Using Quotes

    Many students writing a history paper or essay find that using a quote brings a great deal to their work.  Directly quoting an author or historical figure can greatly improve your argument and assist you in getting your point across.
     For our essay on the Mexican-American War it is required to have at least one quote for each of the body paragraphs.  These quotes are part of your evidence that you are using to support your claim.  Here is some advice, You should be able to place what ever quote you are using in your own words. In other words do not use a quote that you do not fully understand.  In my opinion I think that the most common mistake students make when trying to use a quote in an essay is failing to properly introduce the quote:
         
          Opponents of the Mexican-American War claimed that the war would help spread slavery. "Slaveholders crossed the Sabine River with their slaves."
 
        Yes, the quote is connected to the idea of the paragraph but we do not know the quote's author or the context (background).

Here is a link to the presentation from today on using quotes in your essay.  Tomorrow is or last day of having the computers in the classroom.  I hope that by tomorrow the following is done for your essay:

   1. Introduction

   2. Two-Three Body Paragraphs

   3. Quotes have been reviewed and given the proper context.