1. How do I write a DBQ?!?

2. I can write a thesis, now what?
Once you have a good thesis created (and remember, this is probably the most important single part of your essay, so make it GOOD) you will need to find evidence to support your claims.
DBQs are actually very nice because the evidence is given to you, you just have to choose the facts that work for you

3. Um, what are my claims?
Your claims are the reasons you gave for your answer. These are in your thesis and should be the way you organizing your essay.
For example:
Prompt: Analyze the impact of temperance/ prohibition on society and economics in the Progressive Era.
Thesis: Although there was much support for prohibition and temperance in the Progressive Era, the reforms themselves damaged the profits of local businesses and hurt the economy, and they created an illegal trade which encouraged criminal behavior.

4. Thesis: Although there was much support for prohibition and temperance in the Progressive Era, the reforms themselves damaged the profits of local businesses and hurt the economy, and they created an illegal trade which encouraged criminal behavior.
My claims in this thesis are the 2 pieces that are red. I would then take these claims and write an argument for each.

5. Who am I arguing with?
You are arguing with anyone who does not answer the question in the same way as you. Your argument is more a statement, but it must be supported by evidence. If it helps, think of it as a claim rather than an argument.
(reforms themselves damaged the profits of local businesses and hurt the economy) – Attempts to stop alcohol production and distribution in the Progressive Era closed many alcohol related businesses which led to higher unemployment and less money in the local economies.

6. Where does this argument (claim) go?
This is the Main Idea of the body paragraph. If we use the MEAL format, it is the first sentence.
Not so tough, right?
Now, the “E” (Evidence)…

7. What is “Evidence”?
Evidence is any fact, quote, figure, statistic, etc. that can be used to support your argument (claim).
For my claim: Attempts to stop alcohol production and distribution in the Progressive Era closed many alcohol related businesses which led to higher unemployment and less money in the local economies. A piece of evidence I could use is:
“The closing of breweries, distilleries and saloons led to the elimination of thousands of jobs, and in turn thousands more jobs were eliminated for barrel makers, truckers, waiters, and other related trades.”(PBS, 2011)

8. You can see that the evidence ties to the claim I have made
You can see that the evidence ties to the claim I have made. But, I will need to clarify this for the reader in my analysis later:
Attempts to stop alcohol production and distribution in the Progressive Era closed many alcohol related businesses which led to higher unemployment and less money in the local economies. “The closing of breweries, distilleries and saloons led to the elimination of thousands of jobs, and in turn thousands more jobs were eliminated for barrel makers, truckers, waiters, and other related trades.”(PBS, 2011) These workers no longer had an income, which meant they could not spend their money in any way. A lack of funds meant that people did not spend the little money they had, leading to even more business closures, such as restaurants, theaters, and even clothing stores. Unemployed men now relied on the small amount their wives and children earned, forcing them to move to lower rent areas. This led to lowered rents in all areas and a general downturn of the country’s economy.

9. Evidence does not have to be a quote, but it should be cited
Evidence does not have to be a quote, but it should be cited. In a DBQ this is easy. The documents are given to you and are labeled A-?, so you cite it after the evidence. (Doc. A)
When using a picture or cartoon, you can explain what is going on in the portion that is important to your point. Just remember to cite it!
Any questions?

10. Ok, let’s try this with some documents on women in the Progressive Era…
Prompt: Discuss the economic, social, and political issues the women’s movement sought to reform during the Progressive Era.
First we need to know about our topic and the evidence we have so let’s analyze the documents together.

11. Document Analysis:
Doc A:
Doc B:
Doc C:
Doc D:
Doc E:

12. Thesis?
Look through the documents. What thesis can we write that answers the question, shows content knowledge, sets up the essay, and acknowledges the opposing view?
Thesis:

13. Check! Look at the documents again.
Do they look like they have evidence we can use to support the thesis we created?
Yes? – Great, we can move on
No? – How can we re-write our thesis so we have evidence? New thesis:

14. Argument (Claim):
For the thesis we created we should have _____ arguments.
Argument #1:
Argument #2:
Argument #3:

15. Evidence: Back to the documents!
Look for evidence for Argument #1. Write it down and cite it.
Look for evidence for Argument #2. Write it down and cite it.
Look for evidence for Argument #3. Write it down and cite it.