What is a DBQ?

An essay topic/question posed that must include documents woven into your essayThesisMajority of documents usedOutside information

Your DBQ for Africa question is….

Question:

Analyze the social, political, and economic impact European Imperialism had on Africa

Your essay should be well organized with an introductory paragraph that states your position with a well developed thesis. Develop your position in the next paragraphs, including key critical analysis of the documents and prior

knowledge of global history.

DBQ - Grouping and Thesis Statements

Grouping

You want to group some documents together when making points to support the thesis

Do NOT just use the generic “Pro”, “Anti”, “Neutral” groupings. If the documents provided seem to indicate there were

positive, negative or mixed reactions, used better vocabulary than “pro”,”anti”, “neutral”

Be as specific as possible in descriptions of groupings Are there any connections between reactions, trends or

events and the historical time period? Documents can be used in more than one grouping!

Thesis Statements

Good DBQ Thesis Statements: Takes a standAnswers the question in it’s entirety Previews the argumentDetails Time and PlaceGroupings Can be more than one sentence

2009 DBQ Question

Using the documents, analyze African actions and reactions in response to the European Scramble for Africa. Identify an additional type of document and explain how it would help in assessing African actions and reactions.

Thesis #1

“Throughout history, colonization has been a main concern of many nations. In the 1880s, there was a great desire by European powers to colonize and control Africa in order to gain resources. This became known as the Scramble for Africa. The hypocritical actions of the European powers led to an extreme contempt for the Europeans among the African people, which triggered violent rebellions that eventually helped lead Africa to liberty later on.”

Thesis #2

“For years after the Berlin Conference, various European powers raced to occupy and colonize land in Africa. It was a time of growth for Europe, but what was it for Africa? Africa’s fate was being decided for it by the European invader. Not all Africans just stood by and watched, however. There was a wide range of actions and reactions to the Scramble for Africa from the Africans themselves, from giving in peacefully to fighting back with all of their might.”

Thesis #3

In the early 20th century European countries met to carve up Africa. They did not care about what it did to Africa, but cared about dominating and getting resources. “Although the European powers felt as though they were doing great good in the African continent during the Scramble for Africa, the actions of the Africans was that of rebellion and reactions showing much determination to rid Africa of the unjust Europeans.”

Example of a body paragraph on the DBQ…..

Belgium, which is most known for founding the Congo Free State, played a role too. Colonization in Africa was greatly supported by King Leopold II, as seen in a conversation in 1861 (doc. 1). He believed that colonies were useful and that it would lead to progress in every sense……

In 1890, G.W. Williams writes a letter to Leopold (doc. 6) telling him that all is going well in the gaining of territories for Belgium, stating that villages had been impressed by the White Man’s strength and agreed to his protection. The Congo Free State lasted until it fell in 1908 under Belgium rule

Point of ViewPoint of View

This is perhaps the most difficult item for many students. It can be brought down to some very simple questions.

1) Why would this person say this?

2) How reliable is this document?

3) What makes this document different from other kinds of

documents?

4) What is the tone or the intent of this document?

Analyzing documents- let’s practice, shall we?

With a partner…. Look at the documents provided on imperialism

in Africa Identify the following:

Author’s point of view/bias Support or against imperialism? What leads you to your conclusion? What have you learned that supports the view of the

document? (about the unit on Africa)