DBQ In 1998 the New York Times noted that, “Under the reign of terror instituted by King Leopold II of Belgium (who ran the Congo Free State as his personal fief from 1885 to 1908), the population of the Congo was reduced by half—as many as 8 million Africans." To what extent did European involvement in Africa follow the belief in the three Cs, Christianity, Commerce and Civilization? If the 3 Cs were not an important factor, then what other factors drove the Scramble for Africa?

What your group needs to do  You are going to prepare a five paragraph essay  After reading all the sources, decide which you will use that supports your view point  Out of the 12 you must use 6, plus bring in three other sources.

Brainstorm your topic What do you know about imperialism?

How your DBQ should look

Introduction  You need to answer the question “to what extant”  This means Totally Agree Somewhat Agree Totally Disagree

Introduction  Constructing a tentative thesis (hypothesis): Here is a somewhat formulaic approach to constructing a tentative thesis. It is just one possibility among many. (1) A concessive clause ("although such and such"). If you do not concede something, you will appear strident and unreasonable. By conceding something, your point will stand out, for you will have contrasted it with an opposing position. (2) The main clause. This is the heart of your argument -- the thing you will prove. The subject of the main clause should be the subject of the paper. Do not present it in the form of "I will show" or "I hope to prove." (3) A "because" clause. This will force you to summarize support for your thesis as concisely as possible.

Introduction  Another approach to thesis construction: Here is another exercise that might help you develop your thesis. On a separate sheet of paper, complete the following sentences: (1) Dear Reader: I want to convince you that.... [This is a hypothesis] (2) The main reasons why you should believe me are that.... [This is a summary of your evidence and logic.] (3) You should care about my thesis because.... [This provides the seeds of your conclusion, and checks the significance of your thesis.]

Body Paragraph  In these paragraphs you should:  Deal with one major issue and provide supporting evidence that backs your view point

Body Paragraphs  Remember  You still need to show the other view points here  For example  If you think that European superiority in weaponry allowed for the success for the Scramble of Africa, you still need to mention in at least one paragraph that improvements in transportation, the Industrial Revolution needs for resource, The belief of Social Darwinism, divisions within Africa itself etc, all played a role in the Scramble

Conclusion  Don’t just repeat the introduction.  Use your conclusion to make your DBQ more personal  Try making connections with the past and the present  Do you see problems in America gets involved in Libya?

Sources  Something you might want to use Something you might want to use  e-congo-free-state-a-latifundium-of-terror/ e-congo-free-state-a-latifundium-of-terror/  You need to find and quote from three other sources.  One of them can be from your textbook

Citations  You can use either footnotes or end notes, just be consistent  You also need to add a bibliography to record the sources you used.

End Note and Foot Note  Books (Single Author):  Peter J. May, Recovering from Catastrophes (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985) p. 97.  (Multiple Author):  Dennis S. Militi, Thomas E. Drabek, and J. Eugene Haas, Human Systems in Extreme Environments: A Sociological perspective (Boulder, CO: University of Colorado Press, 1975) pp

Bibliography  Book Format: Author's last name, first name. Book title. Additional information. City of publication: Publishing company, publication date.  Example  Boorstin, Daniel J. The Creators: A History of the Heroes of the Imagination. New York: Random, 1992.

Bibliography  Website Format: Author's last name, first name (if available). "Title of work within a project or database." Title of site, project, or database. Editor (if available). Electronic publication information (Date of publication or of the latest update, and name of any sponsoring institution or organization). Date of access and.  Example  Dove, Rita. "Lady Freedom among Us." The Electronic Text Center. Ed. David Seaman Alderman Lib., U of Virginia. 19 June 1998.

Source Analysis  In addition to writing your section of the DBQ you will also need to complete a source analysis sheet on one of the documents you read

Any Questions?