The Great Wall of Ancient China: Weighing the Costs and Benefits

The Great Wall of China is a monumental structure built over centuries by various Chinese dynasties, including the Qin and Han. This assignment explores whether the benefits of the Great Wall outweighed the costs, considering the historical context and the impact on Chinese society.

Write an essay based on this outline:

DBQ Planning Outline 

1. Title:

   1. Opening Paragraph

      1. Grabber: a statement that will grab the reader’s attention- either an interesting fact or a strong statement

      2. Background information:

         1. Who? When? Two dynasties: Qin and Han- timeline

            1. Qin dynasty and when or how long they ruled

               1. Mention what the Qin was known for

            2. Han dynasty and when or how long they ruled

               1. Mention what the Han was known for

         2. What? DEFINE what the Great Wall of Ancient China was…

            1. EXPLAIN: How it was made… 

            2. About how long it is…

         3. Where? Describe where it was located….

         4. Why? WHY it was built…..

            1. DEFINE Xiongnu- explain the threat

      3. Restate the question in your own words (see “Understanding the Question and Pre-Bucketing” page, question 3)

      4. Thesis statement (see “chickenfoot”) with bucket list

   2. Body Paragraph #1

      1. Introductory statement for body paragraph #1 (Bucket 1):

         1. 1st evidence with document citation after the fact is stated:

            1. Explanation of the evidence (your thinking):

         2. 2nd evidence with document citation after the fact is stated:

            1. Explanation of the evidence (your thinking):

   3. Body Paragraph #2

      1. Introductory statement for body paragraph #1 (Bucket 1):

         1. 1st evidence with document citation after the fact is stated:

            1. Explanation of the evidence (your thinking):

         2. 2nd evidence with document citation after the fact is stated:

            1. Explanation of the evidence (your thinking):

   4. Conclusion

      1. Restate main ideas from background essay

      2. Restate Thesis Statement:

      3. Final comment (“Mic-drop moment”):