America’s Founding Documents

1. Three-Fifths Compromise

How do you feel about the Three-Fifths Compromise? Was it a wise decision by the framers of the constitution to keep the nation united, or was it an unacceptable compromise even at the cost of the nation breaking up over the issue of slavery (as happened later during the Civil War (1861–1865)? Write a two-to-three paragraph response supporting your stand.

Type your response here:

The three-fifths compromise fit in by allowing souther slave states to add three-fifths of their total enslaved population towards the population total to be used to determine representation in congress. This compromise was significant because it help benefit the south with more representation in voting. It counted 3/5 of all slaves which gave the south more votes because slaves were more abundant.

How did you do? Check a box below.

 Nailed It! – I included all of the same ideas as the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.

 Halfway There – I included most of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.

 Not Great – I did not include any of the ideas in the model response on the Student Answer Sheet.

Teacher-Graded Activities

Write a response for each of the following activities. When you have finished, submit your work to your teacher. Check the rubric at the end of this document to be sure you are meeting the expected criteria for the assignments.

1. Articles of Confederation

Read the 1985 DBQ essay question and documents on the Articles of Confederation. Carefully analyze each document and incorporate the information you gather from those documents, along with your knowledge of the events and time period, into a well-crafted essay to evaluate the following statement:

From 1781 to 1789 the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an effective government.

Type your response here:

After you have completed all the activities, submit this document to your teacher for grading.

Rubrics

These rubrics will be used by your teacher to grade your writing assignment.

Score

Criteria for Effectiveness of the Articles of Confederation DBQ essay

8–9
Distinguished
The essay clearly and concisely analyzes each document, demonstrating an accurate comprehension of the question, and includes a clear, well-developed thesis statement. Evidence from the documents and knowledge of the events and time period sufficiently support the thesis. The essay is written in a coherent manner with smooth transitions from one idea to the next. A score of 9 is given to an essay that provides an in-depth analysis of the documents. 5–7

Proficient
The essay clearly analyzes each document, demonstrating an comprehension of the question, and includes a clear thesis statement.. While there is a logical development of ideas, there may be less evidence from the text when compared to other essays. The essay is well structured with smooth transitions between ideas. An essay scored a 7 uses key examples from the documents to support the analysis. 2–4

Basic

The essay analyzes each document, but the analysis may not be arguable. Paragraphs include supporting evidence from the text. The overall development of the essay is not as coherent when compared to higher-scoring essays. There may be a number of technical errors in an essay scored a 4. 0–1

Inadequate
The essay is lacking in overall organization and coherence. The evidence is limited or may not fully support the analysis. There are a number of errors that distract the reader from the content. A score of 1 indicates minimal effort has been put into the analysis of the documents. 01—

Non-Performance
A score will not be recorded if the essay is not turned into the teacher.