© Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company Student Reading Questions for The American Pageant, Twelfth Edition
STUDENT READING QUESTIONS
to accompany
The American Pageant
Twelfth Edition
David M. Kennedy Lizabeth Cohen Thomas A. Bailey
Themes In American History
At its worst, a U.S. history survey course can seem like an uninterrupted stream of names, dates, and events from a
dead past signifying little for the present or the future. At its best, the study of our past can be an engaging human drama,
shedding light on the present and shaping the future. An understanding of the country’s past can produce critical insights
into issues of importance today and to the world in which you will function over the next 60 years or so.
Although the course is organized chronologically, try to fit the historical debates and developments you will study this
year into some of these critical themes which are certain to affect you in the future.
Political
ð America’s changing role in world affairs (expansionist, isolationist, interventionist, etc.)
ð America as a moral leader— do we practice what we preach?
ð The democratic experiment— how well does it work?
ð Evolution of the two-party system (changing party views; is it permanent?)
ð Role and size of government in the economy and society (Hamilton vs. Jefferson to FDR vs. Reagan)
Economic
ð Free-market capitalism (evolution; economic vitality vs. social equity; etc.)
ð Changing economic base (local agriculture to national industry to a global technology/information/
service-based economy)
ð The accelerating pace of technological innovation
ð The environmental cost of economic expansion
ð Role of government in the economy (neutral force, promoter, regulator, direct participant?)
Social
ð Changing roles and perception of women
ð Race relations— primarily white and black; increasingly Hispanic and Asian
ð Immigration and growing population diversity
ð Prevailing lifestyles— rural to urban / suburban to?
ð Popular protests— the people as agents for change
Cultural
ð Changing roles and perception of the family
ð Religion in America (separation of church and state; evangelical bursts, etc.)
ð Implications of the information age
ð Movement from a local and regional to a mass consumer culture
ð Evolving trends in art, literature, and popular culture
© Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company Student Reading Questions for The American Pageant, Twelfth Edition
CHAPTER 1
New World Beginnings, 33,000 B.C.–A.D. 1783
1. Part One Intro. (pp. 2–3) This introduction gives you a preview of the authors’ answers to certain key questions
about America up to the establishment of the United States. Look at this section and list three major questions you
think the authors will be addressing in the first eight chapters.
1.
2.
3.
2. The Earliest Americans (pp. 4–10)
a. List three things you found new or particularly interesting about the Native American societies that existed prior
to their discovery by Europeans.
1.
2.
3.
b. *** What comments do you have about the differing views (pp. 9–11) of the relation of humans to nature held by
Europeans (humans have dominion over the earth) and Native Americans (humans must live in harmony with
nature)? Is one better than the other?
3. Direct and Indirect Discovery of America (pp. 10–14)
a. What is the connection the authors make between the eventual discovery of America and the Crusades, Marco
Polo, and the European taste for exotic goods from Asia?
b. List three of the factors mentioned by the authors on pp. 13–14 as coming together to produce the voyage of
Columbus.
1.
2.
3.
c. How did the New World discovery build an interdependent global economic system? What were the distinctive
roles played by Europe, Africa, and America in this new system?
Europe:
Africa:
America:
© Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company Student Reading Questions for The American Pageant, Twelfth Edition
4. Worlds Collide (pp. 14–16)
a. List three of the most important plants and animals introduced from America to Europe, and vice versa:
America to Europe Europe to America
1.
2.
3.
b. We usually think of military defeat as causing the downfall of most Native American civilizations. But in reality
it was _____________ that caused the decimation of up to _____ percent of Native American population. ***
Hitler's Holocaust in Europe was responsible for the extermination of 6 million Jews. List one similarity and one
major difference you see between the Holocaust and the fate of Native Americans at the hands of the Europeans.
Similarity Difference
c. *** (Optional) Do you have any theories as to why Native Americans died of European diseases and Europeans
didn’t die of Native American diseases?
5. Spanish Conquistadores (pp. 16–24)
a. List the areas explored by the following Spanish expeditions to North America:
Ponce de Leon: Hernando de Soto:
Francisco Coronado: Hernán Cortés:
b. In 1769, Father _________ ________ started a string of missions designed both to colonize California and
Christianize the native Californians. *** What is your view of this?
c. What main difference do the authors point out (pp. 23–24) between Spanish interaction with native peoples and
that of the English? *** Can you think of any reason for this difference?
© Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company Student Reading Questions for The American Pageant, Twelfth Edition
CHAPTER 1 TERM SHEET
New World Beginnings
Pages 4–10
Incas
Mayans
Aztecs
Pueblos
Creeks, Choctaws, and Cherokees
Iroquois Confederacy
Pages 10–14
Vinland
Portuguese slave trade
Vasco da Gama
Columbus
Pages 14–16
Hispaniola
Old World diseases
Pages 16–24
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
Vasco Nunez Balboa
Ferdinand Magellan
Juan Ponce de Leon
Francisco Coronado
Hernando de Soto
Hernán Cortés
John Cabot
Giovanni da Verrazano
Robert de La Salle
Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo
© Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company Student Reading Questions for The American Pageant, Twelfth Edition
Father Junipero Serra
