Great Wall Of China Dbq Essay
You’re a chinese peasant who works hard to provide for your family. One day the Qin imperial army rips you away from your family and forces you to work on the Great Wall. You only know you won’t see your family for several years. This example may seem a little brutal, but during the construction of the Great Wall this happened frequently. The Great Wall of China was built by the Qin and Han dynasties to protect China from Mongols but many still died. The benefits of the Great Wall did not outweigh the costs because the Wall’s construction forced labor, increased unfair treatment of subjects, and the purpose of keeping invaders out was wasted.
First of all, the construction of the Great Wall required forced labor. According to Document E, …show more content…
Xiongnu or Mongols eventually found a way through the wall into Ancient China. According to Document C, the Chinese paid and traded so much of their silk and money to keep them out. For example, during the year 1 B.C.E. the Chinese have over 30,000 bales of silk and 7,500 catties of silk floss. They wasted so much of one of their most valuable items of trade. As stated in Document E, “ Heavy-fighting against the Xiongnu during much of 2nd century BCE.” During the construction of the Great Wall, even with the completed parts, the Chinese still fought with each other. Workers were so tired of working and fighting they even attempted to escape to live with Xiongnu, but were stopped.
Although, the wall protected China, the construction of the wall wasted time. Document B states a list of different ways China could have protected itself. If they had followed some of these suggestions, many Chinese subjects’ lives could have been spared. The Great Wall was also never on single continuous wall. This meant, they could have used this time to find simpler and safer ways to protect China. Third, the wall took an extreme amount of time to build and complete. In this time, invaders attacked, leaving the Chinese to have to start over on the sections of the wall.
In conclusion, the benefits of the Great Wall did not outweigh the cost because the wall’s construction forced labor, increased unfair treatment of subjects,
First of all, the construction of the Great Wall required forced labor. According to Document E, …show more content…
Xiongnu or Mongols eventually found a way through the wall into Ancient China. According to Document C, the Chinese paid and traded so much of their silk and money to keep them out. For example, during the year 1 B.C.E. the Chinese have over 30,000 bales of silk and 7,500 catties of silk floss. They wasted so much of one of their most valuable items of trade. As stated in Document E, “ Heavy-fighting against the Xiongnu during much of 2nd century BCE.” During the construction of the Great Wall, even with the completed parts, the Chinese still fought with each other. Workers were so tired of working and fighting they even attempted to escape to live with Xiongnu, but were stopped.
Although, the wall protected China, the construction of the wall wasted time. Document B states a list of different ways China could have protected itself. If they had followed some of these suggestions, many Chinese subjects’ lives could have been spared. The Great Wall was also never on single continuous wall. This meant, they could have used this time to find simpler and safer ways to protect China. Third, the wall took an extreme amount of time to build and complete. In this time, invaders attacked, leaving the Chinese to have to start over on the sections of the wall.
In conclusion, the benefits of the Great Wall did not outweigh the cost because the wall’s construction forced labor, increased unfair treatment of subjects,