ANALYTICAL ESSAY WRITING STRATEGIES How to write a document based essay

What Is 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 develop a proposition based on your own knowledge and your interpretation of the evidence presented A DBQ is an essay question that asks you to take a position on an issue that has several possible answers. There is no “right” or “correct” response. The question is designed to give you the opportunity to craft and defend a thesis based upon your knowledge and your interpretation of the evidence presented to you in the primary sources and other documents. Imagine yourself as the historian who first heard the Kennedy tapes, found a long-lost letter from Frederick Douglass, interviewed Lyndon Johnson in 1970, or ran an original computer data analysis of poverty in 1900. You have these pieces of evidence. What do they mean and how do they fit with what you already know?

DBQ Documents Charts, graphs, and maps Newspaper articles/editorials Speeches Letters Diaries Laws Treaties Executive orders Editorial cartoons The documents presented in a DBQ may include any of the items listed here.

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? First, read the question carefully and try to determine the essence of the question. For example, what type of question is it: yes/no, “to what extent,” or compare/contrast? What judgment does it ask you to make? Does it have more than one part, and therefore more than one question that needs to be answered? Does it provide bullets to offer you some direction? Does it offer a choice of responses? Most questions require you to analyze relationships (for example, the political implications of an economic issue), common themes in different time periods (for example, the concept of “national interest” in foreign policy), or degree (for example, “To what extent and in what ways do the views about John Brown expressed in the documents illustrate changing North-South relations between 1859 and 1863?”). Questions of the last type that ask “to what extent” are designed to force students to give an opinion. Try to think of these “degree” questions as asking “On a scale from 1 to 10…”

Sample DBQ: Multipart Question The Declaration of Independence is one of the most admired documents in the world. Although, it is supposed to be a document that breaks political ties with ‘Great Britain many other ideas are outlined in it that indicate that the colonists view themselves as a free people. Discuss what in the Declaration of Independence supports the view that the colonists already thought of themselves as a free and separate people from Great Britain. What factors are referred to that indicate that the colonist had been surviving and prospering without the guidance of Great Britain? Assess the extent to which these factors influenced the thinking of the average colonist during the period post-French and Indian War. In your answer be sure to consider factors such as economic condition, how living location affected these views. For example, this DBQ (from the 2006 AP exam) has several parts that need to be addressed. When presented with a question like this, identify and underline the various parts of the question, then decide how you will answer it. How many parts does this question have? (Note to teacher: Field responses from the class, then click to advance the animations, revealing the answers.) Ask yourself, “What must I cover in order to write a successful essay?” Be sure you fully understand what the question is asking you to do. Make sure you respond to the question asked, rather than to one you wish had been asked. Also, don’t make up your own version of the question. These are common mistakes often committed by students who actually know something about the topic addressed in the question. The absolute rule here is to answer the question asked.

Date Parameters 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 Here’s another sample question: “How do you account for the appeal of McCarthyism in the United States in the era following the Second World War?” How would you define the date parameters for this question? (Note to teacher: Take a few minutes to field suggestions from students, then continue.) This question is sufficiently vague about dates. The beginning date is easier to pin down, since World War II ended in 1945, but few restrictions exist on an end date. Should it be 1954, when McCarthy was censured by the Senate? Or 1957, when he died? Or 1960, when the “Eisenhower era” ended? Although most students would probably choose 1960 as an end date, you could also extend your response well into the 1960s by mentioning the persistence of the Cold War fear of “communist subversion.” Try to get a feel for the target era by listing the presidents of the period along with the major facts for each administration. Put the question in chronological context of the events and culture of the period. What are the anchor points in the parameter years? For example, precise anchor points for a question about Reconstruction could be 1865 (the end of the Civil War) and 1884 (the election of the first Democratic president since Buchanan). Date sequences are important.

Construct a Database Use a database to organize outside information you know that may be relevant to the question Write down headings on a piece of paper Examples of headings are Social, Economic, and Political Create the database before you read the documents Next, read the documents and add any other info to your database that occurs to you The next step is to construct a database, which is a series of lists based on the question. You will use the database to organize all the outside information you know that may be relevant to the question. Use the back of your test booklet as a scratch sheet and write down headings like “Social,” “Economic,” “Political,” “Foreign Affairs,” “Events,” “Court Cases,” or others you think appropriate. Jot down as many thoughts and facts about the question as you can. On a DBQ, always create a database before you read the documents. This will assure that you have substantial outside information—which is the key to a high score. Without outside information, an essay can’t receive any more than four out of a possible nine points. Next, read the documents, adding additional outside information to your database as it occurs to you. If your database is constructed opposite your document analysis, this will help when you compare your database with the documents. You should easily be able to distinguish pieces of outside information that are not contained in the documents. You will want to balance outside information with the information and hints in the documents (which, by the way, are always presented in chronological order).

Construct a DATABASE SOCIAL POLITICAL ECONOMIC Construct a database before reading the documents to insure that you have outside information. Your database categories will be “social,” “economic,” and “political.” List all factual points that you can recall, and take care to think chronologically while you do it.

Write your proposition statement It should be a positive assertion regarding an issue about which reasonable people may hold different opinions. Answer the question in one to two sentences. Use your notes and databases to organize your arguments. Now you are ready to write and prove your thesis, answering the question of to what extent the presidency of Andrew Jackson brought about a social, economic, and political revolution. Write an introductory paragraph with a clear thesis that answers the question in one sentence. You could choose one of the following theses or create another that has some combination of these: Yes, Jackson brought about the changes that can be defined as revolutionary No, Jackson did not bring about revolutionary changes. The changes that occurred during Jackson’s presidency were revolutionary, but his role has been overemphasized and these changes would have occurred anyway. Jackson brought about revolutionary social changes, but not economic or political ones.

The First Paragraph 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 Include a hook, overview of topic, and thesis. In the first paragraph of your essay, you need to provide insight (that is, analysis, perspective, and point of view) into the complexity of the question. This is particularly important if you want to get the highest essay scores (7, 8, and 9). You should make a strong first impression. Try to impress the reader with your analysis of the question. Although you want to refute strong points that someone trying to argue against your thesis might make, you should concede good points that the other side might make. On balance, your argument should reflect a preponderance of the evidence presented in the documents. Above all, the reader should know your position on the question unequivocally after the first paragraph. Your opening paragraph should contain the following: 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.” A brief definition of the terms and parameters as you understand them Insightful commentary on the question and its complexity Your thesis

The Body of the Essay 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 Support your proposition using quotations or relevant evidence. Each piece of supporting evidence should be formatted as a Quotation sandwich. Remember that your essay is written to convince. Be thorough and assume nothing. As with a geometry proof, don’t skip steps. Provide abundant and appropriate factual support for your thesis, keeping your focus on the question. When using examples, relevance and accuracy are of paramount importance. Don’t lapse into a narrative of everything you know about the topic. One or two specific, focused, and relevant examples are better than a laundry list of names or cases without comment. Avoid ambiguity and vagueness, but if you don’t know an exact date, pin it down as closely as you can (e.g., the early 1880s, the late 17th century, during the Kennedy administration). Chronological sequence is more important than a precise date, but be as specific as you can. Whatever facts you present should be used to prove your thesis.

The Conclusion If time permits, write a conclusion that provides the following information: if my thesis is correct, then ________ is true. An example: If the Navigation Acts were not economically oppressing the colonists, then we must look elsewhere for the basic causes of the American Revolution. Some teachers feel that you should write the conclusion immediately after you finish writing the first paragraph. This can help you to focus on where the essay is going. A concluding statement should tie your data together and provide meaning. Think of the opening and closing paragraphs as mini-essays that lay out your entire case. However, the opening paragraph far exceeds the closing one in importance.