AI Tutor
Imagine finding a dusty diary from 1849 written by someone panning for gold in California. How do you prove to someone today what life was actually like back then without just making guesses?
Historians use the exact words written by people who lived through events to prove their claims.

Evidence from the Past

A primary source is an original record created by someone who experienced or witnessed an event firsthand, such as a letter, diary, speech, or photograph.
When you use the author's exact words in your own writing, you are using a direct quotation to provide evidence.
How do we take raw words from an old document and turn them into strong proof for our writing?

The 3-Step Citation Frame

Dropping a quote into a paragraph by itself confuses readers. You need to introduce who said it, quote the exact words, and explain what it shows.
We use a simple structure: Lead-in, Quote, and Explanation.
Let's see how this works with a real piece of history.

Worked Example: A Gold Rush Letter