days

That Unexpectedly Changed America by Steven M. Gillon. Students will also be required to write a paper
based on their reading of the book.

All summer reading papers must be turned in by the first day of school on August
28th. The paper may be submitted via email to Mrs. Ingram:
ringram@randolph.k12.nc.us.

There are no exceptions to this requirement. This assignment will count as a test
grade.

 Students are responsible for obtaining a copy of the assigned novel themselves, either
from the PGHS library, a public library, a bookstore, or online.
ISBN: 9780307339348 Cost: $12.95
 This is a required assignment. A low grade on this assignment could greatly impact a student’s overall
course average.
 This is an independent assignment. Cheating or copying another student’s work may result in zeroes,
discipline referral and/or removal from the AP course.

Assignment Details
Upon reading the entire book, each student must choose three topics from the book, listed below:
 Massacre at Mystic  McKinley Assassination
 Shays’ Rebellion  Scopes Trial
 Gold Rush  Einstein’s Letter
 Antietam  When America was Rocked
 The Homestead Strike  Freedom Summer

Each student must write a two to three page, double spaced paper for each chosen topic. The rubric for the
paper is on the back of this page. The paper should include detailed information about their chosen topics.
The reading should be the basis for the paper. The paper should include the historical account of the event but
focus on the impact it had on American history, socially, economically, and politically.

Your paper must have a unique title, all relevant information and a works cited section (MLA format). Any
additional sources must be credible books, websites, or journals (Wikipedia, Spark Notes, etc. does not count).

The paper is to be graded based on the accuracy of information, your analysis of each topic’s impact and the
quality of your writing. The paper must be free of grammatical errors and formatted correctly. Your paper
should show that you have thoroughly read the book and developed a deep understanding of the content and
how the events left a lasting impact on American history. This is not a book report; analysis is giving your
thoughts on the subject, not just repeating other people’s thoughts.
 Additional Information About AP U.S. History
Paper must be 2 - 3 pages per topic, minimum of 6 pages total. This does not
Length include title page or works cited.

You must accurately use at least one source other than the reading. You may
Sources NOT use encyclopedias or your textbook. Do NOT use Spark Notes,
Wikipedia or other similar websites.

Parenthetical
You must include in-text citations within your paper for any quotes.
Documentation
 Paper must be typed
 Normal 12-point font
 1” margins
Format  Double-spaced
 Pages numbered
 Cover page
 Works Cited page

This course is designed to provide a college-level experience and preparation for the AP Exam. An
importance is placed on understanding and interpreting documents, mastering substantial amounts of
information, and writing critical and analytical essays. Topics include life and thought in colonial America,
revolutionary philosophy, constitutional development, Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracies, nineteenth-
century reform movements, and Manifest Destiny. Other topics include the Civil War and Reconstruction,
immigration, industrialism, the Gilded Age, Populism, Progressivism, World War I, the Harlem Renaissance,
1920’s, the Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, the post-Cold War era, and the
United States up through current events.

In addition to the topics listed, the course will emphasize a series of key themes throughout the year.
These themes have been determined as essential to a complete study of United States history. The themes will
include discussions of American diversity, the development of a unique American identity, the evolution of
American culture, demographic changes over the course of America’s history, economic trends and
transformations, environmental issues, the development of political institutions and the components of
citizenship, social reform movements, the role of religion in the making of the United States and its impact in a
multicultural society, the history of slavery and its legacies in this hemisphere, war and diplomacy, and finally,
the place of the United States in international politics and economics. The course will trace these themes
throughout the year, emphasizing the ways in which they are interconnected and examining the ways in which
each helps to shape the United States over time that are so important in understanding United States history.
This course should develop your ability to assess historical materials—their relevance to a given
interpretive problem, their reliability and their importance—and to weigh the evidence and interpretations
presented in historical scholarship.