Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
American History
DBQ
Causes of the American Revolution
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
American History DBQ
Causes of the American Revolution
In this DBQ, students will learn about the events that led to the writing of the
Declaration of Independence as they analyze primary sources and engage in rich
discussions. When they have finished their analyses, there is a graphic organizer to help
them organize their thoughts and prepare to write a response to the question.
A step-by-step guide to teaching with DBQs will help those who are new to this shift in
social studies as well as provide a new spin on the process for those who are
experienced!
While this DBQ is suitable for students in grades 4-8, it was created with 4th grade
Louisiana Social Studies in mind, and it focuses on the following Louisiana Student
Standards:
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4.1.5 Explain the historical significance of U.S. political symbols
4.2.2 Cite evidence to support the key contributions and influence of people in the history of the
United States
4.7.2 Explain the significance of key ideas contained in the Declaration of Independence, the
United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights
Frames and Clipart by Ramona M. Graphics
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ramona-Majdis
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
What Do I Do with a DBQ?
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American Progress, John Gast, 1872, Public Domain
“DBQ” stands for “document based question,” but in today’s classrooms, what we often
mean by “DBQ” is so much more than that. If used as a teaching tool to help students
learn from sources, DBQs can be very powerful! Teachers should be careful not to “preteach” the information, though. It helps if the students are first introduced to the
material when they analyze the sources with the teacher. The following is a classroomtested method of using a DBQ to teach historical content and critical thinking to
students in a fun and engaging way. You can use this method with any DBQ, but the
page numbers correspond to the pages in the DBQs created by Mrs. Oquin.
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Step 1: The “big question” is front and center.
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A really good document-based question will have more than one “right” answer
as well as the potential for students to write an entire essay to explain their
stance. Begin by reading the question (on the cover) with the students, analyzing
the cover source, and reading the accompanying information.
Ask students: “What is this source?” “Is there a date?” “How does this source
appear to connect to the question?” and “What information can I find in the
text?”
Step 2: Analyze the source found with the “What You Should Know” essay (page 2).

Ask students: “What is this source?” “Is there a date?” “How does this source
appear to connect to the question?” and “What information can I find in the
text?”
Step 3: Read through the “What You Should Know” section with the students.

Guiding students through a DBQ is the key to success. If you are reading this
essay to the class, you can stop to remind them that they had learned about this
before or point out something that might be really important.
Step 4: Answer the “Check for Understanding” questions on page 3.

Consider allowing students to work with a partner, and be sure to review their
responses before moving on. These responses are the foundation for their essay!
Step 5: Unpack the Prompt on page 3.

The DBQ question is the prompt. Students are expected to use the sources and
their understanding of history to write a response to the main question. This is
much easier for them to do if they are explicitly taught how to unpack the
prompt and prepare for their writing.
Step 6: Review the list of sources on page 4.
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Step 7: Take time to show students how to explore a timeline.
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Page 4 contains a timeline of events surrounding the topic of the DBQ. Make sure
students understand that timelines are available to help them make sense of the
“flow” of events in history.
Step 8: Guide students to analyze the sources, including all text surrounding them.

“What is this source?” “Is there a date?” “How does this source appear to
connect to the question?” and “What information can I find in the text?”
At first, demonstrate how to analyze a source, but then encourage students to
make connections for themselves.
The questions accompanying the sources are meant to help guide the students in
the right direction for their essays.
Encourage students to take notes on each page.
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Step 9: Discuss or Debate!
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Students benefit from hearing the ideas of other students. Once you have
analyzed and discussed all of the sources, ask the students how they would
answer the question. If there is more than one possible response, encourage the
students to explore each one.
Through a good-natured debate, students can explain to one another why the
sources they chose make their arguments stronger. The others will be able to use
these ideas in their writing!
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Step 10: Time to Write
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The writing organizer was designed with historical essay writing in mind. This
organizer asks the students to begin by writing a claim about the topic. Then
they restate and answer the question. Finally, ideas are provided for how
students can cite their sources.
Bonus Step: Publish!

DBQs are a big deal for most students, and they are often proud of the effort
involved. Posting their work boosts confidence and makes the work
meaningful.
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
What Led to the American Colonists
Declaring Their Independence from
Great Britain?
Page 1
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
What You Should Know…
Before the United States of America was the United States of America, it was a
collection of thirteen colonies that belonged to Great Britain. It was also a vast and
profitable wilderness that belonged mostly to France and Spain. Several European
nations had an interest in the potential resources of the largely unexplored continent of
North America. The story of the United States, though, begins with the French and
Indian War.
From 1754 to 1763,
the British were in a war
with France over territory
that both countries had
claimed. The French allied
themselves with Native
Americans, who they had
a very good trade
relationship with. Fur was
worth a fortune, and the
French had learned early
on that being friends with
the Native Americans
would help them make
money. The colonists,
who did not have much to
do with the Native
Americans, fought
alongside the British
soldiers.
When the British
won the war, they took
the territory of New
France and began to look
for ways to cover the
immense cost of such a
long war.
By User:Varing - CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37191601
Page 2
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Check for Understanding…
1. What countries did the United States belong to before the American
Revolution?
2. Who fought in the French and Indian War?
3. Briefly define the following words (one word is enough):
a. Colony
b. Vast
c. Profitable
d. Potential
e. Resource
f. Territory
g. Ally
h. Immense
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Unpack the Prompt…
Based on the sources in this DBQ and your understanding of history,
explain what led to the American colonists declaring their independence
from Great Britain.
1. Restate the question to prepare for your response.
2. Based on what you already know, what are some possible answers?
(Make Predictions)
Page 3
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Source 1
Source 2
Timeline of Events Leading to the American Revolution
The Royal Proclamation of 1763
After the French and Indian War, King
George III issued a proclamation stating that
colonists were not allowed to settle west of
the Appalachian Mountains. This angered
many colonists who already had land (given
to them by the British government) in what
would now be considered an Indian reserve.
1. Why do you think King George III
wanted to set aside this land for the
Native Americans?
2. Why do you think other colonists
(aside from those who had land there)
might have been angry about not
being able to move west?
https://www.historymuseum.ca/blog/royal-proclamation/
Page 4
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Source 3
Excerpt from the Sugar Act, British Parliament, 1764
“Whereas it is expedient that new provisions and regulations should be
established for improving the revenue of this kingdom, and for
extending and securing the navigation and commerce between Great
Britain and your Majesty’s dominions in America, which, by the peace,
have been so happily enlarged: and whereas it is just and necessary,
that a revenue be raised, in your Majesty’s said dominions in America,
for defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the
same…”
3. What reasons did Parliament give for the necessity of the Sugar Act?
4. What “expenses” are referred to here?
5. They mention “defending, protecting, and securing” America. Do you think the
colonists see it the same way? Why or why not?
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Source 4
Sample of British Acts and Their Intended Purposes
Name of Act
Date
Purpose
Sugar Act
1764
Stamp Act
Quartering Act
1765
1765
Declaratory Act
1766
Townshend Act
Tea Act
1767
1773
Taxed imported sugar and allowed for smugglers
to be tried in British courts with no jury.
Tax placed on paper goods.
British soldiers would be housed and fed by
colonists.
Parliament could pass any laws for the colonies,
even though they weren’t represented.
Tax placed on glass, paint, tea, etc.
Colonists could only purchase tea from a British
tea company.
Page 5
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Source 5
The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor
Nathaniel Currier, 1846
The Tea Act of 1773 made it so the colonists could only buy tea from the British East
India Company. The tea was taxed, of course, and when a group of colonists learned
that seven ships carrying over half a million pounds of tea were headed to Boston and a
few other colonial cities, they devised a plan. On December 16, 1773, several colonists
dressed as Native Americans, boarded the ships in Boston Harbor, and threw a very
large amount of tea overboard.
6. A Tax on tea was certainly annoying, but the Tea Act worried many American
colonists. Why do you think that was?
7. What effect do you think the destruction of the tea had on the East India
Company? What about British Parliament? The colonists?
Page 6
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Source 6
Newspaper Article, March 19, 1770
On March 5, 1770, tensions rose between British troops and some of the colonists. On
this day, a group of angry colonists shouted at and harassed a group of British soldiers,
who then fired on the crowd that had gathered, killing three people instantly. Two of
those who were shot eventually died of their wounds as well. Articles such as this were
printed in colonial newspapers. Part of the article reads, “This is the fifth life that has
been sacrificed by the Rage of the Soldiery, but it is feared it will not be the last.”
8. What invention made newspaper articles such as this possible?
9. What purpose did this article serve?
Page 7
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Source 7
Writing of the Declaration of Independence, 1776
Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1900
In June of 1776, Thomas Jefferson,
Benjamin Franklin, John Adams,
Robert Livingston, and Roger
Sherman began writing the draft of
the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson (depicted
standing in the painting), wrote the
first draft which was then reviewed
and revised as needed by the others.
Finally, Congress had its turn to
edit the document before it was sent
to the printer on July 4, 1776.
The signing of the Declaration of
Independence marks a turning
point in American history.
10. The painting you see here comes from the artist’s imagination, based
on the facts he had learned about the writing of this important
document. Based on this source, what about these events do you
think stood out for the artist?
Page 8
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Source 8
Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, 1776
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are
instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the
Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its
foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall
seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate
that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient
causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to
suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to
which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing
invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism,
it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new
Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these
Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former
Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of
repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an
absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid
world.”
11. Why did the authors of the Declaration of Independence feel it was
necessary to explain that “all men are created equal?”
12. From where did they believe governments should get their powers?
13. Near the end of this excerpt, the authors lay the blame for their need
for independence on someone. Who do they name and why?
Page 9
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Getting Ready to Write Your Social Studies Extended Response
Begin with a valid claim:
Restate and answer the question:
Support your claim with details from the sources and explain how
your sources support the claim and answer the question (might
need more than one paragraph):
Based on Source ____,
According to Source ____,
I think Source ____ supports my response because
Source ____ states
Source ____ shows
Page 10