For 2020 AP Test, your essay is a mini-DBQ with 5 documents.  To help you remember how to write a DBQ, here is a breakdown of what is expected in a good DBQ:

Video Format: Taylor Talks

Powerpoint used in video updated for APUSH : HERE

(Remember, the content in the video is AP World (Mongols, Japanese, etc..) but the STRUCTURE is the same.  For APUSH you are responsible for Period 3 – 7.)

or written out in massive quantities of detail!!

Sample Prompt: Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which the Spanish American War impacted the role of the United States on a global stage in the period 1890 – 1945

or

Evaluate the relative importance of the impacts of the Spanish American War on the global role of the United States in the period 1890 -1945

*Break down the prompt:

“Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which…”– Asking you to “argue” and “evaluate” is a reminder your essay is PERSUASIVE — you need to be making an argument, not just listing facts.  “…the extent to which…” is reminding you things aren’t black and white — this isn’t a “yes/no” question, you are being asked to make a judgement about “how much” or “to what degree” the changes/mpacts are happening.

“Evaluate the relative importance of…” — Notice, this is doing the same thing! “Evaluate” is the same as “develop an argument that evaluates…” “Relative” is the same as “the extent to which…” It’s a reminder these are never “yes/no” questions — they always have “shades of grey.” The best responses will recognize those “shades of grey,” and develop an argument to defend a clear stance.

Bottom line – don’t let the wording of the prompt throw you off — they’re always asking the same thing.

Thesis – Your answer should identify a specific Historical Reasoning Skill (Cause/Effect, Comparison (sim/difference) or Changes/Continuities over time), and lay out the main ideas you will use to support your response.  Here’s a formula you can use:

Within TIME PERIOD OF DBQ, two significant SKILL AND TOPIC OF PROMPT were the ARGUMENT GROUP ONE and ARGUMENT GROUP TWO.

Ex: Within the period between 1890 – 1945, the Spanish American War significantly changed the US role on the global stage by introducing the concept of imperialism and providing raw materials for industrial growth.

From this thesis, I know the body paragraphs will be about imperialism and industrial growth.

Once you are comfortable with this formula, you can begin to take off the training wheels and play with it, as long as you make sure all the parts are still there.

The introduction of imperialistic tendencies and increasing access to raw goods that resulted from the Spanish American War significantly advanced the position of the United States on the global market in the period between 1890 – 1945.  

Introduction — Start with 2-3 sentences of contextualization.  The purpose of contextualization is to provide the background information that will let the reader understand what you are talking about, or that will prove you “could” have written an essay on a different topic.  Remember the college professors who are reading your AP test are stingy – they don’t want to give you credit for their class based on just ONE essay topic.  Contextualization is your chance to prove to them “if you had asked me about X, I could have written a great essay about that too, but since you asked me about Y, that’s what I’ll develop a full essay on.”Make sure you include a “bridge” connecting your “I could have written” portion to the thesis for “I’m going to write.”

Ex: In the late 1800s, the United States main focus was on internal growth and westward expansion.  The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 was a monumental moment, finally seeming to complete America’s “manifest destiny” as the continent was now connected.  As a result, America was able to turn her eyes global, with participation in the Spanish American War resulting in the possession of unexpected colonies. [thesis]Therefore,within the period between 1890 – 1945, the Spanish American War significantly changed the US role on the global stage by introducing the concept of imperialism and providing raw materials for industrial growth. 

(This intro gives the background about the westward expansion, providing specific details about manifest destiny and the transcontinental railroad.  The “bridge” connecting that manifest destiny to the actual topic is the comment in orange connecting the Spanish American War itself to the gaining of colonies creating a global presence.)

Body Paragraph — Each essay should have 2 body paragraphs (normally we say 2-3, but since your time is so limited, stick to 2 solid paragraphs), and each paragraph should have at LEAST 1-2 specific outside facts.  You need a MINIMUM of 3 specific outside facts (think SAQ specific) in your full essay.

Each body paragraph should be structured like this:

1. Topic Sentence — Identifying which of the “Argument Groups” from the thesis is going to be addressed, and how it answers the question in the prompt.
   1. Ex: One way the Spanish American War changed America’s role on the global stage was by introducing the concept of imperialism that made America an equal to the imperial nations of Europe.
   2. This sets your paragraph up for clear use of documents and analysis because each thing can be tied back by explaining HOW it made transportation easier or faster.
2. Document Sentence 1 — This sentence should use an idea or fact included in one of the documents and explain how that IDEA supports your answer. End sentence by citing the document in this format: (Doc #)
   1. Ex: The addition of colonies like Guam and Puerto Rico made America an empire for the first time, giving them a voice in discussions with imperial nations like France and England. (Doc 4) For decades Europe had considered America a “little sister” of sorts, despite efforts like the Monroe Doctrine demanding Europe stay out of the Western hemisphere, which were often ignored.  The addition of these colonies, however, made American diplomacy more welcome and Americans were increasingly included in diplomatic discussions.

Names of colonies pulled from this document: ” Following the Spanish American War, America gained the following colonies: Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.  She was suddenly an empire among empires. As a result, Europe took her more seriously for the first time, recognizing her in treaty negotiations and listening to her voice on the world stage.” John Smith, Spanish War Expert in Textbook, 1982.

1. 1. Note — I did not simply quote the document, I took the ideas and created a new sentence of my own. DO NOT QUOTE!!
   2. Note 2 — the sentence above (#1) meets the standard for “document usage.”  You must do this for TWO documents in the body of the essay to earn the point.
   3. Note 3 — Notice the part in bold/italics — this is the ANALYSIS portion – it connects what I saw in the document to the argument I’m making in my paragraph.  This must be done for TWO documents to earn the second document usage point.
2. Repeat Document Sentence 1 with a second document. 
   1. Note — as long as you have done this well with two documents you should have 2 points for document usage (uses 2 documents = 1 point; connects 2 documents to argument = 2nd point.) Repeat this in the second body paragraph to earn the 3rd document usage point (connects 4 documents to argument).
3. Evidence Sentence – Sentence identifying a specific piece of evidence NOT found in the documents that can be used to support that topic sentence.  You need to do more than name drop, though, you need to demonstrate that you know what the piece of evidence IS.  You can either give a second sentence describing/defining the evidence, or describe/define it in your evidence sentence. (See the Monroe Doctrine example above)
4. Evidence Analysis Sentence — Sentence explaining how the evidence PROVES the topic sentence.   This isn’t just explaining what the evidence IS, but really making the argument of how the piece of evidence proves the point.  Think of this as your answer to “so what” after you identify a fact in class.
   1. EX: For decades Europe had considered America a “little sister” of sorts, despite efforts like the Monroe Doctrine demanding Europe stay out of the Western hemisphere, which were often ignored.
   2. Note – my explanation of the evidence is included in the first sentence (“demanding Europe stay out of the Western hemisphere” )
   3. Note – the rest of the sentence connects the ignoring of the Monroe Doctrine to America’s need for colonies to be treated equally.  I didn’t just tell you what the Monroe Doctrine IS, I connected it to the topic of the paragraph – America’s new imperial role.
5. Repeat steps 2 – 3 for a second piece of evidence. (There should be 3 or more total pieces of evidence in the essay)
6. Concluding sentence — not absolutely necessary, but sums up the point of the paragraph.