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← APUSH DBQ Rubric

How to Earn the Thesis Point on the APUSH DBQ

1 point

The thesis point requires a defensible claim that establishes a line of reasoning, or that lists the analytic categories your essay will argue through. It does not require the exact phrase "this essay argues that."

Earns the point

The essay states a defensible claim that establishes a line of reasoning.

OR the essay establishes the analytic categories of the argument (for example, naming the political, economic, and social effects it will cover) - this is valid for full credit even without an explicit "argues that X caused Y" framing.

Doesn't earn the point

The thesis merely restates or rephrases the prompt without establishing specific analytic categories or a line of reasoning.

The claim is entirely vague and lacks specific categories or historical dimensions (e.g. "it affected society in many big ways").

No thesis statement exists in the introduction or conclusion at all.

Real example

Point earned

"...slavery shaped nearly every dimension of American life, from politics to economics to regional identity, though its influence deepened rather than lessened as the young republic grew."

This earns the point because it establishes clear analytic categories - politics, economics, and regional identity - giving the essay a defensible line of reasoning to argue through, even without an explicit "this essay argues" framing.

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Other rubric points

Contextualization Evidence from Documents Evidence Beyond the Documents Sourcing / HIPP Complexity