HOW TO WRITE VALLEY FORGE
DBQ ESSAY
Planning makes perfect!
March 20th 2014
STEP ONE CREATE A THESIS STATEMENT
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The thesis statement is your answer to the
analytical question: “Would you have quit?”
Your answer being: choose a side- quitting or not
quitting!
I would have quit the fight at Valley Forge
I would not have quit fighting for freedom from
Britain
THESIS AND ROADMAP/ CHICKEN FOOT
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Your thesis statement and the three reasons why
you would either quit or not quit
I would have quit because
3
THESE THREE REASONS BECOME
PARAGRAPH 2, 3, AND 4
These three reasons become your baby thesis's
for paragraphs 2, 3, and 4!
 They are the way you start these three
paragraphs!
 A baby thesis is a paragraph opener!
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ORGANIZING PARAGRAPH ONE (1)
Grabber
 Background
 Stating the question with key terms defined
 Thesis and roadmap
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CREATE A WORKING TITLE
Dead Cold Eyes
 Dying for a Cause
 Freezing Death
 Valley Forge: where men died for nothing
 Ready to die for Freedom
 Come up with something creative
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CREATE A GRABBER
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War is hard, but it is not always bayonets and
bullets!
GIVE THE READER SOME BACKGROUND ON
WHAT VALLEY FORGE WAS!
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In a couple of sentences 3 or 4 tell the reader the
background of Valley Forge
STATING THE QUESTION WITH KEY TERMS
DEFINED:
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“would you have quit?” is changes to something
in your own words: “Would you have chosen to go
home instead of re-enlisting in the war at Valley
Forge?”
Chosen to go home and not re-enlist replaces
“quit”
THESIS AND ROAD MAP EXAMPLE:
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I will re-enlist for three reasons: the sickness of
the men, loyalty to my government, and belief in
our cause.
PARAGRAPH #2
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Now plug
this evidence
into your
paragraph to
give facts to
support your
argument
that you
would or
would not
quit!
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Baby thesis #1 from roadmap
Use evidence from the documents to back up your reason
and baby thesis
Example of Evidence: half of the army is too sick for roll
call (this came from Doc A)
1800 to 2500 will die from illness (this came from Doc A)
End paragraph with an argument statement that
connects to evidence: Example: “I cant let my friends
die for nothing. I must fight for fallen comrades even
if continental congress is showing us no support for
the war they declared.
PARAGRAPH #3
Baby Thesis # 2 from roadmap Example Baby Thesis: “I will re-enlist because
my government deserves loyalty.”
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Evidence from documents- committee of congress
has stayed with us through much of winter (Doc
B)
 End paragraph with an argument statement that
connects to evidence
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Example of an argument statement: Now I see that the
government does support me and I will stay and support
my government!
PARAGRAPH # 4
Baby Thesis # 3 on Roadmap
 Evidence
 Argument
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PARAGRAPH #5
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Conclusion:
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Restate your main idea or argument
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“I will quit or I will not quit and why”
This is a way to end your essay with organization
and let the reader know the essay is over without
saying “the end!”