An IntroWRITING A DBQ

An essay question that asks you to take a position on an issue that has several possible answers

No “right” or “correct” response

You must craft a thesis based on your own knowledge and your interpretation of the evidence presented

WHAT IS A DBQ?

Charts, graphs, and mapsNewspaper articles/editorialsSpeechesLettersDiariesLawsTreatiesExecutive ordersEditorial cartoons

DBQ DOCUMENTS

Here is a 9-step method for answering a DBQ…

PROMPT ANALYSIS FORMAT

Read the question carefully, then think about the following:

What is the essence of the question?  Is it a yes/no, “to what extent,” or “compare and

contrast” question?  Does it have more than one part?  Are there bullets provided?

Is there a choice of responses?

THE QUESTION

Discuss the changing ideals of American womanhood between the American Revolution (1770s) and the outbreak of the Civil War. What factors fostered the emergence of “republican motherhood” and the “cult of domesticity”? Assess the extent to which these ideals influenced the lives of women during this period. In your answer be sure to consider issues of race and class.

SAMPLE DBQ PROMPT

Discuss the changing ideals of American womanhood between the American Revolution (1770s) and the outbreak of the Civil War. What factors fostered the emergence of “republican motherhood” and the “cult of domesticity”? Assess the extent to which these ideals influenced the lives of women during this period. In your answer be sure to consider issues of race and class.

SAMPLE DBQ PROMPT: KEY TERMS

“ideals of American womanhood” Following the Revolutionary War, America has reputation for

equality and social democracy… What about women?  From the Revolution to the Civil War, the ideal of womanhood was

redefined due to their new opportunities in the workforce, their work in abolition, and the fight for women’s rights.

“republican motherhood” The ideology that emerged as a result of independence where

women played an indispensible role by training future citizens.

“cult of domesticity” a prevailing value system among the upper and middle

classes during the nineteenth century in the United States and Great Britain. This value system emphasized new ideas of femininity, the woman's role within the home and the dynamics of work and family. "True women" were supposed to possess four cardinal virtues: piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness.

KEY TERMS DEFINED

Does the question state specific dates? What are they?

If no specific date parameters are given, set ones of your own

List presidents of the period

Put the question in chronological context of the events and culture of the period

DATA PARAMETERS

Discuss the changing ideals of American womanhood between the American Revolution (1770s) and the outbreak of the Civil War. What factors fostered the emergence of “republican motherhood” and the “cult of domesticity”? Assess the extent to which these ideals influenced the lives of women during this period. In your answer be sure to consider issues of race and class.

DATA PARAMETERS

Use a database to organize outside information you know that may be relevant to the questionPERSIA

Write down headings on the back of your test booklet

Create the database BEFORE you read the documents

Next, read the documents and add any other info to your database that occurs to you

CONSTRUCT A DATABASE

A document is not a fact, but a piece of evidence to interpret

Point of view is crucial

Does the document support or refute your thesis?

ANALYZE THE DOCUMENTS

S- subject: What is being discussed?O- occasion: What is the context of events?A- audience: To whom is the message directed?P- purpose: What is the recommended action to the reader?S- speaker: What/who is the source?

SOAPS

A=Author: Who created the source? What do you know about the author? What is the author’s point of view?

P=Place and time: Where and when was the source produced? How might this have affected the content of the source?

P=Prior knowledge: Beyond information about the author and the context of its creation, what do you know that would help you further understand the source?

APPARTS

A=Audience: For whom was the source created? How might this affect

the reliability of the source?

R=Reason why: Why was this source produced? How might this affect the

reliability of the source?

T=The main idea: What point is the source trying to convey?

S=Signifi cance: Why is this source important? Ask yourself, “So what?” in

relation to the question asked.

APPARTS

POV STATEMENTS

When completing Doc POV statements include:

Doc identification by author AND LETTER

Title or description

Significance statement

POV STATEMENTS- PAGE 354-355

“The American Scholar” (1837)- Ralph Waldo Emerson

In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar” (DOC LETTER) he defines the freedom of the “single-individual” as the freedom to think for oneself and speak one’s own mind.

POV STATEMENTS

“Factory Life as It Is, by an Operative” (1845)

In “Factory Life as It Is, by an Operative” (DOC LETTER) a female factory worker compares her working conditions to those of slaves because she is forced to work long hours with very strictly regulated breaks, required to follow the arbitrary rulings of factory owners without questioning them, and deprived of education and culture—moral, religious, and intellectual. Her decision to compare her working conditions to slavery in the South is an effort to trigger the consciousness of the factory owners and other northerners, who show great concerns for slaves in the South but ignore the working conditions in their own states.

APUSH DBQWRITING THE ESSAY

Insight: analysis, perspective, point of view

Make a strong first impression

Provide analysis of the question

The reader should know your position on the question unequivocally after the first paragraph

INTRO PARAGRAPH

Your opening paragraph should contain the following:

1. A restatement of the question. This should reflect the question as you understand it. Do not simply recopy the question; AP readers generally view this as “taking up space.”

2. A brief definition of the terms and parameters as you understand them

3. Insightful commentary on the question and its complexity

4. Your thesis

INTRO PARAGRAPH CONTINUED

AP/TP/3 Cats- USE IT!

A positive assertion regarding an issue about which reasonable people may hold different opinions

Answers the question in one sentence

Use your notes and database to organize your arguments

Don’t discuss the documents in the order in which the DBQ presents them

THESIS STATEMENT

Provide factual support for your thesis

Stay focused on the question

Don’t just write down everything you know about the topic

Chronological sequence is more important than precise dates

BODY OF ESSAY

Stick to the facts; don’t editorialize

Make sure that each point you make supports your thesis

Include outside information

Cite a majority of the documents

BODY OF ESSAY CONT.

Document A Margaret Bayard Smith's Eyewitness Account of

Jackson's Inauguration (1829)

Citations in the essay:

In her eyewitness account of Jackson’s inauguration (Doc A), Margaret Bayard Smith describes…

Margaret Bayard Smith's Eyewitness Account of Jackson's Inauguration (Doc A) showcases…

CITING DOCUMENTS

Provide a conclusion that restates the essence of your thesis and wraps up your argument.

Do not simply copy your thesis

DO NOT USE “In Conclusion…” “This essay as shown…”Or any variations of the above

CONCLUSION

1. What is the ESSENCE of the question?2. What key terms need to be DEFINED?3. Are the date PARAMETERS stated?4. Construct a DATABASE5. Analyze the documents (SOAPS or APPARTS).

Alwaystake POINT OF VIEW into account.6. Provide INSIGHT into the complexity of the

question7. Write a clear THESIS that answers the

question in onesentence8. Provide abundant and appropriate factual

SUPPORT foryour thesis9. If time permits, write a CONCLUSION

SUMMARY

For the exam, the DBQ counts for 25% Long Essay = 15%.Multiple Choice = 40%Short Answer Questions = 20%

You have 55 minutes to write the DBQ. That’s roughly 45 minutes for the DBQ with 10

minutes prep, planning, and doc analysis.

• Handwriting matters!

DBQ FACTS AND TIPS