Documenting United States History

putting it all together 207

When using quoted material, take care with the language that you use to

introduce the quote and to cite the author. As with all historical writing, active

language (in which the subject of the sentence does something) is more effective

than passive language (in which the subject is acted on). For example, “I wrote

this essay” is in the active voice and is more effective than “This essay was written

by me,” which is in the passive voice. In introducing a quote, use active verbs to

reflect your understanding of the author’s intent. The following is a partial list

of active (and therefore effective) verb choices that you can use to refer to apt

quotations:

Active Verbs

advocates chooses exhorts reflects

argues claims inspires signals

believes decries laments urges

celebrates deplores questions

To illustrate, review the following passages from the documents in this

chapter, along with the accompanying analysis that exemplifies the historical

thinking skill.

Quoting when practicing periodization

Original quote from Eli Whitney’s Petition (Doc. 8.1):

So alluring were the advantages developed by this invention that in a

short time the whole attention of the planters of the middle and upper

country of the Southern States was turned to planting the green seed

cotton. The means furnished by this discovery of cleaning that species

of cotton were at once so cheap and expeditious and the prospects of

advantage so alluring that it suddenly became the general crop of the

country.

Sample analysis:

Whitney’s call for reform features a description of “alluring... advan-

tages,” which signaled a turning point in the Market Revolution because

the cotton gin provided a “cheap and expeditious” (Doc. 8.1) means of

turning a profit. Whitney’s petition coupled efficiency and cost—markers

of an industrial mind-set.

Here the author uses both explicit and implicit evidence. She incorporates sev-

eral direct quotes from the source within her own summary of Whitney’s call

for reform. Her clear citation of the original document (Doc. 8.1) shows that

she is drawing directly from the original source. Her reference to the Market

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