ESSAY ASSIGNMENT:
WHY DIDN’T THE SENATE RATIFY
THE VERSAILLES TREATY?
Final Draft Due: November 30, 2016 (100 points)
Includes Detailed Timetable & Rubric
THE QUESTION: It was the strength of the opposition forces, both liberal and conservative, rather than
the ineptitude and stubbornness of President Wilson that led to the Senate defeat of the Treaty of
Versailles. Using at least five of the primary source documents as well as specific details from the Bailey
article, assess the validity of this statement.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
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The essay needs to follow the guidelines for an analytical, five-paragraph essay. It should have at
least five paragraphs, an argumentative thesis statement, specific historical examples, and
quotations.
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The length requirement is 3-4 pages, double-spaced, typed, 1-inch margins, font size 12. Please
use TIMES NEW ROMAN (i.e. the font you are now reading).
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Title: Center the title on the first page of your essay. A title should give the reader the essay
topic. If you decide to use a catchy title, make sure that you include the topic of the essay.
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You should have at least one DIRECT quotation in each developing paragraph. You should use
the sources from the primary source document packet and the Bailey article. DO NOT USE
THE INTERNET.
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Please number your pages.
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A note on plagiarism: Copying and pasting—either parts or whole essay—from the internet is
also cheating. Don’t do it. I am asking you not to use the internet because: (1) Not all
information on the internet is reliable; (2) You will not be allowed to use the internet for your
research paper during Q3 and, more importantly, (3) Someday, when you are in college, you will
have to use books—lots of them—to do your research. Consider this to be good practice. See
your student handbook if you need a review for the consequences of cheating. Remember that
you are not permitted to share your notes or drafts of this essay in any electronic fashion
with either section of the class. See the course syllabus for more details.
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Don’t forget to SPELL CHECK your essay and check your grammar! I recommend reading
your essay aloud to proofread.
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You need to refer to at least four primary source documents in your essay (2 direct quotes and
2 specific references).
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Even though you are not doing any research for this essay, remember to properly format your
parenthetical citations. A bibliography is not necessary for this assignment.
HOW YOU WILL BE GRADED:
1. CONTENT: Do you include historical content in your essay? Do you use the sources that were
made available to you? Do you have a solid thesis statement? Do you back up your points with
specific evidence? Do you make a clear and coherent argument?
2. WRITING MECHANICS: Proofread for technical errors, which include proper use of commas
and semicolons, apostrophes and capitalization. Please carefully proofread your essay. You
should also focus on how to make your writing “flow.” Pay attention to sentence-to-sentence
transitions, and make sure to vary your sentence structure.
3. ORGANIZATION: The thesis statement and topic sentences are the skeleton of the essay.
Without a solid skeletal frame, the examples have nothing to hold onto! So be sure that your
essay has very clear topic sentences that support the thesis statement. Topic sentences should be
analytical and argumentative—not descriptive. See me if you need help on this.
4. A RUBRIC is attached to this assignment. The rubric reflects points 1-3 above.
MORE INFORMATION ON WRITING A DBQ ESSAY:
The essay question you have been given is a document-based question. This means that you will read
and analyze a series of documents, and use these documents to answer the essay question. This section
of the essay handout is meant to help you learn how to approach and use the documents effectively.
Step 1: Reading and Analyzing the Documents
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Carefully read the question and think about what you already know about this topic. Write down
any notes or ideas that will be useful in your essay.
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Examine each document and underline key phrases or quotes that you will later use as evidence
in your essay. Basically you want to find quotes that will support the argument you are making.
Be prepared to explain what the significance of your underlined passages is.
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Prepare a detailed outline for your essay.
Step 2: Writing the Essay
1. Introduction: Give some background information about your topic (i.e. set the historical stage). Make
sure you give your reader enough information so that he or she knows what you are talking about. End
your introduction with your thesis statement. I repeat: The last sentence in your introduction should be
your thesis. Make sure your thesis addresses the fundamental question of the essay (see page 1); if you
choose, you can elaborate and/or put it in your own words, but your thesis should definitely address the
above question.
2. Body Paragraphs: Each body paragraph needs to start with an analytical topic sentence. Your topic
sentence needs to make an argument that supports your thesis. Use quotations and references to support
the argument. ALWAYS remember to analyze, or explain, how the quotations and evidence you use
support your thesis. At the end of each paragraph, you should explain how the evidence you presented
in that paragraph AS A WHOLE connects back to your argument.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: At least one body paragraph should have a topic sentence, evidence and
analysis that represents the opposite point of view to your thesis. In other words, if you believe that it
was Wilson’s stubbornness that crushed the Versailles Treaty, this body paragraph must include
evidence and analysis that points to the opposition in Congress. Your analysis should come from the
Bailey article and your own thinking. You should end the paragraph with an explanation of why this
point of view is wrong and your thesis is correct. It is fine to spend more than one paragraph giving the
alternative point of view to your thesis, but this part of your paper should not exceed more than three
quarters of a page.
USAGE NOTE: When using evidence from the documents, do not refer to them as “documents.”
Rather, refer to them by their title (if available) or the author. Always make sure to properly “introduce”
the document before you quote from it. For example:
• William Borah argued that “Blah blah blah.” (not “Document A argued that…”
• Despite evidence to the contrary, Woodrow Wilson maintained his argument that “blah blah
blah.”
• According to Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, “Blah blah blah.”
• Use the word “this” carefully; the phrase “this shows that” is a very weak transitional phrase.
Remember to use AT LEAST ONE quotation in each paragraph. All told, you should make use of AT
LEAST four separate documents (at least 2 direct quotes and at least 2 specific references).
Do not use hanging quotes in your paper. A hanging quote occurs when an essay quotes a passage as a
stand-alone sentence without the passage being introduced or put into context.
3. Conclusion: Here is where you spend one paragraph summarizing your findings without being
blatantly repetitive. You will need to re-emphasize your thesis as well as your main pieces of evidence
without writing them exactly the same way over again. After you do this, you need to give your reader
some additional insight into the topic. For example, explain why these issues are important in the long
run, or elaborate on the historical significance of these particular issues.
Remember a proper heading:
Last Name, First Name
20th Century American History
November 30, 2016
Work Schedule:
Task:
Bailey Article Questions Completed/Note Check
(10 point spot check)
Review Essay Assignment/Primary Sources
Rough Draft Due (2 copies)/Peer Edit Day
(10 points-due at the start of class/
no printing in class)
Computer Lab Writing/Conference Time
Final Draft of Essay Due (start of class):
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Due Date
Block 2:
November 16
Due Date
Block 5:
November 16
November 18
November 22
November 17
November 22
November 23
November 30
November 23
November 30
WWI Essay Rubric (Essay is worth 100 points)
I. Introduction:
o Introduction (1) accurately sets the stage/context for your essay; (2) identifies the major
points of view in the debate and (3) identifies the historical figures that held these beliefs.
o Presents summary of evidence/examples to be discussed in the paper
o Contains a clear thesis that fits the assignment. Thesis is the last sentence in the
opening paragraph.
o Should be NO LONGER than ½ a page.
II. Body Paragraphs:
A. Body paragraphs contain:
o Analytical topic sentences that support your thesis
o Quotes from the primary source document packet that supports your thesis
o An evaluation of the evidence in your own words that is historically accurate. The
evaluation should use material from the Bailey article and your own thoughts.
B. At least one “address the critic” paragraph:
o A topic sentence that opposes your thesis (“Some people believe that…”)
o Evidence from the document(s) in the form of a quote that supports the counter argument
to your thesis
o An evaluation of the evidence in your own words that is historically accurate. The
evaluation should use material from the Bailey article and your own thoughts. (Here you
are explaining why the point of view opposed to your thesis is wrong). Focus on the
actions of the historical figures rather than their words as you complete your analysis.
(Completing this analysis may take you more than one paragraph).
III. The Conclusion:
o Restatement of your thesis
o Brief summary of the evidence presented in your paper
o A unique insight into the material you presented
IV. Writing Process/Mechanics:
o Information in essay is presented in chronological order
o Parenthetical Citations
o Flawless spelling and grammar (read your essay aloud before you turn it in)
o 12 point times new roman font, 1-inch margins, double spaced, correct heading
o Page numbers appear on pages 2-4 (Use “Header” command in MS Word)
o Historical figures are referred to by full name or last name (i.e. Lodge, not Henry)
o Active voice/past tense
o Paragraphs indented 5 spaces; no spaces between paragraphs
o Instead of referring to “Document A;” write “As Senator William Borah said…”
o No contractions or informal (colloquial) language in the essay. Use the word “This”
sparingly and never in a transitional phrase.
o Quotes longer than four lines should be single spaced and indented 5 spaces
o Essay is stapled when turned in, no title page necessary
o No hanging quotes/quote dumping (see usage notes); block quotes correctly set up.
o No electronic sharing of notes or drafts of this essay with any member of either class
section (see class syllabus)
Important Grading Notes:
You must quote and analyze four different primary source documents in this essay from the DBQ. You
will lose 10 points for every document missing. In other words, if you use 3 documents in your essay, you
will lose 10 points. In addition, late work will be penalized 10 points per school day until submitted for a
grade. Work is due at the start of class.
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