Writing the DBQ
APUSH
In most cases, the question will ask the
student to “discuss,” “analyze,” and / or
“evaluate” the question using the
documents.
Outside knowledge is very
important and must be incorporated into
the student's essay if the highest scores are
to be earned.
Essays in Advanced Placement History are
Expository Essays.
That is, they are arguments whose purpose
is to convince the Reader.
Do Not try to be stylistically creative!
The results can be pretty humorous, but do
not help you with the Reader!
“This time period was STUFFED full of reform.” (APUSH 2006)
“Emerson, and Thoreau were noted transvestites.”(APUSH 2002)
“This shows their motivation as being their own selfish gain
because no one can deny the incredible high acquired after doing
a good deed, not to mention that good deeds look well on your
transcript after one dies.” (APUSH 2006)
Point of View
A fundamental skill with all DBQ’s is
evaluating Point of View (POV)
Everything you learned in APEH about
expressing POV is applicable in APUSH.
Students who do not understand POV
usually end up writing superficial, silly, or
error filled essays!
An awareness of POV demonstrates a more
sophisticated understanding of the
documents than an answer that simply
accepts everything at face value.
May not move you to the next markband, but will
move you within markband.
Markband 8-9:
“contains a well-developed
thesis that examines the
ways in which technology,
government policy and
economic conditions changed
American agriculture between
1865 and 1900 and evaluates
farmers’ responses to those
changes.”
Markband 5-7:
“contains a thesis that
addresses the ways in
which technology,
government policy and
economic conditions changed
American agriculture between
1865 and 1900 and discusses
farmers’ responses to those
changes.”
Markband 2-4:
“contains a limited and/ or
undeveloped thesis.”
Markband 0-1:
“Contains no thesis or a
thesis that does not address
the question.”
Avoid using the documents in alphabetical
order!
This is easy to do, but leads to merely
summarizing the documents.
If you have done a good analysis, and order
your use of documents analytically, you will
not have this problem.
How DBQs Are Read…
After the reader has read the thesis paragraph, they
begin to read—almost skim, actually—very quickly.
They are looking for o.i. As they proceed, they can
note the documents which are being used and can
sense the sophistication with which they are being
used:
That is:
 Are the documents merely being quoted?
 Are they being analyzed?
 Are groupings simple or sophisticated
If the reader does not see any o.i, then the paper
cannot be higher than a 4, and usually will
not be that high.
A DBQ which uses documents but has no
outside information is usually a classic “3.”
By providing a paragraph about the
historical context, and including o.i. in that
paragraph, you minimally fulfill the
requirement for outside information and the reader
can begin looking at the markband “5-7.”
Every Reader wants to give a good mark,
and knows that the essay represents a year
of hard work.
Each paragraph in the Main Body should
correspond to a subtopic which has already
been introduced in the Thesis Paragraph.
Each paragraph should cite several
documents AND include several pieces of
o.i. from your own knowledge.
If your paragraphs cite only one document,
then you have a problem in organization.
If your paragraphs have no o.i. then it will
be very difficult to break 4/9
You do not need to use every document!
However, you should try to use as many as
possible.
The more documents you correctly use, the
more likely it is to score well.
Don't quote the documents directly.
That will waste time. Refer to the document
by author, POV, and the thrust of the argument.
You should never directly quote more than
a telling phrase.
Refer to the documents by the author or
source.
Tell the reader anything about the author or source
that you know from you outside knowledge.
Identify the docs. by putting the letter of the
document in parentheses.
This device will help insure that the Reader
does realize you used a document, even if it
is 4:15 pm and he / she is very very tired of
reading.
Summary
Writing a DBQ requires you to apply your
knowledge of the period, analyze
documents, select and organize your
thoughts, and write an effective expository
essay.
This is not easy to do in one hour, but it is a
skill which can be mastered!
Analyze the ways in which technology, government
policy, and economic conditions changed American
agriculture in the period 1865-1900.
In your answer be sure to evaluate farmers‘ responses to
these changes.
Make sure you understand what the
question requires of you!
If the question asks you to evaluate something, but you
only describe, you cannot write a satisfactory answer.
Underline the tasks demanded and the terms
which are unique to the question.
Underline the time frame of the question
Analyze: determine their component parts;
examine their nature and relationship.
Assess / Evaluate: judge the value or
character of something; appraise; evaluate the positive
points and the negative ones; give an opinion regarding
the value of; discuss the advantages and disadvantages
of.
Explain: make clear or plain; make clear
the causes or reasons for; make known in detail; tell the
meaning of.
Grouping your documents by
subtopic helps you in two important ways:
First, your essay is organized analytically rather
than descriptively, which is always good.
Second, it helps avoid using the documents in
alphabetical order, which is always bad.
 Technology
 Government Policy
 Economic Conditions
 Farmer’s responses
 Change over Time (COT)
Document A: Agricultural Prices
 (Economic conditions)
Document B: Railroads in 1870 and 1890
 (Technology)
Document C: Prairie Farmer July 14, 1877
 (Government policy, Farmers’ Response)
Document D: The Wheat Harvest
 (Technology, Economic conditions)
Document E: A Contract in North Carolina
 (Economic conditions, Farmers’ Response)
Document F: Harper’s New Monthly Magazine
 (Technological changes, economic conditions)
Document G: Speech by Mary Elizabeth Lease
• (Economic conditions, Government policy, Farmers’ response)
Document H: Susan Orcutt to Lorenzo D. Lewelling
 (Government policy, Economic conditions, Farmers’ response)
Document I: R. W. McAdams, Oklahoma Magazine
 (Government policy, Farmers’ response)
Document J Speech by William Jennings Bryan
 (Government policy, Economic conditions, Farmers’ responses)
 Document J Speech by William Jennings Bryan
(Government policy, Economic conditions, Farmers’ responses)
Rearrange by Subtopic
Technology
 Document B
 Document D
 Document F
Government Policy
 Document B
 Document C
 Document G
 Document H
 Document I
 Document J
Economic Conditions
 Document A
 Document C
 Document D
 Document E
 Document F
 Document G
 Document I
 Document J
Farmers’ Response
 Document C
 Document D
 Document E
 Document G
 Document H
 Document I
 Document J
Outside Information
Make a quick list of factual data (outside
information)that might bear on the question.
Group them according to the sub-topics