MassachusettsHISTORY EXPLORERS GRADES 3–8
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Quick glossary
evidence
Information from a source that helps us test a claim.
source
A document, object, image, or account we can examine.
inference
An explanation based on clues; it still needs checking.
migration
Moving from one place to another to live.
immigrant
A person who moves to another country to live.
estimate
An approximate amount, based on available information.
oral history
A recorded interview about someone’s memories and experiences.
community
People connected by a place, relationships, or shared activities.
ancestry
Family origins across generations.
primary source
Evidence created by someone who experienced a time or event.

Event 39 of 100 · 1826

Lowell becomes a town

Choose a PDF, read on screen, and try the word game.

← All 100 events

Choose your PDF reading

Grade 2 PDF ↗Short sentences, pictures, and read-and-notice questions.Grade 4 PDF ↗More context, text evidence, and explanatory writing.Grade 8 PDF ↗Source analysis, perspective, and evidence-based comparisons.Words first PDF ↗Supported reading for multilingual learners and students who benefit from more spacing and oral rehearsal.

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.

Read on this page

The Boott Cotton Mills is one of the best, most-intact complexes of cotton mills from Lowell's heyday in the 19th century.
The Boott Cotton Mills is one of the best, most-intact complexes of cotton mills from Lowell's heyday in the 19th century.

Words to know

industry
work that makes goods or provides services
labor
work done by people
organize
arrange people or things to carry out a plan

Lowell was incorporated as a town. Mills grew beside waterways. Many young women worked in textile factories. Workers created communities and organized for better conditions. The city’s story includes many immigrant families.

Talk about the reading

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 Liberator begins

William Lloyd Garrison began publishing The Liberator in Boston. The newspaper called for ending slavery. Black and white abolitionists worked in many ways for freedom. Publishing helped spread arguments and news.

How are the two events connected or different? Their order does not prove that one caused the other.

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Word match: use the reading

Select a word, then select its meaning. You can use a keyboard or tap. Read the word bank if you need a clue.

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Check the evidence

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NPS Photo 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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