DBQ Practice
A Document-Based Question (DBQ) presents you with 3–5 primary source documents and asks you to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize them to answer a central historical question in essay form. Use the HIPPO method to analyze each document — consider its Historical context, Intended audience, Purpose, Point of view, and Outside information you bring to it.
Filter by Unit
Filter by Difficulty
Showing 15 of 15 DBQ sets
Reconstruction: Promise and Betrayal
To what extent did Reconstruction succeed in securing civil and political rights for African Americans in the post-Civil War South?
Black Political Power During Reconstruction
How did African Americans exercise political power during Reconstruction, and what factors limited the transformative potential of that power?
Steel, Steam, and Struggle
Did industrialization in the late nineteenth century improve or worsen the lives of American workers?
Expansion Abroad: Empire or Duty?
Was American imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century driven primarily by economic interests, ideology, or a sense of national duty?
The Progressive Era: Who Were the Progressives?
To what extent did Progressive Era reforms achieve their goals of improving American democracy and protecting the public from corporate power?
Over There: Why Did America Enter WWI?
What were the most significant factors that led the United States to abandon neutrality and enter World War I in 1917?
The 1920s: A Decade of Conflict
How did the social and cultural changes of the 1920s reflect deeper conflicts over American identity?
The New Deal: Relief, Recovery, or Revolution?
How effective was the New Deal in addressing the causes and consequences of the Great Depression?
The Bomb: Was It Justified?
Was President Truman’s decision to use atomic weapons against Japan in August 1945 morally and strategically justified?
The American Home Front During WWII
How did World War II transform American society on the home front, and did these changes represent genuine progress toward equality?
Containment: America’s Cold War Strategy
How effectively did the policy of containment address the threat posed by the Soviet Union and communism during the early Cold War?
Vietnam: Why Did America Fail?
Why did the United States fail to achieve its objectives in Vietnam, and what does this failure reveal about the limits of American power?
The Civil Rights Movement: Tactics and Tensions
Which strategies and approaches were most effective in advancing the Civil Rights Movement’s goals, and why did movement leaders disagree about tactics?
The Reagan Revolution: Realignment or Rollback?
To what extent did the “Reagan Revolution” transform American politics and society in the 1980s?
After September 11: Security, Liberty, and Identity
How did the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks transform American society, foreign policy, and the balance between security and civil liberties?