Task: DBQ Slavery (Compromise)
Standards addressed:
 Describe the compromises made when creating the Constitution and why they were necessary
 Analyze the relationship between primary and secondary sources on the same topic
Task:
Looking at different sources from around the time of the Constitutional Convention, we are going to
answer the following essential question: Why did the Founding Fathers keep slavery in the Constitution?
For each source, I want you to determine if it is a primary or a secondary source and explain your
thinking. Next, read each source and determine why the author thought slavery was kept in the
Constitution. Finally, I want you to explain what you learned in a paragraph of 4-5 sentences. Your
paragraph should include:
1. Which secondary source you believe in most
2. At least two pieces of support from the primary sources to support your answer
Rubric:
Criteria
Multiplier
0/1
Correctly identifies
some primary and
secondary sources
2
Correctly identifies
most primary and
secondary sources
3
Correctly identifies
all primary and
secondary sources
Explanations
Explanation of types
of sources shows no
understanding of the
differences between
primary and
secondary sources
Explanation of types
of sources shows a
limited
understanding of the
differences between
primary and
secondary sources
Explanation of types
of sources shows
understanding of the
differences between
primary and
secondary sources
Main Idea
Correctly identifies
few of the main
ideas of the sources
Correctly identifies
some of the main
ideas of the sources
Correctly identifies
most of the main
ideas of the sources
Paragraph Alignment with
Secondary Source
Paragraph does not
explain which
secondary source
student most
believes in
Type of Source
Paragraph - Support
x2
Paragraph explains
which secondary
source student most
believes in
Student uses no
Student uses one
Student uses two
primary source to
primary source to
primary sources to
support their analysis support their analysis support their analysis
of secondary sources of secondary sources of secondary sources
Paragraph - Main
Idea
x2
The main idea of the
paragraph shows
little understanding
of the issue
surrounding slavery
in the Constitution
The main idea of the
paragraph shows a
limited
understanding of the
issue surrounding
slavery in the
Constitution
The main idea of the
paragraph shows a
full understanding of
the issue
surrounding slavery
in the Constitution