(DBQs) for APUSH Unit 7
DBQ 1: Progressivism and Reform in the Early 20th Century
Prompt:
Evaluate the extent to which Progressive Era reforms between 1900 and 1920 improved democracy, addressed social inequality, and regulated business in the United States.
Documents:
Document A: Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1906)
“There was a bit of bone here and there, a few gristle, a great deal of fat. Then the meat came. It was a carcass. They cut the carcass into pieces with glowing knives, and even then there was a stream of ominous fluid, pinkish, with a greasy scum upon it, and then an oily rind with yellow specks, which everything seemed to melt into; the eyes of the tripe stood out—something marbled in patches; every rag of fat was penetrated.
“They picked up the fat first; it was greasy, dripping, and looked like tallow. Then the drops from the dripping let it all slip. The putrid breast-bone lay, white as marble, in the corner—silent, grotesque. A man passed, carrying it across the floor, and the smell rose in a greenish wave.
“They passed on; but far back they kept the smell, the steady stream, the indescribable horror of it all, passing on to the floor, where men stood, hatless, sweating, slipping, stepping over it with bare feet.”
(Project Gutenberg)
Document B: Woodrow Wilson, The Fourteen Points (January 8, 1918)
“It is that the world be made fit and safe to live in; and particularly that it be made safe for every peace-loving nation which, like our own, wishes to live its own life, determine its own institutions, be assured of justice and fair dealing by the other peoples of the world as against force and selfish aggression. All the peoples of the world are in effect partners in this interest, and for our own part we see very clearly that unless justice be done to others it will not be done to us.”
(Miller Center)
Document C: Executive Order 9066 (Franklin D. Roosevelt, February 19, 1942)
“Authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe certain areas as military areas, and the exclusion therein of any or all persons from such areas.
“The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to provide for residents of any such area who are excluded therefrom, such transportation, food, shelter, and other accommodations as may be necessary, in the judgment of the Secretary of War or the said Military Commander …
“All Executive Departments, independent establishments and other Federal Agencies, are hereby authorized to assist the Secretary of War or the said Military Commanders in carrying out this Executive Order … with authority to accept assistance of State and local agencies.”
(National Park Service)
Analysis Expectations:
Students should use these documents plus their outside knowledge to analyze:
DBQ 2: The Causes, Consequences, and Controversies of U.S. Entry into World War I
Prompt:
To what extent did U.S. entry into World War I (1917–1918) represent a turning point in American foreign policy, domestic life, and civil liberties?
Documents:
Document A: Woodrow Wilson, Speech to Congress Declaring War on Germany (April 2, 1917) (Public domain excerpt)
“The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. … We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensations for the sacrifices we shall freely make.”
[Note: this is a commonly used excerpt in APUSH curricula; full text may be found via the “War Message” of April 2, 1917]
Document B: Espionage Act (1917) Excerpts
“If any person shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military … or to promote the success of its enemies, or shall willfully cause or attempt to cause insubordination … in the military or naval forces … shall be punished by fine or imprisonment …”
Document C: Schenck v. United States (1919) Majority Opinion (Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.)
“The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent.”
Analysis Expectations:
Students should explore:
DBQ 3: New Deal and World War II — Crisis, Reform, and Global Conflict
Prompt:
Analyze how crises from 1929 through World War II (Great Depression, Rise of Fascism, U.S. involvement in WWII) shaped both reform of the federal government and America’s role in world affairs.
Documents:
Document A: Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1933)
“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life, a leadership of frankness and firmness has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. … We shall be revived, we shall be saved.”
Document B: Excerpt from The Four Freedoms Speech, Franklin D. Roosevelt, January 6, 1941
“In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression … The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way … The third is freedom from want … The fourth is freedom from fear — which, translated into world terms, means a worldwide reduction of armaments …”
Document C: Executive Order 9066 (as above)
“Authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe certain areas as military areas, and the exclusion therein of any or all persons from such areas.
“The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to provide for residents of any such area who are excluded therefrom … such transportation, food, shelter, and other accommodations …
“All Executive Departments … are hereby authorized to assist the Secretary of War … with authority to accept assistance of State and local agencies.”
(National Park Service)
Analysis Expectations:
Students should address:
DBQ 1: Progressivism and Reform in the Early 20th Century
Prompt:
Evaluate the extent to which Progressive Era reforms between 1900 and 1920 improved democracy, addressed social inequality, and regulated business in the United States.
Documents:
Document A: Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1906)
“There was a bit of bone here and there, a few gristle, a great deal of fat. Then the meat came. It was a carcass. They cut the carcass into pieces with glowing knives, and even then there was a stream of ominous fluid, pinkish, with a greasy scum upon it, and then an oily rind with yellow specks, which everything seemed to melt into; the eyes of the tripe stood out—something marbled in patches; every rag of fat was penetrated.
“They picked up the fat first; it was greasy, dripping, and looked like tallow. Then the drops from the dripping let it all slip. The putrid breast-bone lay, white as marble, in the corner—silent, grotesque. A man passed, carrying it across the floor, and the smell rose in a greenish wave.
“They passed on; but far back they kept the smell, the steady stream, the indescribable horror of it all, passing on to the floor, where men stood, hatless, sweating, slipping, stepping over it with bare feet.”
(Project Gutenberg)
Document B: Woodrow Wilson, The Fourteen Points (January 8, 1918)
“It is that the world be made fit and safe to live in; and particularly that it be made safe for every peace-loving nation which, like our own, wishes to live its own life, determine its own institutions, be assured of justice and fair dealing by the other peoples of the world as against force and selfish aggression. All the peoples of the world are in effect partners in this interest, and for our own part we see very clearly that unless justice be done to others it will not be done to us.”
(Miller Center)
Document C: Executive Order 9066 (Franklin D. Roosevelt, February 19, 1942)
“Authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe certain areas as military areas, and the exclusion therein of any or all persons from such areas.
“The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to provide for residents of any such area who are excluded therefrom, such transportation, food, shelter, and other accommodations as may be necessary, in the judgment of the Secretary of War or the said Military Commander …
“All Executive Departments, independent establishments and other Federal Agencies, are hereby authorized to assist the Secretary of War or the said Military Commanders in carrying out this Executive Order … with authority to accept assistance of State and local agencies.”
(National Park Service)
Analysis Expectations:
Students should use these documents plus their outside knowledge to analyze:
- What reforms were initiated due to public awareness of industrial abuses (e.g. The Jungle)?
- How did the First World War and Wilson’s ideals reflect or shift Progressive goals?
- How do actions such as Executive Order 9066 reveal limits or contradictions in progressive / democratic reforms over the first half of the 20th century?
- Evaluate continuity vs. change: to what extent did Progressive reforms truly extend democracy and social justice vs. how they were restricted, rolled back, or contradicted?
DBQ 2: The Causes, Consequences, and Controversies of U.S. Entry into World War I
Prompt:
To what extent did U.S. entry into World War I (1917–1918) represent a turning point in American foreign policy, domestic life, and civil liberties?
Documents:
Document A: Woodrow Wilson, Speech to Congress Declaring War on Germany (April 2, 1917) (Public domain excerpt)
“The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. … We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensations for the sacrifices we shall freely make.”
[Note: this is a commonly used excerpt in APUSH curricula; full text may be found via the “War Message” of April 2, 1917]
Document B: Espionage Act (1917) Excerpts
“If any person shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military … or to promote the success of its enemies, or shall willfully cause or attempt to cause insubordination … in the military or naval forces … shall be punished by fine or imprisonment …”
Document C: Schenck v. United States (1919) Majority Opinion (Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.)
“The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent.”
Analysis Expectations:
Students should explore:
- Why the U.S. entered WWI: economic, political, ideological motivations.
- How wartime measures (legislation, propaganda, suppression) changed civil liberties and public discourse.
- Whether these changes were lasting or temporary.
- Continuity & Change: How did the war mark a turning point in foreign policy and domestic government power?
DBQ 3: New Deal and World War II — Crisis, Reform, and Global Conflict
Prompt:
Analyze how crises from 1929 through World War II (Great Depression, Rise of Fascism, U.S. involvement in WWII) shaped both reform of the federal government and America’s role in world affairs.
Documents:
Document A: Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1933)
“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life, a leadership of frankness and firmness has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. … We shall be revived, we shall be saved.”
Document B: Excerpt from The Four Freedoms Speech, Franklin D. Roosevelt, January 6, 1941
“In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression … The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way … The third is freedom from want … The fourth is freedom from fear — which, translated into world terms, means a worldwide reduction of armaments …”
Document C: Executive Order 9066 (as above)
“Authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe certain areas as military areas, and the exclusion therein of any or all persons from such areas.
“The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to provide for residents of any such area who are excluded therefrom … such transportation, food, shelter, and other accommodations …
“All Executive Departments … are hereby authorized to assist the Secretary of War … with authority to accept assistance of State and local agencies.”
(National Park Service)
Analysis Expectations:
Students should address:
- How the New Deal redefined the relationship between citizens and the federal government.
- How U.S. foreign policy shifted from isolationism to global involvement, especially in the face of WWII.
- The tension between civil liberties and national security (e.g. in Executive Order 9066).
- Continuity & change: What elements of government power, democracy, and civil rights persisted or were transformed?