DBQ Writing Sample Essay Library
TEACHER MATERIALST-1UNIT 2 DBQ WRITING SAMPLEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITYPrompt: To what extent was foraging or farming more desirable for early humans?Score: 4Early humans mainly relied upon hunting and gathering to survive until the advent of agriculture. Although farming allowed human beings to develop into the society and technology we have today, it was not and is still not without its serious drawbacks for both human health and society. It is hypothesized that the warming trend in the climate around 14,000 years ago aided in the development of agriculture. The climate warming allowed for more wheat and barley to grow naturally and these plants were some of the first to be domesticated by early humans. The domestication of plants and animals to use for food led to people building settlements near the areas they cultivated these foods, beginning the first sustained agricultural settlements. Agriculture benefited humans by increasing their population through maintaining a reliable food source and allowing for greater advancements in early human technology while hunting and gathering led to smaller populations and limited collective learning.In his book, Reilly states, “Security plus variety equals creativity” (Doc 4) about the development of cities due to agriculture. Large cities required new technologies for farming such as irrigation and new techniques for building and architecture. The security afforded by walls and people allowed for jobs outside of farming such as traders and craftsmen, which was an important step in the development of human culture and society. While Brad deLong discussed the drawbacks of farming on human health and society he also proposed that “only the density of population that comes with agriculture can generate enough human brains thinking to allow us to ... create a truly human world in the long run.” (Doc 6). Although there has been suffering due to the introduction of agriculture and the societies it created we would not have the civilizations we have today without it. Settlements required ingenuity and structure to create and maintain; these early structures and advances were the basis for our current world. These societies allowed for more people to invent and create than ever before. David Kaplan states “It is during the three lean months of the year that the San life approaches the precarious conditions that have come to be associated with the hunting and gathering way of life.” (Doc 3). Constant or at least extended food scarcity contributes to malnutrition and a shorter lifespan. A nomadic lifestyle also does not allow for large populations or new infrastructure, architecture, or technologies that make modern day living impossible. This quote is from Kaplan’s response to Sahlins so it could contain personal biases toward Sahlins or toward Key:Claim & FocusAnalysis & EvidenceOrganizationLanguage & StyleLanguage & StyleUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “DBQ Writing Samples”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/
TEACHER MATERIALST-2UNIT 2 DBQ WRITING SAMPLEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITYsimply wanting to prove him wrong and be correct, though Kaplan is an anthropologist and a professional, just as Sahlins is, so this is likely still a professional response, not guided by possible personal motivations.There were many drawbacks to the introduction of farming, then and now. Harari, author of the book Sapiens, details some of the negative health impacts of farming “Studies of ancient skeletons indicate that the transition to agriculture brought about a plethora of ailments, such as slipped discs, arthritis, and hernias.” (Doc 7). Farming was backbreaking labor and needed far more energy and time to create a viable source of food than hunting and gathering did. This effort often came at the expense of people’s well-being and eventually led to a dramatic shift to sedentary life, which many could argue is equally as bad for health. Political scientist James Scott discussed the impact that the introduction of agriculture had on societal and class systems “So the early agricultural societies created the basis for systematic class distinctions that could be [passed down] between generations,” (Doc 5). Scott argued that the advent of agriculture resulted in the injustices we have today in our society through the idea of personal property that put some ahead of others. While many of the other documents were written by anthropologists, Scott is a political scientist, meaning that he would not be focusing on human health and development but on the drawbacks of early human society and the way it has affected humanity politically. Scott is not an expert on early human development, his perspective is from the outside looking in to early human agriculture. Anthropologist Sahlins studied hunting and gathering societies in Australia and Africa and learned “each adult worker worked about two and a half days weekly” (Doc 2) which left plenty of time for recreational activities. This is in stark contrast to the amount of labor it requires to farm; farming leaves far fewer days of rest than hunting and gathering. Typically, more days of rest allows for better well-being and community and family relationships. A group of researchers in the Philippines discovered “the adoption of farming had a disproportionate impact on women’s lives” (Doc 1) during their study of the Agta community. Women had to contend with both domestic chores and work in the fields, leaving little time for leisure compared to their male counterparts. This connects back to Scott’s discussion on how farming created societal inequalities and it seems especially true for women. The advent of farming had many impacts on all aspects of humanity, from human health to the structure of our society, both good and bad. Though there were many negative effects from farming, society would not be where it is today without it. Even the arguments occurring between farming or foraging would not be possible without the introduction of agriculture. Humanity has witnessed great growth and success from agriculture, even while contending with the side effects.
TEACHER MATERIALST-3UNIT 2 DBQ WRITING SAMPLEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITYPrompt: To what extent was foraging or farming more desirable for early humans?Score: 3Although farming allowed human beings to develop into what we have today, it is not without its serious drawbacks.Agriculture allowed for a reliable food source while hunting and gathering led to limited collective learning.Reilly states, “the possibility of a more creative, expressive life was available in the protected, semipermanent city” (Doc 4). Large cities needed new technologies for farming and for building structures. The security afforded by walls and people allowed for jobs outside of farming such as traders and craftsmen, an important step in the development of human culture and society. While Brad deLong discussed the drawbacks of farming on human health and society he also proposed that the growth in human population was very important. We would not have civilizations without agriculture. Settlements required ingenuity and structure to create and maintain. These societies allowed for more people to invent and create. David Kaplan states “It is during the three lean months of the year that the San life approaches the precarious conditions that have come to be associated with the hunting and gathering way of life.” (Doc 3). Constant or at least extended food scarcity contributes to malnutrition. A nomadic lifestyle also does not allow for large populations. There were many drawbacks to the introduction of farming.Harari, author of the book Sapiens, details some of the negative health impacts of farming on the human body. Farming was backbreaking labor and needed far more energy and time to create a viable source of food than hunting and gathering did. This effort often came at the expense of people’s well-being and led to a shift to sedentary life. Political scientist James Scott discussed “So the early agricultural societies created the basis for systematic class distinctions that could be [passed down] between generations,”. Scott argued that the advent of agriculture resulted in the injustices we have today. Scott is a political scientist, meaning that he would not be focusing on human health and development but on the drawbacks of early human society and the way it has affected humanity politically. Scott is not an expert on early human development, his perspective is from the outside looking in. Anthropologist Sahlins studied hunting and gathering societies in Australia and Africa and learned “each adult worker worked about two and a half days weekly” which left plenty of time for recreational activities. Typically, more days of rest allows for better well-being. A group of researchers in the Philippines discovered that women were extra affected by farming. Women had to contend with both domestic chores and work in the fields. This connects back to Scott’s discussion on how farming created societal inequalities and it seems especially true for women. The advent of farming had many impacts on all aspects of humanity. Society would not be where it is today without it. Key:Claim & FocusAnalysis & EvidenceOrganizationLanguage & StyleLanguage & Style
TEACHER MATERIALST-4UNIT 2 DBQ WRITING SAMPLEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITYPrompt: To what extent was foraging or farming more desirable for early humans?Score:2Farming was good and bad in different ways. Large cities needed new technologies for farming and for building structures. Brad deLong discussed the drawbacks of farming on human health and society. We would not have civilizations without agriculture. Settlements required ingenuity and structure to create and maintain. These societies allowed for more people to invent and create. Constant or at least extended food scarcity contributes to malnutrition. A nomadic lifestyle also does not allow for large populations. Harari, author of the book Sapiens, details some of the negative health impacts of farming on the human body. This effort often came at the expense of people’s well-being. Political scientist James Scott discussed “So the early agricultural societies created the basis for systematic class distinctions that could be [passed down] between generations,”.Anthropologist Sahlins studied hunting and gathering societies in Australia and Africa and learned they had plenty of leisure time. Typically, more days of rest allows for better well-being. A group of researchers in the Philippines discovered that women were extra affected by farming. Key:Claim & FocusAnalysis & EvidenceOrganizationLanguage & StyleLanguage & Style
TEACHER MATERIALST-5UNIT 2 DBQ WRITING SAMPLEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITYPrompt: To what extent was foraging or farming more desirable for early humans?Score: 1Large cities needed new technologies for farming and for building structures. We would not have civilizations without agriculture. Typically, more days of rest allows for better well-being. Settlements required ingenuity and structure to create and maintain. Constant or at least extended food scarcity contributes to malnutrition. A nomadic lifestyle also does not allow for large populations. This effort often came at the expense of people’s well-being. Anthropologist Sahlins studied. These societies allowed for more people to invent and create. A group of researchers in the Philippines discovered that women were extra affected by farming. .Key:Claim & FocusAnalysis & EvidenceOrganizationLanguage & StyleLanguage & Style
TEACHER MATERIALST-6UNIT 2 DBQ WRITING SAMPLEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITYPrompt: To what extent was foraging or farming more desirable for early humans?Score: 4Early humans mainly relied upon hunting and gathering to survive until the advent of agriculture. Although farming allowed human beings to develop into the society and technology we have today, it was not and is still not without its serious drawbacks for both human health and society. It is hypothesized that the warming trend in the climate around 14,000 years ago aided in the development of agriculture. The climate warming allowed for more wheat and barley to grow naturally and these plants were some of the first to be domesticated by early humans. The domestication of plants and animals to use for food led to people building settlements near the areas they cultivated these foods, beginning the first sustained agricultural settlements. Agriculture benefited humans by increasing their population through maintaining a reliable food source and allowing for greater advancements in early human technology while hunting and gathering led to smaller populations and limited collective learning. In his book, Reilly states, “Security plus variety equals creativity” (Doc 4) about the development of cities due to agriculture. Large cities required new technologies for farming such as irrigation and new techniques for building and architecture. The security afforded by walls and people allowed for jobs outside of farming such as traders and craftsmen, which was an important step in the development of human culture and society. While Brad deLong discussed the drawbacks of farming on human health and society he also proposed that “only the density of population that comes with agriculture can generate enough human brains thinking to allow us to ... create a truly human world in the long run.” (Doc 6). Although there has been suffering due to the introduction of agriculture and the societies it created we would not have the civilizations we have today without it. Settlements required ingenuity and structure to create and maintain; these early structures and advances were the basis for our current world. These societies allowed for more people to invent and create than ever before. David Kaplan states “It is during the three lean months of the year that the San life approaches the precarious conditions that have come to be associated with the hunting and gathering way of life.” (Doc 3). Constant or at least extended food scarcity contributes to malnutrition and a shorter lifespan. A nomadic lifestyle also does not allow for large populations or new infrastructure, architecture, or technologies that make modern day living impossible. This quote is from Kaplan’s response to Sahlins so it could contain personal biases toward Sahlins or toward simply wanting to prove him wrong and be correct, though Kaplan is an anthropologist and
TEACHER MATERIALST-7UNIT 2 DBQ WRITING SAMPLEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITYa professional, just as Sahlins is, so this is likely still a professional response, not guided by possible personal motivations. There were many drawbacks to the introduction of farming, then and now. Harari, author of the book Sapiens, details some of the negative health impacts of farming “Studies of ancient skeletons indicate that the transition to agriculture brought about a plethora of ailments, such as slipped discs, arthritis, and hernias.” (Doc 7). Farming was backbreaking labor and needed far more energy and time to create a viable source of food than hunting and gathering did. This effort often came at the expense of people’s well-being and eventually led to a dramatic shift to sedentary life, which many could argue is equally as bad for health. Political scientist James Scott discussed the impact that the introduction of agriculture had on societal and class systems “So the early agricultural societies created the basis for systematic class distinctions that could be [passed down] between generations,” (Doc 5). Scott argued that the advent of agriculture resulted in the injustices we have today in our society through the idea of personal property that put some ahead of others. While many of the other documents were written by anthropologists, Scott is a political scientist, meaning that he would not be focusing on human health and development but on the drawbacks of early human society and the way it has affected humanity politically. Scott is not an expert on early human development, his perspective is from the outside looking in to early human agriculture. Anthropologist Sahlins studied hunting and gathering societies in Australia and Africa and learned “each adult worker worked about two and a half days weekly” (Doc 2) which left plenty of time for recreational activities. This is in stark contrast to the amount of labor it requires to farm; farming leaves far fewer days of rest than hunting and gathering. Typically, more days of rest allows for better well-being and community and family relationships. A group of researchers in the Philippines discovered “the adoption of farming had a disproportionate impact on women’s lives” (Doc 1) during their study of the Agta community. Women had to contend with both domestic chores and work in the fields, leaving little time for leisure compared to their male counterparts. This connects back to Scott’s discussion on how farming created societal inequalities and it seems especially true for women. The advent of farming had many impacts on all aspects of humanity, from human health to the structure of our society, both good and bad. Though there were many negative effects from farming, society would not be where it is today without it. Even the arguments occurring between farming or foraging would not be possible without the introduction of agriculture. Humanity has witnessed great growth and success from agriculture, even while contending with the side effects.
TEACHER MATERIALST-8UNIT 2 DBQ WRITING SAMPLEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITYPrompt: To what extent was foraging or farming more desirable for early humans?Score: 3Although farming allowed human beings to develop into what we have today, it is not without its serious drawbacks. Agriculture allowed for a reliable food source while hunting and gathering led to limited collective learning. Reilly states, “the possibility of a more creative, expressive life was available in the protected, semipermanent city” (Doc 4). Large cities needed new technologies for farming and for building structures. The security afforded by walls and people allowed for jobs outside of farming such as traders and craftsmen, an important step in the development of human culture and society. While Brad deLong discussed the drawbacks of farming on human health and society he also proposed that the growth in human population was very important. We would not have civilizations without agriculture. Settlements required ingenuity and structure to create and maintain. These societies allowed for more people to invent and create. David Kaplan states “It is during the three lean months of the year that the San life approaches the precarious conditions that have come to be associated with the hunting and gathering way of life.” (Doc 3). Constant or at least extended food scarcity contributes to malnutrition. A nomadic lifestyle also does not allow for large populations. There were many drawbacks to the introduction of farming. Harari, author of the book Sapiens, details some of the negative health impacts of farming on the human body. Farming was backbreaking labor and needed far more energy and time to create a viable source of food than hunting and gathering did. This effort often came at the expense of people’s well-being and led to a shift to sedentary life. Political scientist James Scott discussed “So the early agricultural societies created the basis for systematic class distinctions that could be [passed down] between generations,”. Scott argued that the advent of agriculture resulted in the injustices we have today. Scott is a political scientist, meaning that he would not be focusing on human health and development but on the drawbacks of early human society and the way it has affected humanity politically. Scott is not an expert on early human development, his perspective is from the outside looking in. Anthropologist Sahlins studied hunting and gathering societies in Australia and Africa and learned “each adult worker worked about two and a half days weekly” which left plenty of time for recreational activities. Typically, more days of rest allows for better well-being. A group of researchers in the Philippines discovered that women were extra affected by farming. Women had to contend with both domestic chores and work in the fields. This connects back to Scott’s discussion on how farming created societal inequalities and it seems especially true for women. The advent of farming had many impacts on all aspects of humanity. Society would not be where it is today without it.
TEACHER MATERIALST-9UNIT 2 DBQ WRITING SAMPLEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITYPrompt: To what extent was foraging or farming more desirable for early humans?Score:2Farming was good and bad in different ways. Large cities needed new technologies for farming and for building structures. Brad deLong discussed the drawbacks of farming on human health and society. We would not have civilizations without agriculture. Settlements required ingenuity and structure to create and maintain. These societies allowed for more people to invent and create. Constant or at least extended food scarcity contributes to malnutrition. A nomadic lifestyle also does not allow for large populations. Harari, author of the book Sapiens, details some of the negative health impacts of farming on the human body. This effort often came at the expense of people’s well-being. Political scientist James Scott discussed “So the early agricultural societies created the basis for systematic class distinctions that could be [passed down] between generations,”. Anthropologist Sahlins studied hunting and gathering societies in Australia and Africa and learned they had plenty of leisure time. Typically, more days of rest allows for better well-being. A group of researchers in the Philippines discovered that women were extra affected by farming.
TEACHER MATERIALST-10UNIT 2 DBQ WRITING SAMPLEWORLD HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 2.6 ACTIVITYPrompt: To what extent was foraging or farming more desirable for early humans?Score: 1Large cities needed new technologies for farming and for building structures. We would not have civilizations without agriculture. Typically, more days of rest allows for better well-being. Settlements required ingenuity and structure to create and maintain. Constant or at least extended food scarcity contributes to malnutrition. A nomadic lifestyle also does not allow for large populations. This effort often came at the expense of people’s well-being. Anthropologist Sahlins studied. These societies allowed for more people to invent and create. A group of researchers in the Philippines discovered that women were extra affected by farming. .