Science, inventions & engineering
Margaret E. Knight
1838–1914
Massachusetts connection
Springfield
Knight designed a machine to cut, fold, and glue paper into flat-bottomed bags. She worked in Springfield and defended her right to the invention. A patent is a legal protection for an invention. Her work changed a common object that people could use every day.
You can use your device’s reading tools or read with a partner.
Your turn, historian
Find a detail. Build an idea.
- What did this person or group do? Point to a detail in the reading.
- What problem did this person investigate? Who else helped make progress?
- What would you like to find out next? Which kind of source could help?
“Margaret E. Knight mattered because ___. A detail that supports my idea is ___.”
Follow the evidence.
This short reading is an original classroom summary. Open the source with your teacher to check details and learn more.
Read the source: National Inventors Hall of Fame ↗Ask: Who made this source? What can it tell us? What might it leave out?