Upper School Summer Reading

Welcome to ninth-grade history!

Welcome to United States History 2023-2024!

The 10th grade U.S. History course combines a chronological survey with several thematic units to best understand the main ideas and events that have shaped this country. Throughout the year, we will explore American history from a variety of perspectives and think critically about how we learn from the past. As part of this aim, the summer reading assignment is designed to help you begin to understand the concept of historiography, how and why historians investigate, interpret and present evidence the way that they do in order to create a picture of what has happened. Over the summer, you will read three chapters on the same topic: early interaction between European explorers and the indigenous populations in the Americas. These chapters have been specifically selected to include varying interpretations (some of which could be considered controversial) of historical events. Additionally, a fourth reading, compiled by Kyle Ward, is a series of textbook entries from different time periods to show how our understanding and representation of history and people has changed over time. Please note that in this reading, the language used is representative of the times and not of the language that is acceptable today. As you read, you should identify the different stances that historians have taken and ask questions as to why the author chose to present the information the way that they did. PDFs for all required chapters are linked below (if you are interested in a particular book you are welcome to purchase it, but that is not necessary).

READINGS

1. Loewen, James W. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007.
   • Chapter 2: “1493: The True Importance of Christopher Columbus” | PDF | Full Book Available for Purchase on Amazon 
2. Schweikart, Larry, and Michael Allen. A Patriot’s History of the United States: From Columbus’s Great Discovery to America’s Age of Entitlement. 15th ed. New York: Sentinel, 2019.
   • Excerpt From Chapter 1: “The City on the Hill, 1492-1707” | PDF | Full Book Available for Purchase on Amazon 
3. Ward, Kyle. History in the Making: An Absorbing Look at How American History Has Changed in the Telling over the Last 200 Years. New York: New Press, 2007.
   • Chapter 1: “Native American Relations with the New Settlers” & Chapter 3: “Columbus’ Landing in the New World” | PDF | Full Book Available for Purchase on Amazon 
4. Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States: 1492-present. 3rd ed. Milton Park, Abingdon: Routledge, 2013.
   • Chapter 1: “Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress” | PDF | Full Book Available for Purchase on Amazon 

Students should be prepared for an assessment on their summer reading when school begins in August. As you read, you should consider and take notes on the following questions:

• What were you expecting the readings would be about before reading them? What surprised you after having read them, and why was it surprising?
• What evidence/events does the author/source focus on? How does this compare to other authors/sources? What things seem to be left out?
• How do different authors/sources portray the Europeans? How do they portray the indigenous populations? Are there similarities/differences, and why might this be the case? 
• How might the time that a particular account was published impact the way in which events are depicted?
• Why is it important to read more than one account of the same thing?
• Can historians be biased? Why do you think that a specific author/source made the choices that they did?
• If you were to now write a textbook entry, how would you explain what happened when the Europeans arrived in the Americas?

*If you have any questions about this assignment, please reach out to the Department Chair, Carla Federman (cfederman@micds).

Welcome to Accelerated 10th Grade History!

To prepare for our year together, please complete the following assignments. You should complete the reading and listening AND have good notes prior to the first day of school. Contact Dr. Tanya Roth (troth@micds.org) if you have any questions.

Welcome to History of St. Louis!

This summer, you will be examining a collection of sources on Urban Studies and modern-day St. Louis (a total of roughly 95 pages, plus a podcast). Please read the articles and listen to the podcast in the order that they are listed (PDFs are provided for all but the last two sources). As you read, you should jot down a few notes on each article, as we’ll be discussing them and you’ll complete a writing assignment during the first few days of school. Over the course of the semester, we’ll then be examining the history of St. Louis in order to better understand its current state.

1. The following article provides an introduction to the idea of Urban Studies and the concept of cities. As you read, look for passages that might resonate with what you know about St. Louis.
   • Issitt, Micah L. Preface. The Transformation of American Cities, Grey House Publishing, 2015, pp. ix-xiii. PDF
2. When we talk about “St. Louis,” do we mean the city, the county, or both? The following article provides some historical context around the “Great Divorce” that led to St. Louis’ distinctive political division between St. Louis City as well as the dozens of different municipalities of St. Louis County.

   • Cooperman, Jeannette. “St. Louis’ Great Divorce: A complete history of the city and county separation and attempts to get back together.'” St. Louis Magazine, 8 Mar. 2019, www.stlmag.com/news/politics/st-louis-great-divorce-history-city-county-split-attempt-to-get-back-together/. PDF

3. The city/county separation has created both benefits and challenges. One of those challenges involves inequalities across municipal lines. As you read, pay attention to how the city/county division impacts individuals.

   • Balko, Radley. “How Municipalities in St. Louis County, Mo., Profit from Poverty.” The Washington Post, 3 Sept. 2014. The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/09/03/how-st-louis-county-missouri-profits-from-poverty/?utm_term=.b1ba42a354a3. PDF

4. St. Louis is not alone in facing issues of a city/county split. The following piece looks at Indianapolis and the impact of its choice to merge the city and the county. As you read, consider whether this solution would work for St. Louis, and what the pros and cons would be.

   • Fentem, Sarah. “Better Together-Style Merger in Indianapolis Created Winners and Losers.” St. Louis Public Radio, 25 Apr. 2019, https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/better-together-style-merger-indianapolis-created-winners-and-losers#stream/0. PDF

5. At one point in history, St. Louis was one of the largest cities in the country; however, St. Louis now struggles in some ways to compete economically with other cities. Read the following short article about the history of St. Louis’ economy.

   • Naffziger, Chris. “Tracing Back through St. Louis’ History to Find the Roots of Its Triumphs—and Failures.” St. Louis Magazine, 13 Dec. 2017, www.stlmag.com/history/tracing-back-through-st-louis-history-to-find-the-roots-of-its-triumphs-and-failures/. PDF

6. Despite the economic challenges, St. Louis has significant economic assets and advantages as well. As your read, think of other resources that could be the focus of economic development.

   • Mariani, John. “St. Louis, Missouri, Is Rebounding from a Long Decline by Focusing on Its Historic Heritage.” Forbes, 7 Nov. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/johnmariani/2018/11/07/st-louis-missouri-is-rebounding-from-a-long-decline-by-focusing-on-its-historic-heritage/#1acb0c3b24a3. PDF

7. Recently, St. Louis’ national reputation has often been associated with the 2014 protests in Ferguson. The following article discusses the aftermath of Ferguson and assesses some of the attempts to make improvements within the region and the economic impacts of those efforts. As you read, consider the power and/or impact that economic investment can have on a community.

   • Jan, Tracy. “The Forgotten Ferguson.” The Washington Post, 21 June 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/business/is-racial-discrimination-influencing-corporate-investment-in-ferguson/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.74eaadbe1b19. PDF

8. How much do past policies impact the present? Can the legacy of governmental decisions made over 50 years ago directly affect the impact of a pandemic in 2020-2021? This article, by two history professors, an expert on health at the Brown School at WashU, and a community organizer, argues that there’s a direct correlation between historical policies and the impact of COVID-19 in St. Louis.

   • Gordon, Colin, et al. “COVID-19 and the Color Line.” Boston Review, 1 May 2020. https://bostonreview.net/race/colin-gordon-walter-johnson-jason-q-purnell-jamala-rogers-covid-19-and-color-line. PDF

9. Jane Smiley, a novelist and essayist who is also a St. Louis native, recently returned to St. Louis, and wrote about her visit to what she refers to as the “paradigmatic American city, a busy place where history, commerce, art and geography have often connected and often clashed in supremely American ways.” As you read, ask yourself how the parts of St. Louis that you know well are typical of America…and how they may be atypical as well.

   • Smiley, Jane. “Jane Smiley on what St. Louis tells us about America.” The New York Times, 14 October 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/travel/14StLouis-Jane-Smiley-tourism.html. PDF

10. In 2021, Tishaura Jones became the first ever Black woman to be elected mayor of St. Louis City. This article outlines the historic nature of the election, Jones’ priorities, and the changes that her mayorship might bring. As you read, consider what direction St. Louis is headed, what the priorities in St. Louis should be, and how best to tackle them.

    • Lippman, Rachel & Jason Rosenbaum. “As Tishaura Jones Makes History, She Promises Change for St. Louis.” St. Louis Public Radio, 20 April 2021.https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2021-04-20/as-tishaura-jones-makes-history-she-promises-change-for-st-louis. PDF

11. Part of St. Louis history is understanding how different people can have such vastly different experiences, while still calling the same city home. This podcast (also available as a download by searching for “We Live Here” in the podcast app of your device) explores 6 very different municipalities, all along the same street: Lindbergh Boulevard. As you listen, consider how an individual’s experience living in one of these areas can be so different, while geographically they are so close together.

    • “90 cities, one road and a whole lot of laws.” We Live Here from St. Louis Public Radio & NPR, 8 March 2015. https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/we-live-here-90-cities-one-road-and-whole-lot-laws#stream/0.

12. To continue thinking about and exploring different experiences throughout the greater St. Louis area, your final reading provides short excerpts about some of the many neighborhoods in St. Louis. We hope that you will discover new neighborhoods as well as encounter familiar favorites. Part of the goal of the class is to help us better understand the communities around us, and that starts with knowing where they are and what makes them special.
    • Explore St. Louis. St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, https://explorestlouis.com/things-to-do/neighborhoods/.

Welcome to AP European History!

Over the summer, all AP European History students should read Ross King’s Brunelleschi’s Dome, which can be purchased from the campus bookstore or online.