Writing the DBQ
Essay
The
Document-based Question (DBQ) requires the construction of a coherent
essay that integrates interpretation of the supplied documents with a
demonstrated knowledge of the historical period in question. Higher scores are
earned with essays that successfully incorporate primary evidence from the
documents with traditional historical themes and maxims. The student who simply
describes the contents of the documents and fails to place them into historical
perspective will receive a low score on the DBQ essay.
Simple sequence for writing a DBQ essay:
1.
Read the
question and identify the historical period being discussed.
Reading the question:
Read the question carefully. Then read it again. Underline key words.
Paraphrase the question; put it into clear, simple terms. Take heed of whether
the question has more than one part to answer. Determine what the question
calls for, a comparison, a choice, an analysis? The number one priority is to
understand the question and to be certain that the essay answers all of it.
2.
Brainstorm
a list of relevant issues, historical terms, names, or events that are
significant to that period of history. When complete, this list should be
examined for logical division into sub-topics.
Brainstorming:
Brainstorming is an efficient process that generates, but does not evaluate a
list of topics relevant to the question. Come up with a list by examining every
aspect of the question. Items will include names, dates, events, inventions,
causes, issues, philosophies, slogans, social movements, causes, et al. These
are the specifics of historical information that relate to the question.
Viewing the question both narrowly and broadly will produce relevant facts and
themes. Keep to the question at hand. Prioritizing and evaluating come later;
in brainstorming, producing items is the goal without any attempt to order or
sort the list.
3.
Read the supplied documents. In the margin of the documents, make notes that
add to or embellish your brainstorm list.
4.
First Paragraph:
a.
Write one
clear sentence that states a thesis, what the essay will prove.
Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is a complete sentence that tells the reader what will be
proven in an essay. The sentence must state the position of the writer on a
topic, which in turn, can then be argued successfully in the essay. The writer
affirms, for example, "Economics contributed more to the onset of the
American Civil War than any other issue."
The statement must be arguable and the writer must take a stand. Broad
generalizations or givens are not thesis statements. "Slavery contributed
to sectionalism," for example, is a given which can generate a report, but
is not the
basis of an argumentative essay.
b. Specify three or four sub-topics to the thesis. (Logical segments
or divisions of the overall thesis).
Writing Sub-topics:
Well thought out sub-topics demonstrates convincing mastery of a subject. A
sub-topic's main purpose is to take every known fact and argument that will
help to prove a thesis and organize it. A paper that combines information and
order is very convincing. The content for this process is the yield from the
brainstorming list. Those specifics become the building blocks from which
arguments can be built. These names, dates, places, events, laws, themes et al
are the informational foundation of a good essay. Sub-topics are the logical
branches or divisions of the brainstorm list. A criminal defense attorney, for
example, might organize all the evidence in a case by distinguishing that which
goes to motive, opportunity, or means. As a last resort, a student may divide
almost any history thesis into sub-topics that fall into social, economic, and
political arguments.
c. You may elaborate on each of these sub-topics with simple defining
sentences.
5. Second Paragraph:
a.
Begin with a
sentence which re-introduces one of the sub-topics.
b. Support that topic sentence with outside
information from your brainstorm list.
Bringing in Outside Information:
Your paragraph should now elaborate on the sub-topic statement using specific
information from a variety of sources: your textbook readings, lecture notes,
and general knowledge. These elaborations should consist of facts, relevant
events, inferred motives, cause and effect relationships, anecdotes, and
sometimes pertinent dates. This information should not come from the primary
documents.
c. Support your outside information with a reference to one or more of the
supplied primary
sources. Be sure you use and cite the documents properly
Primary Sources:
Primary source evidence is intended to flesh out the sub-topics and give
strength to their arguments. A document promising overdue pay to a
revolutionary soldier might be linked to the argument that the fledgling nation
had insufficient money to pay for a revolution. Another student might argue
that the same document confirms that the national debt was caused by the
central government's inability to tax and raise revenue. The same document has
been linked to two different sub-topics and can now be linked together in
support of a common thesis [thesis: ineffectiveness of the Confederation
government confirmed].
Using the Documents Correctly:
Information from the primary documents should be incorporated into the essay
when the information is supportive of an already existing topic statement.
Information from the documents must never be used to establish a thesis or
topic statement, such action shows no historical insight, or even knowledge.
When correctly used, the primary document should highlight one of your essay's
key terms. That highlighting may come in the form of a person-to-person
encounter which microcosms a major historical theme, e.g. business and labor or
it may come as statistical data regarding an amount of money spent, e.g. one
administration compared to another.
The student should not quote directly from the primary documents. Instead the
student should refer (specifically) to where the document agrees with his or
her essay. This reference can come from a conclusion about a document's
numbers, as an interpretation of a political cartoon, a prediction of a
probable cause and effect, or as an evaluation of how the document relates to
accepted historical studies. The student must show a historical understanding
of the document and cannot stop at simply summarizing the information.
Citing the Documents
To insure that the reader (exam grader) rewards the student for (correctly)
using the supplied primary sources, each document used in the essay should be
directly cited. A document may be cited in one of three ways:
1. Identification by title, written into the body of the essay: . . . in Daniel
Webster's reply to Jackson's Veto Message, Daniel Webster betrays his High
Federalist convictions.
2. Identification through description: . . .Webster's reply to Jackson reveals
the Senator's High Federalist convictions.
3. Identification through description with a supporting tag: . . .Webster's
reply to Jackson reveals the Senator's High Federalist convictions [Doc C].
When a document is used multiple times in the same essay, the citing may be
relaxed in subsequent uses: e.g. Webster's reply also shows . . .
Remember only use the documents to support an argument based on outside
information, never paraphrase or quote from the document. Do not footnote your
document references.
d. Write a concluding
sentence that relates the paragraph's topic back to the thesis.
e. Write a transitional
sentence introducing the next topic.
Transition
Transition is a stylistic device that smoothes the way from one thought to
another. Some sentences, for example, provide specific illustrations of a point
made in the previous sentence. "For example" (as used above) tells
the reader what the connection is between the first two sentences. Terms such
as "however" or "on the other hand" alert the reader to a
contrasting point. Other familiar transitions include "nevertheless,"
"consequently," "secondly," and "conversely."
Grammar textbooks contain comprehensive lists. Transition facilitates clarity
and smoothness, ultimately, writers use it as a tool to guide a reader through
the logic.
6. Subsequent Paragraphs:
Continue this procedure until you have exhausted your brainstorm list for
possible sub-topics. If you have outside information that is not supported by
the primary documents, include that information anyway. Accurate
student-supplied information will garner points, even without support from the
documents; any use of the primary documents not supported with outside
information will not garner points and should be avoided.
7. A conclusion is not necessary, but it will
score you extra points if done properly. If you decide to write a concluding
paragraph, be sure that what you write is more than just a restating of the
thesis.
Conclusions:
A conclusion is more than an ending. Assuming a credible, well-documented
argument has already been presented, the groundwork is ready for drawing logical
inferences and making judgments. Focus, emphasis, and even passion can
strengthen a conclusion. While this is not the place for new arguments, this is
where connections and insights are drawn from the body of evidence. This
drawing of "conclusions" establishes that the original thesis has
been proven.