Name: ___________________________________________________________ Date: _________________________ Period: ___
How Do I Cite It If I Didn’t Write It??
How To Cite Textual Evidence Correctly
Directions:
1. Cite only the underlined portion of each passage on the lines labeled “Textual Evidence.”
2. Begin with In the text it states or The text states or In the text the author
states.
3. Include the author’s name and the page number.
4. Highlight or circle the comma that comes before the quote, the quotation marks, and the
period at the end.
Example:
In the text the author states, “Some planters offered more food or better living
conditions to encourage slaves’ obedience” (Searcy 14).
1) On larger plantations, some enslaved African Americans worked at skilled jobs, such as blacksmithing
or carpentry. Sometimes planters let these slaves sell their services to other people. Often planters
collected a portion of what was earned but allowed slaves to keep the rest. – Celeste Gable, page 52
Textual Evidence:
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2) In this way, some skilled slaves earned enough money to buy their freedom from their slaveholders.
For example, William Ellison earned his freedom in South Carolina by working for wages as a cotton
gin maker. For years, he worked late at night and on Sundays. – Federico Castillo, page 112
Textual Evidence:
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How Do I Cite It If I Didn’t Write It??
How To Cite Textual Evidence Correctly
3) Generally, slaveholders viewed slaves as property, not as people. Slaveholders bought and sold
slaves to make a profit. The most common method of sale was at an auction. – Charlie Williams,
page 78
Textual Evidence:
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4) The buyer might be willing to pay for the slave who could do the work, but not for that slave’s family.
Families would then be separated with little hope of ever getting back together. – Stacey Emerson,
page 16
Textual Evidence:
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5) Slave traders sometimes even kidnapped free African Americans and then sold them into slavery. For
example, Solomon Northup, a free African American, was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. He spent 12
years as a slave until he finally proved his identity and gained his release. – Nou P. Xiong, page 31
Textual Evidence:
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