In a DBQ, sourcing means analyzing a document’s perspective, purpose, audience, or historical situation to explain why it is useful in supporting your argument.
Historical situation refers to the broader historical events, trends, or developments happening when the document was created.
This helps explain why the document was written and how it reflects its time period.
Identify who wrote it, when it was written, and where it was written.
Look for clues about the historical context (wars, social movements, economic shifts, political changes, etc.).
Ask yourself:
What was happening at this time that influenced the document?
How do global or regional events shape the author's perspective?
What major changes in politics, economy, or society are relevant?
Clearly connect the historical situation to the document’s message.
Explain how understanding the time period helps interpret the document’s purpose, bias, or significance.
End by tying your sourcing back to your thesis.
Explain how the historical situation strengthens your claim.
"Evaluate the causes of the expansion of transoceanic trade from 1450 to 1750."
Document: A letter from a Portuguese merchant in 1550 discussing the growing demand for slaves in Brazil.
✅ Strong Historical Situation Sourcing:
"This document was written in 1550, a time when European nations were expanding their colonial empires and relying on forced labor systems like the transatlantic slave trade. The Portuguese, who had established sugar plantations in Brazil, needed enslaved laborers to maintain production. This broader historical trend of European mercantilism and plantation economies helps explain why the merchant was so focused on the demand for enslaved people."
🚫 Weak Sourcing:
"This document was written in the 1500s, when slavery existed. The merchant wanted to sell slaves."
(❌ Too vague and does not connect to broader historical developments.)
"Evaluate the extent to which the Ottoman Empire maintained continuity and changed political structures from 1450 to 1750."
Document: A decree from Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1550 reinforcing the millet system.
✅ Strong Historical Situation Sourcing:
"Suleiman issued this decree during the height of Ottoman power in the mid-16th century. At this time, the empire controlled vast, religiously diverse territories, and the millet system was a long-standing method of governing non-Muslim communities. The continued use of this system reflects the empire’s strategy of religious tolerance as a means of political stability, which helps explain the Sultan’s reinforcement of this policy."
🚫 Weak Sourcing:
"The Ottoman Empire ruled many people, so they had to make laws. The Sultan wanted control."
(❌ Lacks historical depth and fails to explain why the millet system was significant.)
✅ Identify key historical events, trends, or movements happening at the time.
✅ Explain how these events influenced the document’s message.
✅ Avoid just summarizing the document—analyze why it was written.
✅ Connect back to your thesis.