Name:

Period:

WALSH
CP FORM A

Unit 6 DBQ:
What caused the Civil War?

This Completed PACKET is due Friday 5/22 at the start of class

Your Finished DBQ is due: Thursday 5/21 at MIDNIGHT

DBQ Grade

DBQ Analysis Packet GRADE:

Document #1
Document #2
Document #3
Document #4
Document #5

____/10
____/10
____/10
____/10
____/10

Document #6
Document #7
Thesis Statement
Bucketing
DBQ Outline

(see DBQ Rubric on back page)

____/10
____/10
____/5
____/5
____/20

TOTAL:

_____%

TOTAL: _____/100

DBQ Expectations & Overview

In April 1861, the 33 states that made up the United States of America went to war against each other. The war was to
last four long, heart-wrenching years and cost the lives of more than 600,000 Northern & Southern soldiers. The reasons
for hits costly war have been debated by historians and citizens ever since. Now its your turn to ask and answer the
classic question, What caused the Civil War?

Length Requirements
o This DBQ is a TYPED essay that uses ONLY the documents in this packet to answer the question:
What caused the Civil War?
o **This is NOT a research paper where you get external information.
Your DBQ must:
o Have 5 paragraphs:
Introduction paragraph with Thesis the DIRECTLY answers the question: What caused the
Civil War?
THREE body paragraphs with your claims, specific evidence from the documents provided and
analysis to prove your thesis
Conclusion paragraph that sums up your point & leaves the reader convinced that yours is the
only possible conclusion
DBQ schedule (Walsh classes)
o Day 1: Thursday 5/14
o Introduction to the DBQ
o Day 2: Friday 5/15
o Annotating & analyzing Documents
o Grouping documents into categories
o Writing your Thesis
o Day 3: Monday 5/18
o Outlining
o Day 4 5/19, 5/20: (80 min block) Computer lab
o Working on and completing your essay outline
o Homework:
Working on & completing your final draft (you have tonight and the next night)
o Day 5 Thursday 5/21
o Reviewing for Civil War Test
o HW: Revise your essay & submit final draft, study for test
o Turn in digital DBQs via DropItToMe by midnight!
http://dropitto.me/mswalsh
Password: ihearthistory
How you will be graded:

DBQ Packet (100 Classwork points)

o Annotations
o Analysis of documents
o Completion
DBQ essay (100 project points)
o Introduction & conclusion
o Citing, explaining, and analyzing evidence

PART 1: Document Analysis & Thesis

* * *
DIRECTIONS: For your essay, you will need specific evidence to support your answer to the question What caused
the Civil War? Complete the analysis questions that follow each document.

Document #1

1. What CHANGES in America are shown in these maps?

2. What DEEPER problems did these changes cause for the US? (connect to what you know)

3. Based on this document, what caused the Civil War?

____/10
3

Document #2

1. Describe the Authors main idea & supporting arguments:

2. What DEEPER problems in the US does this document REVEAL? (connect to what you know)

3. Based on this document, what caused the Civil War?

____/10
4

Document #3

1. What CHANGES in America are shown in these maps?

2. What DEEPER problems did these changes cause for the US? (connect to what you know)

3. Based on this document, what caused the Civil War?

____/10
5

Document #4

1. What CHANGES in America are shown in these maps?

2. What DEEPER problems did these changes cause for the US? (connect to what you know)

3. Based on this document, what caused the Civil War?

____/10
6

Document #5

1. What CHANGES in America are shown in these maps?

2. What DEEPER problems did these changes cause for the US? (connect to what you know)

3. Based on this document, what caused the Civil War?

____/10
7

Document #6

1. What CHANGES in America are shown in this map?

2. What DEEPER problems did these changes cause for the US? (connect to what you know)

3. Based on this document, what caused the Civil War?

____/10
8

Document #7

1. What CHANGES in America are shown in this map?

2. What DEEPER problems did these changes cause for the US? (connect to what you know)

3. Based on this document, what caused the Civil War?

____/10
9

BUCKETING your Sources

DIRECTIONS: Now that youve analyzed each of the sources, you need to organize them into categories.
This will help you narrow in on a thesis & choose the best documents to support it.
1. Write one reason at the top of each bucket
2. Decide which documents support each of your reasons
3. Write the # of the document that supports each reason you chose.
a. **Documents may fit in MORE THAN ONE bucket
4. For each document #, write a brief note as to WHY it fits in that bucket

What started the

Civil War?

What started the

Civil War?

What started the

Civil War?

Document #s that belong in this

bucket & WHY:

Document #s that belong in this

bucket & WHY:

Document #s that belong in this

bucket & WHY:

____/5
10

THESIS Statement
State your Thesis (answer to the DBQuestion) and your 3 REASONS (These are like mini thesis statements that will
become the Topic Sentences that start each body paragraphs. Each of them must relate to the thesis statement.)
THESIS STATEMENT = A sentence that states the overall argument and/or main points of your essay.

Reason #1:
[This will become your 1st
topic sentence]

____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________

THESIS

Reason #2:
[This will become your 2nd
topic sentence]

____________________________

caused the Civil War

because.

____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________

Reason #3:
[This will become your 3nd
topic sentence]

____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________

____/5

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Part II: Essay Outline

* * *
PARAGRAPH #1: Introduction
Hook or Attention-getting Opening
(Create a statement that catches the readers interest. Think about making controversial or surprising statements, asking questions, or stating
some shocking facts)

Background Information about the Topic

(Provide general information or commentary about the topic youll be writing aboutthe period leading up to the Civil War. Make sure you
indicate the place & time in history for this essay. Transition from the general to specific as you narrow in toward your thesis.)

Thesis Statement (Copy your statement from pg. 11 of this packet)

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PARAGRAPH #2: First Body Paragraph

CLAIM #1:
Write out your first claim (i.e., from your thesis on pg 18) in a complete sentence:

Introduce the document

youre using:

Cite the EVIDENCE that supports

your choice:

EXPLAIN how this evidence supports your

choice:

According to (author of
document)
In (name of document) it
shows

(Provide a quote or a SPECIFIC DETAIL

from one of the visual sources!)

This means
It is evident that
Clearly

Clearly, this document shows that

__________________ caused
the Civil War
[tie analysis back to Claim 1]
because

13

PARAGRAPH #3: Second Body Paragraph

CLAIM #1:
Write out your second claim (i.e., from your thesis on pg 18) in a complete sentence:

Introduce the document

youre using:

Cite the EVIDENCE that supports

your choice:

EXPLAIN how this evidence supports your

choice:

According to (author of
document)
In (name of document) it
shows

(Provide a quote or a SPECIFIC DETAIL

from one of the visual sources!)

This means
It is evident that
Clearly

Clearly, this document shows that

__________________ caused
the Civil War
[tie analysis back to Claim 2]
because

14

PARAGRAPH #4: Third Body Paragraph

CLAIM #1:
Write out your third claim (i.e., from your thesis on pg 18) in a complete sentence:

Introduce the document

youre using:

Cite the EVIDENCE that supports

your choice:

EXPLAIN how this evidence supports your

choice:

According to (author of
document)
In (name of document) it
shows

(Provide a quote or a SPECIFIC DETAIL

from one of the visual sources!)

This means
It is evident that
Clearly

Clearly, this document shows that

__________________ caused
the Civil War
[tie analysis back to Claim 3]
because

15

Paragraph #5: Conclusion

Transition to the Conclusion
(Use a transitional phrase then Make a statement about your topics importance and/or restate your main points.)

Restate your Thesis (Restate your thesis in a slightly new way highlighting the new evidence presented in the body.)

Clincher (Write a sentence or two that will keep the reader thinking. You might make a controversial statement about the topic, ask the
reader a question about the topic, call the reader to action, make a broad generalization about the topic, suggestions or recommendation,
final criticism)

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Part III: Final Draft!

* * *
DIRECTIONS: Submit your final draft digitally using the Instructions below. And youre done!

FINAL DRAFT is DUE THURSDAY by MIDNIGHT

(digitally)
1. SAVE your DBQ with the title in the following format:
a. **You may need to re-save it to change the name or edit the title of the
document from My Documents.
b. **IF you are using Google Docs, please upload a Word document copy just
the same.
c. Name-DBQ-Civil-War
i. EXAMPLE 1: Lynh-DBQ-Civil-War
ii. EXAMPLE 2: Stephanie-DBQ-Civil-War
2. Go to the following URL to submit your documents:
i. http://dropitto.me/mswalsh
3. Enter the PASSWORD: ihearthistory
4. Upload your essay
If you have a concern or get stuck, shoot me an e-mail and well work it out
walshc@randolph.k12.ma.us

And thats it! Youve finished your very LAST DBQ in Early US History!

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