Regents Prep U.S. History & Government Exam Overview: DBQ Essay

Regents Prep: U.S. History: Exam Overview:
DBQ Essay

DBQ Essay Overview

To successfully write a DBQ essay response, one must focus on the task. Each of the task items must be addressed in the written essay response in order to receive full credit.

A generic scoring rubric is provided which explains how the DBQ essay response will be graded. The maximum possible score is a five; the lowest possible score is a zero.

To earn the maximum score possible, consider the following steps for writing a DBQ essay response:

1. Pre-Writing
2. Introduction
3. Body Paragraphs
4. Conclusion

Exam Sections

Multiple-Choice

Thematic Essay

Short Answer

DBQ Essay

Pre-Writing

Before actually writing the DBQ essay, one should analyze the task and organize the information that they wish to include in the essay response. The scoring rubric should also be read to ensure that the essay response meets all of the requirements necessary to earn the maximum score of five.

First, carefully read the historical context and the task. Look for clues that will help identify which historical era(s) the DBQ is focusing on, and the information required to thoroughly address the task. Underline those sections of the historical context and task that you consider most important.

Next, draw a table or box that can be used to organize information and help in writing the essay response. Clearly label the one column heading “Document(s) Used” and the other column heading “Outside Information” and reserve the row headings for the task items.

For example, in the sample DBQ from the June 2001 U.S. History and Government Regents Examination below:

Creating a box-format or table outline can be used to organize an essay response to the sample DBQ. Click on the image below to see what it might look like when filled in

For example:

Writing the Introduction

The introduction to the essay response should communicate what it is that the essay will show or prove. The DBQ generic scoring rubric states that to earn a five, the essay, “Introduces the theme or problem by establishing a framework that is beyond a simple restatement of the Task or Historical Context and concludes with a summation of the theme or problem.”

For example, in the sample DBQ from the June 2001 U.S. History and Government Regents Examination below:

A suitable introduction for this sample DBQ appears below:

The United States has followed a variety of different foreign policies throughout its history. One such policy was that of neutrality, which was established by President Washington, and was quite successful. A more recent foreign policy followed by the U.S. during the Cold War was containment, following this policy definitely had mixed results.

This introduction is based partly on the historical context, but also declares what will be proven by the essay response. Each element of the task is addressed with specific information which will later be elaborated upon in the body paragraphs.

Filling in the pre-writing table prior to writing the actual essay response has provided a wealth of information to use in the introduction.

NOTE: One should not simply copy the historical context or task; this is not a suitable introduction and will result in a lower overall essay score.

Writing the Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs need to thoroughly address all elements of the task by utilizing information from at least four documents from Part A, incorporating outside information, and presenting everything in an organized manner.

This is where the completion of a pre-writing table really pays off! If constructed and filled in properly, this table will form the basis of organizing the body paragraphs of theDBQ essay response. For example:

The colors above highlight the information about two different foreign policies to be utilized in the essay response. One approach to writing this essay would be to compose one body paragraph for neutrality and two body paragraphs for containment.

Note that at least four documents are used in these body paragraphs. Each time a document is used, it is highlighted in yellow. Documents are also identified by name as well as document number.

In addition to these documents, a great deal of outside information is included in order to thoroughly address all aspects of the task. Each time outside information is used, it appears highlighted in green.

For example:

Neutrality is practiced when one nation refuses to align with other nations or form political alliances. This was the first foreign policy to be practiced by the United States. The precedence for its establishment dates back to President George Washington's Farewell Address in 1796 (Document 1). In this speech, Washington recommends establishing trade relationships with other nations, while steering clear of “permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world...” With these words, the U.S. began to follow a foreign policy of neutrality which lasted well over 100 years. Throughout the 1800s, the United States did not form alliances with any other nation despite the pressure to do so on countless occasions. In fact, it was not until the U.S. emerged as a global superpower in the 1900s that it formed any alliances whatsoever. It first did so on a temporary basis in WWI and WWII, and then permanently with the formation of NATO designed to combat the spread of communism through the use of collective security during the Cold War.

During the Cold War, United States foreign policy changed dramatically from one of neutrality to global involvement. Containment, the policy designed to prevent the spread of communism, meant that the United States would become involved in regions all over the world. This policy took shape in post-WWII Europe, which had been decimated by the conflict. In fact, the American General Marshall convinced the U.S. Congress to aid in the rebuilding of Europe to prevent the spread of communism from eastern Europe into economically depressed areas in the West. This resulted in the U.S. providing nearly $12 billion in aid to western European countries to stop the spread of chaos caused by communist influence as evidenced in the political cartoon with the caption “Step On It, Doc!” (Document 3). In 1947, President Truman requested funds from Congress to aid Greece and Turkey in order to prevent communism from spreading to those two countries (Document 4). Congress agreed, and once again American intervention halted the spread of communism in Europe. Because communism never spread beyond the countries within the Soviet Bloc, both the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine successfully carried out the foreign policy of containment. However, containment did not always result in such success.

During the 1960s, President Johnson attempted to continue the foreign policy of containment established by his predecessors. In 1965, Johnson stated that the U.S. needed to defend South Vietnam from communist forces in North Vietnam because we had been doing so since 1954, and because of “terror” the South Vietnamese would face if they were taken over by the North (Document 5). Despite Johnson’s decision to escalate America's involvement in the Vietnam Conflict, by the mid-1970s all United States military and diplomatic personnel had been withdrawn from the region, and South Vietnam, as well as neighboring Laos and Cambodia became communist nations.

The table above formed the basis for the content included in these body paragraphs. It has allowed the writer to visualize the flow of the essay before committing to a single paragraph to paper. The facts in the table were embellished with details designed to thoroughly address all aspects of the task.

Writing the Conclusion

The conclusion to the essay response should communicate what it is that the essay will show or prove. The DBQ generic scoring rubric states that to earn a five, the essay, “Introduces the theme or problem by establishing a framework that is beyond a simple restatement of the Task or Historical Context and concludes with a summation of the theme or problem.”

For example, in the sample DBQ from the June 2001 U.S. History and Government Regents Examination below:

A suitable conclusion for this sample DBQ appears below:

The U.S. Government has pursued a variety of foreign policies with mixed results. Neutrality, established by Washington, served the country quite well as it allowed it to develop into a world superpower. Once this status had been achieved, the U.S. found itself in competition with the Soviet Union and communist ideology. The policy of containment protected some areas of the world from the spread of communism, but allowed others to fall, resulting in a domino effect. With the recent ending of the Cold War, U.S. foreign policy will most likely once again shift to reflect the New World Order.

This conclusion borrows some material from the historical context, and also repeats what was first stated in the introduction and proven in the body paragraphs. It also connects the policies discussed with current foreign policy issues facing the United States.