2. Step #1: What is a DBQ Essay?
• You do NOT need to have background
•
•
•
knowledge of the prompt
You act like a lawyer- taking evidence
(documents) and proving a point
Your job is to: organize, interpret and
analyze these documents
Usually historical background is provided,
but you are not expected to know more than
that These means do not insert your own
knowledge or information
3. • ___/1 Acceptable Thesis
• ___/1 Understand basic meaning of documents
• ___/2 Supports thesis with appropriate evidence from all
or all but one of the documents (1 point only supports
thesis with appropriate evidence from all but 2
documents)
• ___/1 Analyzes point of view in at least 2 documents
• ___/Analyzes documents by grouping them in 2 or 3 ways
depending on the question
• ___/1 Identifies and explains the need for one type of
appropriate additional document or source
____________________________________________
• ___/7 Subtotal for all basic core points
• ___/2 Possible expanded core points*
• ___/9 Total possible points for the DBQ
Step
2:
DBQ
4. Step 3: Thesis Practice
• Instructions: Because the DBQ does not
•
•
require any previous knowledge of the
subject matter, most theses’ can be written,
or at least outlined, before you read the
documents. This will help you make sure you
have a strong thesis.
Write a thesis for each of the prompts. Leave
open blanks for the specifics.
A thesis CAN be more than one sentence
5. DBQ Prompt 2010
• Identify in Prompt: what the question wants you to find
and the time period
• Include in thesis: time period and all points asked
• Example: DBQ Prompt 2010:Using the following
documents, analyze similarities and differences in the
mechanization of the cotton industry in Japan and India
in the period from the1880’s to the 1930’s. Identify an
additional type of document and explain how it would
help your analysis of the mechanization of the cotton
industry.
6. •DBQ Prompt 2010:Using the
following documents, analyze
similarities and differences in the
mechanization of the cotton industry
in Japan and India in the period from
the1880’s to the 1930’s. Identify an
additional type of document and
explain how it would help your
analysis of the mechanization of the
cotton industry.
7. •Thesis:
oBetween the decades of the
1880’s and the 1930’s, the
cotton industry in Japan and
India experienced varied
similarities through
_________________ but
differed in _____________ and
______________.
9. What is my WAT?
WHAT do they want me to find?
AREA of the world?
TIME PERIOD in history?
10. 2009 Prompt:
In the three decades following
the Berlin Conference, African
land was divided among
European powers.
Africans reacted by _________
and acted by __________.
11. What is my WAT?
WHAT do they want me to find?
AREA of the world?
TIME PERIOD in history?
12. 2008 Prompt:
The Olympic Games were
athletic competitions held in
Greece for about 1000 years.
Modern Olympic Games were
held after 1896 in Athens. Some
of the factors that shaped
modern Olympic games were
________, ________ & _____.
13. Step 4: How to Organize the Documents
• Things to Consider:
• What did the prompt as me to find?
• Marking/labeling your documents in some way (how you will use them)
• Draw up a little outline of what documents will go where
• Make sure you use a majority of the documents, if not all of them
• Consider all points of view of who is writing this document
• Consider: Does the prompt ask me to acknowledge other documents I
would need
• When using these documents in the essay:
o Do NOT directly quote long passages of the documents,
o Just repeat data or statistics and “tell me” what the documents say.
Summarize what the documents say
14. Step 5: Practice with Documents
•Use the DBQ #1 to
read, interpret and
organize the
documents
15. WAT?
What= positive and negative effects
Area= European colonies
Time= 20th century (1900’s)
16. Thesis
During the 20th century, Europeans
went out into the world and
conquered many colonies.
Europeans had both positive and
negative effects on these areas.
Some of the positives effects were
____________ and some of the
negative effects were _________.
18. Positive (+)
Doc #1: (European) produce, food, develop the
territory, roads, telegraphs
Doc 3 (European) markets, banking, railways,
“inferior race” is being civilized, missionaries
Negative (-)
Doc #2: (Colonist)- Asian& African pulling a
European, saying its to civilize, but they aren’t
doing anything like that
Doc 4 (colonist)- forced religion and took land
Doc 5 (colonist)- killed family, made servants to
those who killed family
Doc 6 (colonist)- took our ability to run our own
gov, tell us we are irresponsible, run European
economy
Doc 7 (European)- feed the African just to get
more money out of him, do it in the name of God
19. Step 6: Write Thesis & Organize
Documents
•Thesis=
•How will you divide the
documents? (feel free to
write on the documents)
20. Step 7: Write a full Essay
•Use DBQ #1 to
write a full
essay
21. Positive (+)
Doc #1: (European) produce, food, develop the
territory, roads, telegraphs
Doc 3 (European) markets, banking, railways,
“inferior race” is being civilized, missionaries
Negative (-)
Doc #2: (Colonist)- Asian& African pulling a
European, saying its to civilize, but they aren’t
doing anything like that
Doc 4 (colonist)- forced religion and took land
Doc 5 (colonist)- killed family, made servants to
those who killed family
Doc 6 (colonist)- took our ability to run our own
gov, tell us we are irresponsible, run European
economy
Doc 7 (European)- feed the African just to get
more money out of him, do it in the name of God
Positive Themes: modern
improvements, missionaries
Negative Themes: killed family,
took away responsibility and land,
forced religious beliefs
22. Thesis/Intro
During the 20th century, Europeans
went out into the world and
conquered many colonies.
Europeans had both positive and
negative effects on these areas.
Some of the positives effects were
Bringing modern tools & inventions and some of the
____________
Killing off native population and
forcing religious beliefs.
negative effects were _________.
23. Paragraphs
Follow the Pattern:
1. Topic Sentence- a thesis for
your paragraph- what are you
going to talk about
2. Evidence – what you found in
your documents
3. Analysis- because of this…how
did this effect…
4. REPEAT (Evidence + Analysis)
24. Paragraph #1: Modern Tools & Inventions
(Topic Sentence)Many of the positive impacts of
imperialism can be traced back to the tools and inventions
brought by European imperialists to their colonies.
(Evidence) One invention that highly impacted the
colonies was the establishment of the railroad (Doc 3).
(Analysis)The railroad brought communication through
lands that had previously been distant and hard to
connect. Because of this advancement, vast and distant
lands could increase connections and trade, thus
spreading more goods throughout the world.
(Evidence)Another tool brought was the ability to increase
crops and food produce throughout the colonies (Doc 1).
(Analysis)By increasing food products, areas that had
previously not had much success with agriculture, could
be educated to help their own people.
25. Additional Document?
What would help me prove the
prompt more???
A positive reaction to European imperialism from a colonist.
Why?
This document would be useful because it
would better show the point of views from
both sides to European imperialism.
26. How to include docs?
(doc 3)
In document 3…
(Doc 2,3)
(Doc 4,5,6,7,10)
27. Conclusion:
(restate thesis with more detail +
additional doc)
Imperialism was a factor that heavily effect many countries
throughout the world in the 20th century. Positive effects like
a railroad and increased food production provided increased
communication, unity and food supplies for the native
population. At the same time the taking of land and property
and killing of native population left these lands without a
sufficient population and land to continue. An additional
positive document from the perspective of the those being
colonized would help show that positive effects occurred for
the colonists as well as the Europeans.
