Used to be X.
Then Y occurred.
Which leads to Z.
X = Contextualization: What was it like before? (same concept: Economy, society, government, etc.)
Y = Transition statement: What prompted the change?
Z = Thesis Statement/position: Your argument.
Sample Question: Evaluate the extent to which ideas of self-government influenced American colonial reaction to British imperial authority in the period from 1754-1776.
The ideas of self-government were enabled by salutary neglect on the part of Britain throughout the 17th and most of the 18th centuries. The colonists had a history of autonomous government with the Mayflower Compact, individual colonial assemblies such as the House of Burgesses, and town meetings. Due to the French and Indian War, Great Britain accumulated a large amount of debt and passed revenue generating taxes on the colonies who requested protection due to the conflict. The colonists reacted strongly to this showing of imperial authority by Parliament as it violated their rights as British citizens established by the English Bill of Rights. This was a significant factor in the colonial responses through this period, which included political redress, greater ties between colonial regions, and physical protest.
The Supporting Points are broad categories, not facts/vocab, which allows the use of information to prove the claim/argument established in the thesis statement.
Political Redress: Stamp Act Congress, Sons of Liberty, Olive Branch Petition
Greater Ties between Regions: Massachusetts Circular Letter, colonies donating supplies to Boston due to the Intolerable Acts, Committees for Correspondence
Physical Protest: Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre, Lexington/Concord, Boycotts/Daughters of Liberty
It must relate the topic of the prompt to broader historical events, developments, or processes that occur before, during, or continue after the time frame in question. This point is not awarded for merely a phrase or reference. REMEMBER - Evidence used in the contextualization cannot be also used in the argument. NO DOUBLE DIPPING!
“BEFORE” the time frame - Independence was the desire of only a few British colonists before 1763. The French and Indian War, fought prior to this period, was a long war fought on two continents requiring an influx of cash into the empty British treasury. It wasn’t until after the F&I War that Britain started taxing the colonies, fanning the flames and cries for independence.
“DURING” the time frame - The idea of American Independence rose from a small hum into a roaring inferno during this time period. With the Declaration of Independence defining the desire for independence to the creation of the first government under the Articles of Confederation, Americans were continuing to hone and sharpen their ideas of independence through the end of the Revolutionary War.
“AFTER” the time frame - American independence was quickly pieced together in the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation while fighting a War for Independence. It further still developed after the war ended in 1783 with the ratification of the Constitution in 1789 and later the Bill of Rights in 1791. The ideas of independence seem to be ever changing and ever developing.
What needs to be in my Thesis Statement?
College Board Says:
The thesis must be an evaluative statement that establishes an argument AND responds to the question.
Which Means…
Your thesis must explain HOW you answer the question and point to WHY you answered it that way.
Evaluate the extent of change in ideas about American independence from 1763 to 1783.
The concept of American Independence changed a great deal from 1763 to 1783. Initially, the colonists demanded physical representation in policies and acts passed in Parliament; after a mere 20 years of taxes, protests, and war, Britain found itself negotiating a peace treaty with an independent America under the Articles of Confederation.
This shows HOW the question is answered. To a great extent, less extent, no extent, some extent, etc.
These are the claims pertaining to WHY the question was answered to that extent. Notice there are no specifics or explanations, just a brief “teaser'' of what’s to come in the essay.
Your job is to PROVE to your teacher AND the A/P Readers that your interpretation of the material is correct. It is similar to what happens in a court of law.
PROMPT: Evaluate the extent of change in ideas about American independence from 1763 to 1783.
Specific Evidence: Common Sense by Thomas Paine
NOTE: Defining or quoting from Common Sense does not prove a claim.
Part of a body paragraph - Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense in 1776, just months before the Declaration of Independence was written. It circulated quickly throughout the colonies due to the inflammatory idea of full American independence from Britain. This shows that the ideas of independence changed significantly in that year alone.
According to College Board: In order to receive the highest scores, students must develop an argument and support it with an analysis of specific, relevant historical evidence of their choosing. This is not a regurgitation of facts - but a USE of facts in proving your position.
Historical Reasoning is the skill you use to set up your essay/argument. According to the College Board, students will use one of these skills to argue their position on the topic:
Evaluate the extent of change in ideas about American independence from 1763 to 1783.
Comparison - Explain relevant similarities and/or differences from 1763 compared to 1783.
Causation - Explain the causes/effects of the ideas of American independence from 1763 to 1783.
Continuity and Change - Explain what was the same and what changed about American independence from 1763 to 1783.
Complex Understanding
In both the LEQ and the DBQ, complex understanding looks the same. It requires a demonstration of complex understanding that is the focus of the prompt, using evidence to corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument that addresses the question.
There are five possible methods that can be used to demonstrate complex understanding. They are:
Explaining nuance of an issue by analyzing multiple variables.
Explaining both similarities and differences, or explaining both continuity and change, or explaining multiple causes, or explaining both causes and effects.
Explaining relevant and insightful connections within and across periods.
Confirming the validity of an argument by corroborating multiple perspectives across themes.
Qualifying or modifying an argument by considering diverse or alternative views or evidence.
This understanding must be part of the argument throughout the essay, not merely a phrase or reference, nor an individual paragraph at the end of the essay.
Evaluate the extent of change in ideas about American independence from 1763 to 1783.
EXAMPLES:
Explaining how ideas stayed the same in some places and among some groups, but changed for others. (CONTINUITY AND CHANGE)
Explaining similarities between the changes in ideas about American independence and changes that took place during the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, or the United States Civil War. (CONNECTIONS ACROSS PERIODS)
Examining how changes in ideas related to economic changes in the period. (CONFIRMING VALIDITY)