APUSH Workbook Unit 1 - Exploration, Discovery, Colonization - Pre-Columbian Indians and Summer Assignment

Sep 29, 2026

APUSH Unit 1 summer assignment for the 2025-2026 school year requires students to read Carl Becker’s “Everyman His Own Historian” and answer ten questions about uncertainty in the past, testing history, and the role of life in historical writing. Students also read Kennedy’s The American Pageant (Chapter 1) and complete two comparison charts: Pre-Columbian Indian groups and European Colonization of the Americas. Three quizzes cover Becker, regional Native American differences, and European colonization content. Course expectations emphasize daily reading, extensive writing, cumulative learning, and preparation for the May national AP exam.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages63

Reading Time2 h 39 min

AccessFree to download

Summer Assignment Overview

Reading and Becker Questions

Reading Assignment from The American Pageant

Pre-Columbian Indian Comparison Chart

European Colonization Comparison Chart

Quizzes and Course Expectations

Quiz Schedule

APUSH Workbook Unit 1: Exploration, Discovery, Colonization; Pre-Columbian Indians (and Summer Assignment) Advanced Placement United States History students for 2025-2026 May 2025 There is a summer reading assignment for APUSH. This summer assignment has four parts. 1) You are to read Carl Becker’s “Everyman His Own Historian,” a speech he delivered as the president of the American Historical Association. The speech can be found online at: [www.](www.historians.org/info/aha_history/clbecker.htm)[historians](www.historians.org/info/aha_history/clbecker.htm)[.org/info/aha_](www.historians.org/info/aha_history/clbecker.htm)[history](www.historians.org/info/aha_history/clbecker.htm)[/clbecker.htm](www.historians.org/info/aha_history/clbecker.htm) The speech is also found via the link from Wikipedia’s “Carl L. Becker”: You are to answer the following questions about doing history: 1. Why does Becker say that we can never be sure of the past? 2. What is the only way, according to Becker, to test the past? 3. What two histories are there, according to Becker? What is Becker’s point? 4. What place does anticipation of the future have in the writing of history? 5. What does Becker mean by saying it is impossible to divorce history from life? 6. Why do you think Becker says history changes from generation to generation? 7. Why is it more important for history to be useful than true, according to Becker? 8. By what are all historians limited? 9. What is the illusion of present day historians? 10. Why can man and the world be understood only tentatively? Do you agree with Becker? Why? 2) Read the first chapter of Kennedy’s The American Pageant, 15th edition, Ch. 1 “New World Beginnings.” or, read [online at](online at www.americanyawp.com/text)[ ](online at www.americanyawp.com/text)[www.americanyawp.com/text](online at www.americanyawp.com/text), 1. The New World and 2. Colliding Cultures 3) Fill in the Pre-Columbian Indian Chart. If you Google “Comparison Chart Native American Tribes” or “Native American Charts” or “Native American Comparison Charts” you will get lots of information. Also, watch Tom Richey’s Native American Cultures (1491-1607; 14:49 min. ) 4) Fill in the chart “European Colonization of the Americas.” The information is found on You Tube under Tom Richey APUSH Review Playlist. Watch these episodes: “Spanish Colonization of the Americas,” “ French Colonization of the Americas,” “ New Netherlands,”“English Colonization of the Americas.” Your quiz will be to fill this chart out by memory on first day of class. Watch “The Colonists, the Indians, and General Patton” by Tom Richey (4:33) There will be three quizzes upon your return from summer break: 1) “Every Man His Own Historian” ,2) regional differences between Native Americans, and 3) on “European Colonization of the Americas.” Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam! Mr. Watson Note: You are only doing pp. 2-4. The rest of this workbook we will once the new school year begins. | | Eastern Woodland | Plains | Southwestern | Great Basin | Pacific Northwest | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Location/Climate | | | | | | | Tribes (examples) | | | | | | | Migration or permanent | | | | | | | Government | | | | | | | Religious Practices | | | | | | | Means of travel | | | | | | | Food-how acquired | | | | | | | Shelter/ houses | | | | | | | Clothing | | | | | | | Unique
characteristics | | | | | | Pre-Columbian Indians Chart | | Spanish | French | Dutch | English | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Region colonized | | | | | | Religion | | | | | | Interested parties | | | | | | Primary economic activity | | | | | | Settlements | | | | | | Number of colonists | | | | | | Evangelism | | | | | | Advice to the Natives | | | | | European Colonization of the Americas Chart Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) Course Description Mr. Wats

FAQs

What are the required reading components for APUSH Unit 1’s summer assignment?

Students must read Carl Becker’s “Everyman His Own Historian” and answer questions. They must also read the first chapter of Kennedy’s The American Pageant (15th edition), Chapter 1 “New World Beginnings,” either from the book or the provided online text.

What questions must students answer after reading Becker?

Students answer ten prompts focused on Becker’s claims about why the past can’t be certain, how to test the past, types of histories, the role of anticipation in history, and how historians and understanding are limited.

What charts and topics must be completed before the first day of class?

Students fill in a Pre-Columbian Indian chart (by region/group) and a chart titled “European Colonization of the Americas.” The colonization chart is to be completed by memory after watching specified Tom Richey episodes, and is used in a quiz.

Sep 29, 2026

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