Name:
Date:
Equality and the American Revolution
Document Based Question
An important skill for history students is the ability to read multiple sources, collect the main ideas, and use
evidence to support a cohesive argument. While this is most common in extensive research papers, a modified
version known as the DBQ exists to practice those same skills in an abbreviated format. We’re going to do one now!
BACKGROUND INFO: DBQ’s consist of one overarching question & a collection of documents. The finished product
is normally a 5 paragraph essay that uses evidence from the docs inserted with background knowledge from class.
STEPS: 1. Read the question, and consider information you already know about the topic and/or how you might
begin to response (please note – the space for brainstorming is NOT usually included on DBQs.)
2. Read & analyze each document. Be able to summarize the work, & consider how/if it could support an argument.
a) This packet contains guided questions to help break down the work.
b) You can also work with a partner/in a small group to expedite the analysis process.
3. Develop your thesis – one main, overarching argument to respond to the prompt.
4. Develop your three strongest arguments to support your thesis.
5. Arrange the evidence pulled from documents into each supporting paragraph were appropriate.
6. Cite the documents as you write, giving a brief background and analysis for support.
7. Conclude the essay with the points for why this is a significant topic and what can be learned from this history.
***We are only doing a PRACTICE response, so the finished product will be an outline instead of essay.
You will have all of class on Monday and Tuesday to work on this assignment. Work will be graded
for class participation and effort rather than accuracy (after all, this is only the first time around
with this!) Please be productive and do your best – and no, you won’t see this on the test Thursday!
PROMPT: Should the Founding Fathers be praised or criticized for their efforts to build a nation based on the
following principle, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Doc 1: Stats from Britannica
Brainstorm (include info you learned from this unit):
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DOC 2: “The Female Patriots” – Poem by Hannah
Griffitts of Philadelphia, 1768.
Since the Men from a Party, on fear of a Frown,
Are kept by a Sugar-Plumb, quietly down.
Supinely asleep, & depriv'd of their Sight
Are strip'd of their Freedom, and rob'd of their Right.
If the Sons (so degenerate) the Blessing despise [hate],
Let the Daughters of Liberty, nobly arise,
And tho' we've no Voice, but a negative here.
The use of the Taxables, let us forebear [boycott],
(Then Merchants import till yr. Stores are all full
May the Buyers be few & yr. Traffick [sales] be dull.)
Stand firmly resolved & bid Grenville to see
That rather than Freedom, we'll part with our Tea
DOC 3: Excerpt from a letter to the Essex Gazette, Salem,
Massachusetts, 23 May 1769
“A gentleman of New-Port [R.I.] writes: ". . . being at the
Sign of the Pitt's Head in this town, on Tuesday last, [I]
was extremely pleased by having Admittance into the
Company of eleven of the Daughters of Liberty, Ladies of
Character, and Lovers of British Freedom, and industry;
each being laudably employed . . . on . . . a Spinning Wheel .
. . [They were] determined to convert each Visit into a
spinning Match, and to have no Entertainments but what
is the Produce of their own Country, and to appear as
much as possible clothed with our own Manufactures, and
that more especially which is the effects of their own
Labour-"
DOC 4: Excerpt from Esther Reed Obituary, Pennsylvania Gazette, 27 September 1780.
“We hear from Maryland, that the most liberal contributions have been made by the women of that State, for the
assistance of the army, -- That some individuals have presented 15 guineas -- that in one of the smallest and most
remote counties, have been collected upwards of 60,000 dollars -- that a considerable part of the sums collected has
been laid out in the purchase of linen, and a thousand shirts are already made up; no woman of whatever quality
neglecting the honour of assisting with her own hands to make them up. The women of this city [Philadelphia] have
been employed in like manner, which, when it is related in Europe, will be a signal honour to our cause. Those
disposed to lessen [hurt] the reputation of female patriotism might have said that what our women have
contributed, must, in the first instance, have come from the pockets of their husbands; but, where their own labour
is bestowed, the most delicate fingers being employed in the workmanship, it must be acknowledged an effort of
virtue, the praise of which must peculiarly belong to themselves.”
DOC 5: Excerpt from a letter from George Washington to Esther Reed, 14 July 1780
Head Qrs in Bergen Cty., July 14, 1780 – Madam: I have received with much pleasure, but not till last night, your
favor of the 4th. specifying the amount of the subscriptions already collected for the use of the American Soldiery.
This fresh mark of the patriotism of the Ladies entitles them to the highest applause of their Country. It is impossible
for the Army, not to feel a superior gratitude, on such an instance of goodness. If I am happy in having the
concurrence of the Ladies, I would propose the purchasing of course Linnen, to be made into Shirts, with the whole
amount of their subscription. A Shirt extraordinary to the Soldier will be of more service, and do more to preserve
his health than any other thing that could be procured him; while it is not intended, nor shall exclude him, from the
usual supply which he draws from the public . . .

QA) How did women aid in the Patriot war effort? [You can write just the number for each doc w/evidence]
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DOC 6: Washington in Correspondence with Marquis de Lafayette on the subject of slavery –
In the last days of the Revolution, Lafayette wrote his old commander, suggesting an experiment, in which the two
would purchase some land, which Washington's slaves would then work as tenants. Lafayette believed that
Washington's participation in the project would help to "render it a general practice." The young man hoped, if his
plan proved successful in the United States, to then spread out to the West Indies. Washington responded warmly to
the idea, but preferred to discuss the details in person: "The scheme...which you propose as a precedent, to
encourage the emancipation of the black people of this Country [sic] from that state of Bondage [sic] in wch. they are
held, is a striking evidence of the benevolence of your Heart [sic]. I shall be happy to join you in so laudable a work;
but will defer going into a detail of the business, 'till I have the pleasure of seeing you."13 Not long after the close of
the war, Lafayette finally came to Mount Vernon, where he and Washington continued their long-standing
discussion about the experiment, perhaps getting into those deferred details. He admitted to Lafayette, however,
that he "despaired" of seeing an abolitionist spirit sweep the country. He confided to the younger man in 1786 that
"some petitions were presented to the Assembly [sic] at its last Session [sic], for the abolition of slavery, but they
could scarcely obtain a reading. To set them [the slaves] afloat at once would, I really believe, be productive of much
inconvenience & mischief; but by degrees it certainly might, & assuredly ought to be effected & that too by
Legislative [sic] authority." 19 In a fervor of emotion sparked by the Revolution, three New England states (Vermont,
New Hampshire, and Massachusetts) appear to have abolished slavery outright during the war and legislatures in
the upper South (Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware) made it easier for slave owners to free their slaves, something
which had been impossible for a private individual to do in Virginia between 1723 and 1782. There was even a
precedent for the type of gradual process of emancipation, which Washington favored.

QB) What were some possible changes to slavery, and how did Washington respond?
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DOC 7: Quock Walker Case, Massachusetts, 1783 (in which a slave sued for an won his freedom)
As to the doctrine of slavery and the right of Christians to hold Africans in perpetual servitude, and sell and treat
them as we do our horses and cattle, that (it is true) has been heretofore countenanced by the custom formerly, but
no where is it expressly enacted or established. But whatever sentiments have formerly prevailed in this particular
or slid in upon us by the example of others, a different idea has taken place with the people of America, more
favorable to the natural rights of mankind, and to that natural, innate desire of liberty, which with Heaven (without
regard to color, complexion, or shape of noses features) has inspired all the human race. And upon this ground our
Constitution of Government, by which the people of this Commonwealth have solemnly bound themselves, sets out
with declaring that all men are born free and equal—and that every subject is entitled to liberty, and to have it
guarded by the laws, as well as life and property—and in short is totally repugnant to the idea of being born slaves.

QC) What argument does Walker use to gain his freedom?
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DOC 8: Abigail Adams to John Adams, 3/31/76
DOC 9: John Adams to Abigail Adams, April 14, 1776
“I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be
more generous and favorable to them than your
ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the
hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be
tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is
not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a
Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any
laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.”
As to your extraordinary Code of Laws, I cannot but laugh. We have been
told that our Struggle has loosened the bands of Government every where.
That Children and Apprentices were disobedient—that schools and
Colleges were grown turbulent—that Indians slighted their Guardians and
Negroes grew insolent to their Masters. But your Letter was the first
Intimation that another Tribe more numerous and powerful than all the
rest were grown discontented. . . . Depend upon it, We know better than to
repeal our Masculine systems. Although they are in full Force, you know
they are little more than Theory. We dare not exert our Power in its full
Latitude. We are obliged to go fair, and softly, and in Practice you know We
are the subjects. We have only the Name of Masters, and rather than give
up this, which would completely subject Us to the Despotism of the
Petticoat, I hope General Washington, and all our brave Heroes would fight.

QD) Do you agree with John Adams’
response to his wife? Why or why not?
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DOC 10: Significant African American Revolutionaries – from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
James Armistead – a slave of William Armistead in New Kent County, Virginia, volunteered to spy for the Continental Army
commander General Lafayette. James soon became a servant to British general Lord Cornwallis, who asked him to spy on the
Americans! As a double agent, James gave unimportant information to Cornwallis, while keeping Lafayette informed about British
troop strength and positions. James Armistead remained enslaved after the war. In 1784, Lafayette wrote to the Virginia General
Assembly, describing his valuable service and asking that he be freed. In 1786, he was freed—and from then on, he called himself
James Lafayette. James Forten – was a 15-year-old free black who served as a powder boy on the ship Rolay Louis, preying on
British shipping. On his second cruise, the ship was battered by three British naval vessels and forced to surrender. As a prisoner,
Forten struck up a friendship with the British captain’s son, who persuaded his father to offer the captured teenager a life of ease
in England. Forten refused, declaring he would not be a traitor to his country. After seven months, he was set free in an exchange
of prisoners and walked home to Philadelphia. He became a successful businessman and leader of the abolition movement.
Saul Matthews – was enslaved when he enlisted as a soldier under Colonel Parker, a commander in the Virginia militia. In 1781,
British general Lord Cornwallis and his troops occupied Portsmouth, Virginia. Parker sent Saul into British camps several times
on spying missions. Saul faced great danger but always returned with important infon about British troop positions and
movements. Saul was praised by leaders such as General Nathanael Greene and Baron Friedrich von Steuben. Yet, after the war,
he was returned to slavery for nearly ten years. In 1792, he successfully petitioned the Virginia General Assembly for his
freedom. Peter Salem – was one of at least twenty blacks who were in the ranks when the British attacked an American position
outside Boston in the battle of Bunker Hill. Salem has been honored for firing the shot that killed Major John Pitcairn, the British
officer who led the Redcoats when they attacked his small unit at Lexington.

QE) How did African Americans aid in the Patriot war effort?
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DOC 11: Judith Murray essay “On the Equality of the Sexes,” written 1779, published in Massachusetts 1790
Is it upon mature consideration we adopt the idea, that nature is thus partial in her distributions? Is it indeed a fact, that she hath
yielded to ½ of the human species so unquestionable a mental superiority? I know that to both sexes elevated understandings,
and the reverse, are common. But suffer me to ask, in what the minds of females are so notoriously deficient, or unequal. May not
the intellectual powers be ranged under their 4 heads--imagination, reason, memory and judgment. The province of imagination
has long since been surrendered up to us, and we have been crowned undoubted sovereigns of the regions of fancy. Invention is
perhaps the most arduous effort of the mind; this branch of imagination hath been particularly ceded to us. Observe the variety of
fashions (here I bar the contemptuous smile) which distinguish and adorn the female world. Now, what a playfulness, what an
exuberance of fancy, what strength of inventive imagination, doth this continual variation discover?... Perhaps it will be asked if I
furnish these facts as instances of excellency in our sex. Certainly not; but as proofs of a creative faculty, of a lively imagination.
Assuredly great activity of mind is thereby discovered, and was this activity of mind properly directed, what beneficial effects
would follow. Is the needle and kitchen sufficient to employ the operations of a soul thus organized? I should conceive not...
QF) What point(s) is Murray arguing? Did women’s political rights at the time reflect her beliefs?
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LAST TASK!
On a separate sheet of lined paper, create an outline to draft a 5 paragraph essay with the following…
 Thesis
 Introductory Ideas
 You may use incomplete sentences.
 Argument One
 Be sure to pull in at least 2 documents per body paragraph.
 Supporting documents
 Other evidence/information
 Staple this ON TOP of your packet and turn in work at the
 Argument Two
end of class Tuesday.
 Supporting documents
 Done early? See Ms. Manhart for extra credit opportunity.
 Other evidence/information
 After that, continue work on your review packet.
 Argument Three
 Supporting documents
 Other evidence/information
 CONCLUSION – write a full conclusion reflecting on why this topic matters and how it shaped the country.