DBQ Document Analysis

And example essays

Definitions for Background Essay• Buffer- a person or thing that shields and protects against annoyance, harm,

hostile forces, etc. (lessens the impact of)– A protection against harm (person or thing)

• Charter- a document, issued by a sovereign state, outlining the conditions under which a corporation, colony, or city is organized, and defining its rights and privileges. – Document issued by a government stating rules and freedoms of a colony or

organization• Charity- generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless;

Something given to a person in need.– Giving to those in need (monetary or action)

• Paternalistic- the system or practice of managing or governing individuals, nations, etc., in the manner of a father dealing benevolently and often intrusively with his children. – Caring for as if a parent.

• Fortifications- Military works constructed for the purpose of strengthening a position; A fort. – Building constructed to provide defense.

Questions2. What were some motivating factors behind the creation of the

Georgia Colony?– To help the poor, to help debtors, to provide defense from Spain, to

provide charity, to help England prosper

3. Who were some of the potential enemies that posed a threat to Georgia and the Carolinas?– Spanish in Florida, The French in Louisiana, and along the Mississippi River,

and the Indian allies of both of these nations.

4. What restriction were placed upon the colonists who had received charity? – Those who had not paid for their land could not sell the land, or borrow

money against it.

5. What were some of the policies that began to upset the colonists? – Restrictions on land holdings, restrictions on land sales, prohibition against

slavery, depriving settlers of self government and not having the rights of other Englishmen.

Savannah: Utopia, or Epic Fail?Were the reasons for the settlement, as stated in the charter of 1732, a success or

failure?

1. What years marked the beginning and end of Georgia’s Trustee Period? (Use dates in the background essay)

2. According to the Background Essay, what were the three reasons for the establishment of the Georgia colony?

3. Rewrite the question in your own words.

Using any clues from the question and the document titles on the cover page, guess the analytical categories and label the buckets.

Savannah: Utopia, or Epic Fail?Were the reasons for the

settlement, as stated in the charter of 1732, a success or failure?

Go to Document “D”

Document D Source

Document D

Document D 1 .Georgia’s charter specifically described three functions that the colony was designed to fulfill. Record the specific statements that define the three missions of charity, economy and defense.

– Charity: “it will be highly conducive for accomplishing those ends, that a regular colony of the said poor people be settled and established in the southern territories of Carolina…”

– Economics: “…to settle in any of our provinces in America where by cultivating the lands, at present waste and desolate, they might not only gain a comfortable subsistence for themselves and families, but also strengthen our colonies and increase the trade, navigation, and wealth of these our realms.”

– Defense: “…we think it highly becoming our crown and royal dignity, to protect all our loving subjects, be they ever so distant from us; to extend our fatherly compassion even to the meanest and most unfortunate of our people…”

2. What was the intended management structure of the colony?– Charter/Corporate. The trustees were to function as the management body for

the colony, setting emigration policies, writing and administering guidelines, and managing the colonial budget.

3. The men listed in the charter were to serve in what capacity for the colony?– Twenty men were appointed as the trustees of the Georgia Colony.

Document A Source

Document A

Document A

Analyze Document A 1. What were some of the occupations of the first settlers of Georgia?

– Silk makers, merchants, carpenters, trader, tailor, surgeon, gardener, basket maker, upholsterer, farmer, servant, midwife, stocking maker, fabric dealer…

2. Why did the Trustees specifically choose some of these skills to settle Savannah?

– These key trades were needed to support the stated purposes of the charter and get the colony established. (England learned from previously established colonies.)

3. What happened to many of the first settlers within a few years of their arrival? What reasons can you think led to their fate?

– Many people died due to disease or fled the colony.

4. Why do you think there were many more settlers for whom the Trustees paid their way in comparison to those who paid their own way?

– The trustees needed those skilled workers to establish the new colony. Most people wouldn’t go without the inclusion of their family.

Document B

Document B

Document B

Document B

Analyze Document B1. Why did the Spanish cut of Jenkins’ ear instead of administering a more severe punishment?

– Permanently disfiguring Jenkins served as a reminder of his embarrassment and capture (and potentially a warning to others.)

2. What reaction did Jenkins hope to get by presenting his severed ear to Parliament?

– Jenkins hoped to spark outrage at the treatment of an Englishman by the Spanish.

3. Examine the map provided. What conclusions can be drawn regarding the locations of British and Spanish forts along the Georgia and Florida coasts?

– Each fort was established an approximately equal distance apart by both the British and Spanish. If trouble was spotted, a ship at sea could easily detect a signal from their fort and hurry to aid. Additionally, most English forts were scattered so they could provide a series of lines of first defense if a threat was sensed from the large Spanish fort at St. Augustine. Most British forts housed 15 men but St. Augustine housed 400!

Document C

Document C

Document C

Document C

Document C

Analyze C 1. Assessing prior knowledge: what is the economic policy of mercantilism?• Mercantilism was an economic policy countries embraced during the 16th to 18th centuries. The overall goal was

total self-sufficiency. In order to achieve this, nations created colonies to harvest natural resources that were shipped to home nation, turned into finished products and sold back to colonies or other nations.

2. What types of products were expected to be very profitable in the new colony of Georgia? Why?• Georgia was expected to provide Mother England with silk and fruits due to its mild climate. (Similar latitude as

where the industry was successful in Asia.)

3. What objects are depicted on the Official Seal of the Trustees? Why?• A black mulberry leaf, silk worm and cocoon are depicted on the seal because these represented the necessary

components of silk production. The worms would eat the mulberry bushes the colonists were expected to plant, the worms would make silk which Georgia colonists would provide to England in order to make the colony a worthwhile investment.

4. Describe the stated goal and motto of the Official Seal. How does this motto reflect the policy of mercantilism? • The motto was written in Latin, “Not for themselves but for others.” This clearly supports the economic policy of

mercantilism, that the colony’s creation of silk was to benefit the King and country and not the colonists themselves.

5. Read the note at the bottom of the page. Did Georgia have any measure of success in regards to silk production? • According to the note, Georgia silk became “an important export commodity.” Proof of this is that Queen Caroline

wore a dress made of imported Georgia silk in 1735.

Document E

Document E

Document E • 1. What does it mean to represent something in “too clattering colours?”• Telfair is accusing Oglethorpe of embellishing the truth, or lying outright, about

the conditions of Georgia and should have published documents clarifying the truth.

• 2. According to item 3, what policy was obviously in place within the colony?• One of the main criticisms of Oglethorpe was that he would not allow slaves to

be bought or sold in Georgia.

• 3. In number 5, what accusation is being made against Oglethorpe’s practice of fair treatment?

• Of the settlers who were sponsored by the Trustees, 50 acres of land were distributed. As more settlers arrived, land grant sizes differed and some accused Oglethorpe of showing favoritism to certain groups.

Analyze Document F

Document F

Document F

Analyze Document F1. Source 1: Is this a primary or a secondary source? Primary (but context would be secondary due to second hand information.)

– Source 2: Is this a primary or a secondary source? Primary

2. Is there any disagreement between the information provided in Source 1 and 2?

– Yes; the first source is used to prompt the settlers to come to Georgia and describes the great climate; however, the second describes the reality of living in Georgia.

3. Are there any clues within the sources that hint to the troubles the Salzburgers faced at Ebenezer?

– The cold weather was detrimental to the silkworm; the hot weather promotes vermin and fleas which carry disease.

4. In what ways can you use these two documents to help answer the question: The Georgia Colony: Were the reasons for settlement, as stated in the Charter of 1732, a success or failure?

– Responses vary. Descriptions of the climate hint that the silk worm would not thrive. The first source would attract settlers to help England prosper.

Outline

• Overall Question:– Were the reasons for the settlement, as stated in

the charter of 1732 (charity, economics, defense), a success or failure?

• Three Paragraphs– Charity– Economics– Defense

Example Essays

Beginning (Paragraph 1)

From the beginning life was rocky in the Jamestown colony. English settlers began arriving on the James River in the Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia in the spring of 1607. Immediately survival became difficult. These colonists died for three main reasons: lack of clean water, lack of skillful workers, and poor relations with the native Powhatan tribe.

Grabber

From the beginning life was rocky in the Jamestown colony. English settlers began arriving on the James River in the Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia in the spring of 1607. Immediately survival became difficult. These colonists died for three main reasons: lack of clean water, lack of skillful workers, and poor relations with the native Powhatan tribe.

Background

From the beginning life was rocky in the Jamestown colony. English settlers began arriving on the James River in the Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia in the spring of 1607. Immediately survival became difficult. These colonists died for three main reasons: lack of clean water, lack of skillful workers, and poor relations with the native Powhatan tribe.

Thesis and roadmap

From the beginning life was rocky in the Jamestown colony. English settlers began arriving on the James River in the Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia in the spring of 1607. Immediately survival became difficult. These colonists died for three main reasons: lack of clean water, lack of skillful workers, and poor relations with the native Powhatan tribe.

“Baby” Thesis

Unwisely choosing unskilled workers as the initial colonists also led to high death rates. The majority of the settlers were gentlemen that were not prepared for hard work. Looking at the ship’s manifest we see that only four carpenters and no farmers were selected (Doc A). As document C notes, they were “ill prepared for a hard life; most were from the upper class, had few practical skills and little experience with manual labor (Doc C).” Without skilled farmers, cultivating land and harvesting crops was challenging. Farmers may be considered a lower class, but without their skill the upper class doesn’t eat. People with the wrong skills unused to hard labor led to more deaths.

Two Pieces of Evidence

Unwisely choosing unskilled workers as the initial colonists also led to high death rates. The majority of the settlers were gentlemen that were not prepared for hard work. Looking at the ship’s manifest we see that only four carpenters and no farmers were selected (Doc A). As document C notes, they were “ill prepared for a hard life; most were from the upper class, had few practical skills and little experience with manual labor (Doc C).” Without skilled farmers, cultivating land and harvesting crops was challenging. Farmers may be considered a lower class, but without their skill the upper class doesn’t eat. People with the wrong skills unused to hard labor led to more deaths.

“Argument” or Explain your evidence

Unwisely choosing unskilled workers as the initial colonists also led to high death rates. The majority of the settlers were gentlemen that were not prepared for hard work. Looking at the ship’s manifest we see that only four carpenters and no farmers were selected (Doc A). As document C notes, they were “ill prepared for a hard life; most were from the upper class, had few practical skills and little experience with manual labor (Doc C).” Without skilled farmers, cultivating land and harvesting crops was challenging. Farmers may be considered a lower class, but without their skill the upper class doesn’t eat. People with the wrong skills unused to hard labor led to more deaths.

What I don’t want