A printing press reaches Cambridge
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All four include an image, vocabulary, comprehension questions, a follow-up reading, and teacher guidance. These English PDFs have selectable text; use the reading below for adjustable text and listening tools.
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Words to know
- make words or pictures on a surface
- copy
- make another version of something
- spread
- move or reach across a wider area
A printing press reached Cambridge in 1638. Printing began there in 1639. Workers used ink and type to make copies of words. The press helped ideas travel. Printing already existed elsewhere in the world.
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What happened? Point to a detail that supports your answer. What does the picture help you understand? What would you like to investigate next?
Follow-up: The Body of Liberties
Massachusetts Bay made a set of laws. Some laws offered protections. The code also allowed slavery in certain cases. Enslaved people were forced to work and denied freedom. A law can be deeply unfair.
How are the two events connected or different? Their order does not prove that one caused the other.
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Check the evidence
Research source for this event ↗
Original site illustration. Image source and rights ↗
Historical images, later portraits, reconstructions, and modern topic illustrations are identified in their captions. They are different kinds of evidence.
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