THE MODIFIED DBQ For those of you who are nervous about the DBQ, fret not! Many students report that the DBQ is generally easier to write than the LEQ because they are provided with documents to help support your writing and analysis. Most of the components of the DBQ are exactly the same as they would be for an LEQ in the following ways:

- Thesis = exactly the same (1 point) - Contextualization = exactly the same (1 point) - Evidence that addresses and supports an argument in response to the prompt = exactly the same (1 point) - Complexity point = exactly the same (1 point)

The only things that make the DBQ unique from the LEQ in terms of scoring has to do with the use of the documents themselves.

- Evidence from documents: Addresses and supports an argument in response to the prompt using: - TWO documents (1 point) OR - FOUR documents (2 points)

- HIPP: Explains how or why the document’s point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience is relevant to your argument for:

- ONE document (1 point) OR - TWO documents (2 points).

- Evidence beyond the documents (outside information): Uses at least: - one additional piece of the specific historical evidence (beyond that found in the documents) relevant to an

argument about the prompt (1 point) OR - two additional pieces of evidence beyond that found int he documents relevant to an argument about the

prompt (2 points)

The good news here is that the rubric for this year’s exam has been modified in order to give students more opportunities to earn points. So, since you took a quiz last night on the content ranging from the Election of Thomas Jefferson (1800) through the War of 1812 (ends in 1815), I figured we’d used today to see what a DBQ looks like, so here’s how we’ll do it:

1. Step 1: Look at a DBQ prompt from a few years ago 2. Step 2: I’ll show you how I’d annotate and analyze these documents 3. Step 3: Look at a student sample based on this DBQ prompt and try to grade the student’s work, based on the

rubric. Below, you’ll see the rubric that the College Board released, but I basically summarized the various components above. They’ve highlighted the changes/modifications in blue and green. Make sure to also look at the “Decision Rules” column all the way to the right. Take a few minutes to look it over.

Here’s my super-condensed version of the rubric: ►Contextualization – 1 point ►Use content of at least 2 docs – 1 point ►Use 2 docs to support argument – 1 point ►Use 4 docs to support argument – 1 point ►Use 1 outside evidence to support argument – 1 point ►Use SECOND outside evidence to support argument – 1 point ►HIPP / Source one document to support argument – 1 point

►HIPP / Source SECOND document to support argument – 1 point ►Complexity – 1 point

1. STEP 1: Look at a DBQ prompt from a few years ago. My advice is to always BRAINSTORM about what info you already know that could address the prompt BEFORE you look at the actual documents. Here’s the prompt:

PROMPT: Evaluate the extent of change in ideas about American independence from 1763 - 1783

BRAINSTORM: What historical evidence could be used to discuss how ideas about American independence changed (or stayed the same) between 1763 (end of the French Indian War) and 1783 (end of the Revolutionary War)? Jot them down below. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. STEP 2: Here are the documents for this essay prompt. I’ll show you how I’d annotate and analyze these documents. NOTE: This essay contains 7 documents, as they always do. However, this year there will only be 5 documents.

MAIN IDEA: Okay, so an APUSH DBQ wouldn’t be a real APUSH DBQ if it didn’t have at least one document where a student would think, “wait, what? What the hell is this garbage?” This was THAT document a few years ago. Start with the source -- it was made in England, and these are two sides of the same teapot. Perhaps the idea here is that there was clear disdain for the Stamp Act or other such taxes that seemed to

encroach on the liberties of American colonists, but eventually they were repealed, or perhaps it was meant to demonstrate that healthy relations between Britain and the colonists had been restored. ONE HIPP: Historical Context: After the French Indian War, Britain began taxing the colonists more heavily in order to pay off the war debt. The colonists were particularly agitated by the Stamp Act, and after months of a concerted effort to boycott British goods, intimidate stamp/tax collectors, and spread the rally cry of “No Taxation Without Representation”, the Stamp Act was repealed. Here’s another HIPP possibility for this document: Purpose: Perhaps this means that these feelings of resentment were shared by the British, who might have sympathized with the colonists and were providing protest materials. OR, realizing the importance of international trade between the British and the American colonists, British craftspeople were trying to capitalize off the drama in the colonies by selling these to them.

MAIN IDEA: The Virginia House of Burgesses (their colonial government) declares autonomy of the Virginia legislature, but while working together with and respecting the loyalty to the British crown. HIPP: Historical context: You could discuss the longstanding autonomy of colonial legislatures like the House of Burgesses. Since almost the very beginning of colonial Virginia, the House of Burgesses was a semi-democratic colonial government that had spent the first 150 years or so making most decisions on its own, while being mindful of its loyalty to Britain. OR, you could also use historical context to talk about how the concepts in these “resolves” spread to other colonies, which adopted similar resolutions.

MAIN IDEA: Adams declares that people have the right to remove themselves from an oppressive government and replace it with another that better suits their needs -- the argument here is made against the abuses of Britain ONE HIPP: Purpose: Here, Adams seeks to evoke the language of Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke to support the growing calls of colonial independence.

MAIN IDEA: Quaker leaders encouraged other Quakers not to join agitation against the British government. ONE HIPP: PURPOSE - Apply pacifist principles to revolutionary situation; prevent war with and declaration of full independence from Britain (purpose)

MAIN IDEA: Claims that if landowners do not support the Patriots the Patriots threaten them with violence or destruction of property ONE HIPP: PURPOSE -- Challenge idea that independence movement had broad popular support; depict movement as unwelcome to colonists (purpose)

MAIN IDEA: Inglis argues that the American Revolution is likely to be costly, and it is not clear how the colonies will pay for it ONE HIPP: HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Growing economic instability in the colonies (it’s now 1776); Anglican Church, which was the same thing as the “Church of England”, was sympathetic to Britain (context). Could also argue that Inglis’s PURPOSE was to undermine the independence movement.

MAIN IDEA: Paine argues that the Revolutionary situation elicits great efforts by men and women who support independence. ONE HIPP: POINT OF VIEW -- Paine is a supporter of the Patriot cause and the Revolution, as he was the author of “Common Sense”, or that Paine’s PURPOSE is to make an emotional appeal to the colonists whose support for the Revolution was faltering. So, if you were writing this essay, you’d do exactly what you’d done in class and for homework. Try to figure out two or three groupings to fit these documents into, and use them to construct a thesis that directly answers the full prompt. Remember that the essay is asking about the extent of CHANGE in ideas about American independence from 1763 to 1783. So, what changed? What stayed the same? I noticed that documents 3 (the Quaker one) and 6 (Charles Inglis), for example, show that for some, calls to remain loyal to Britain continued even as the Revolutionary War began, usually framed in terms of religious obligation or the hefty costs of war. However, others show that the actions of Britain over their interference in colonial legislation (documents 2 and 3) and over British violence toward colonists fueled feelings that independence was the only choice. Still further, ideas of the Enlightenment are increasingly invoked (Doc 7). Therefore, it appeared the there was significant change in the ideals. Here’s a thesis for it: (X) Throughout this time period, some argued that independence from Britain would prove to be too violent and too costly, even after the war began. However, (A) others increasingly believed that British encroachment on colonial legislatures and their violence toward colonists increasingly aroused anti-British sentiment, leading to calls for independence. (B) Further, Enlightenment language was used increasingly to defend such calls for independence once the war broke out. (Y) Therefore, there was a significant change in the ideas about American independence during this time period. Here are a few other theses that would work:

- (X) In the beginning, colonists only wanted representation and a say in the legislation of new laws while maintaining connection with Britain. However, (A) by 1783 Americans wanted true freedom from British

rule. (Y) Therefore, ideas about American independence changed greatly from 1763 to 1783. - “From 1763–1783, ideas of American independence changed from the colonies blindly accepting the

tyranny of the British by religious rights of divine kings to believing in natural rights of individuals against British rule.”

NOW, let’s look at a student sample for this essay. At each section, I will ask YOU to determine whether or not the student earned the points. For your convenience, I’ve colorcoded what I believe the student was trying to do at each point throughout the essay. See the highlighted key/legend below. GREEN = thesis YELLOW = contextualization Orange - support argument in response to prompt using at least six docs Blue -- outside info relevant to an argument about the prompt Purple - HIPP at least three of the documents Last -- complexity point: use evidence to corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument that addresses the prompt.

PROMPT: Evaluate the extent of change in ideas about American independence from 1763 - 1783

CONTEXTUALIZATION: Following the French - Indian War of 1754-1163, the British and the colonists found themselves facing new or heightened problems that demanded immediate solutions. As a response to their accumulation of a new and massive debt, the English ended their period of salutary neglect on their colonies which provoked strong antagoniams from the colonial people who had become accustomed to a greater source of freedom. THESIS: (X) Although most colonists in the beginning of America identified as part of the British people and only sought greater representation, and some continued on as Loyalists to the British crown throughout the American Revolution (A) the continued contention over economic and political policies and (B) political autonomy forced many colonists to strive for a new indentity as an independent America. (Y) Therefore, the was a significant change in ideas about American independence from 1763-1783

STOP! 1. THESIS: Did this student successfully respond to the prompt with a historically defensible

thesis/claim that establishes a line of reasoning? Explain your reasoning. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________ 2. CONTEXTUALIZATION: Did this student successfully describe a broader historical context

relevant to the prompt that goes beyond simply a mere phrase or reference? (NOTE: you can’t use the documents in the contextualization paragraph!) Explain your reasoning. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the early half of American 1763-1783, the British colonists viewed themselves his British people. For example, many religious leaders attempted to keep their congregations from revolting against Britian (Doc 4). HIPP: Due to the First Great Awakening, there was conflict between the Old Lights and the New Lights. The Olds Lights were often religious leaders - who sought to maintain the social order that was attacked by the Near Lights’ attempts to question authority. The Quaker leaders did not want this questioning of the political authority of Britain to apply to the questioning of their own religions authority.

I’m going to do this one for you as an example: - EVIDENCE: Did this student successfully use the content of this document to support an argument in

response to the prompt? Explain your reasoning. YES. This student used Doc 4 to support the argument that colonists -- in this case the Quakers -- viewed themselves as part of the British Empire.

- ANALYSIS: Did this student successfully explain how or why the documents Historical context,

Intended audiance, Purpose, or Point of view was relevant to the argument? NO. Although the student’s explanation and Historical context of the tension between Old Lights and New Lights during the First Great Awakening is true, the AP readers felt this HIPP didn't relate enough to the prompt to count as one of the HIPPed documents since it doesn’t really connect in any. Questionable call on the part of the reader, if you ask me, but I see their logic. Since the student only has to HIPP two documents for this year’s DBQ, hopefully he nails it on two other documents. Let’s see how he did...

Another example of the continued identitification as British colonists can be seen amongst the higher class citizens of the South (Doc 5), as Lady Schaw points out that Loyalists were often intimidated and forced to join the Patriot cause, and such intimidation tactics were most effective against the poor who couldn’t properly defend themselves. HIPP (point of view): Lady Schaw writes from the perspective of an upper class status in a Southern colony. Southern colonies tended to have closer ties with the British crown as colonists under direct royal rule or proprietorships. The upper class status of Lady Shaw also makes her more inclined to protect the existing heirarchy of the South even in the face of threats from Pariots of the lower parts of their system. Relevant outside information #1: In addition to those calls for maintained loyalty to the British crown, the goals of the 1st Continental Congress perfectly illustrate the lack of calls for American independence. The 1st Continental Congress was mostly an attempt to deal with the Stamp Act and the Intolerable Acts by supporting the economic boycott of incidents such as the Suffolk Revolves and the formation of the Association. The

individuals of the Congress were not calling for American independence yet though many members went on to support the Patriotic cause only one or two years later. They merely sought economic reforms and redaction of certain acts. Lastly, even for as late as 1776, many colonists still oposed revolution as a costly and unnecessary hassle that would only hurt the American colonies in the long run (Doc 6). HIPP (historical context) OR complexity point!: For context, it is important to remember that colonists that want American freedom from Britains will only ever rise to about 40 percent in this time periods. Patriots will never be the majority during the American Revolution.

Fine. I’ll do this one too. You’re welcome:

- EVIDENCE: Did this student successfully use the content of this document to support an argument in response to the prompt? Explain your reasoning. YES. This student used Doc 5 to support the argument that colonists viewed themselves as part of the British Empire, as he explains Lady Schaw’s claim that some are being intimidated into following the Patriot cause against their will .

- ANALYSIS: Did this student successfully explain how or why the documents Historical context,

Intended audiance, Purpose, or Point of view was relevant to the argument? YES. This features analysis of Lady Schaw’s point of view as a member of the upper class inclined to “protect the existing hierarchy”. Well done, kid!

- EVIDENCE BEYOND THE DOCUMENT (R.O.I.): Did this student use at least one additional piece of

the specific historical evidence (beyond that found in the documents) relevant to an argument about the prompt? YES. This student discusses -- at length -- that the 1st Continental Congress and The Association (don’t worry about it if you don’t remember what this is) weren’t pushing for independence at this point, but that they merely sought reforms that would allow for their relationship with Britain to continue. This student KILLED it here!

Despite these voices of opposition throughout the American Revolution, the colonists eventually recognize the impossibility of mending their relationship with Britain and call for American independence. For example, the reaction to the various acts put in place by Britain to raise money to pay off their debt involved colonial resentrent that was felt all the way in England with the production of various protesting materials (Doc 1). hHIPP (historical context): The motivations and viewpoints of both the British and the colonists did not meld or relate to the other. For context, the Britsh thought it was only fair that the colonists pay for their own benefits that resulted from the end of the french Indian War while the colonists felt that their should be no taxation without representation. The opposition between their perspectives would contribute to growing tensions between Britain and the American colonies. In addition, colonists were used to a certain extent of autonomy seen in declarations by the House of Burgesses that only their own colonia government can tax their people (Doc 2). HIPP (historical context): Even before the American revolution, colonists were already used to their own early forms of self-government that they did not want to sacrifice the way the Quebec Act forced the French people living in the Ohio River Valley hard to give up their right to representative assemblies. Another example of the growing

divide between the American colonists and the British people was the the Enlightenment ideals of Locke's natural rights influencing the colonists thoughts on how to handle their antagonism with Britain. Colonists such as Samuel Adams are beginning their calls for a revolution against British control to protect their natural riots that the government is not protecting (Doc 3). Relevant outside information #2: Lastly, the "Common Sense " pamphlet by Thomas Paine fires up the colonists by demonstrating in simple and charged language that the British oppression must be met with revolution. This pamphlet eventually helps motivate the colonists to establish Jeferson's Declaration of Independence which immediately heightens the conflict between the American people and the British crown.

- EVIDENCE (doc 1): Did this student successfully use the content of this document to support an argument in response to the prompt? Explain your reasoning. ________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- ANALYSIS (doc 1): Did this student successfully explain how or why the documents Historical

context, Intended audiance, Purpose, or Point of view was relevant to the argument? ______________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- EVIDENCE (doc 2): Did this student successfully use the content of this document to support an

argument in response to the prompt? Explain your reasoning. ________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- ANALYSIS (doc 2): Did this student successfully explain how or why the documents Historical

context, Intended audiance, Purpose, or Point of view was relevant to the argument? ______________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- EVIDENCE BEYOND THE DOCUMENT (R.O.I.): Did this student use at least one additional piece of

the specific historical evidence (beyond that found in the documents) relevant to an argument about the prompt? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Though the colonists were not all united under the desire for American independence, growing tensions over economic and political autonomy divide the British and American viewpoints beyond repair and lead to a desire for Independence in Ameñca. This revolution is similar to the French Revolution which would occur only years later in 1789. The French were inspired by the Enlightenment ideals that similarly motivated America like

Rousseau's and Locke’s governament vision and the success of the American Revolution. However, the American revolution ends with the successful establishment of a democratic government while the

French revolution eventually ends with the dictator regime of Napoleon.

COMPLEXITY POINT: Did the student successfully demonstrate a complex understanding of the historical development that is the focus of the prompt, using evidence to corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument that addresses the question? YES. Here, the student connects the American Revolution to the French Revolution, and clearly shows the connection between the two events. The “unicorn” complexity point replaced something called the “synthesis point” a few years ago, and comparing the subject of the essay to a similar historical event or development was one way to earn this point. Technically, this can still work, but I’d suggest going for the “post-contextualization” instead, which takes the theme or subject of the essay and pushes it into the future (beyond the essay’s time period). Here’s how this could work. Although the newly-formed United States successfully overthrew the British Empire and established an indepedent, democratic-republic form of Government, many of the ideals it championed during the independence movement did not become reality for many. For example, Patriot leaders like Samuel Adams (Doc 3) had argued that British Parliament didn’t appropriately represent the will of the colonists, and he used the Enlightenment language of self-government and democracy to argue against British tyranny. However, for many, self-government and democracy were still out of reach. Property requirements for voting ensured that only wealthy landowners had a real voice in local, state, or national politics, and women and other minority groups were also denied the right to vote. Real democratization (at least for white men) wouldn’t take place until the 1820s, slavery continued until 1865, and women weren’t granted the right to vote until 1920. Therefore, although the independence movement was successful, some of the ideals the underpinned the movement had yet to come to fruition.