Maria Louise Baldwin
1856–1922
Cambridge
Maria Louise Baldwin grew up in Cambridge and became a teacher in the city's public schools. In 1889 she was appointed principal of the Agassiz School, leading a mostly white staff and student body at a time of widespread racial discrimination. She later became the school's master, a title recognizing greater responsibility. Baldwin encouraged strong teaching and supported community work beyond the classroom. She also participated in movements for Black civil rights and women's voting rights. Her career connects the everyday work of education with larger struggles over opportunity and who could lead.
You can use your device’s reading tools or read with a partner.
Find a detail. Build an idea.
- What did this person or group do? Point to a detail in the reading.
- How can making art, teaching, or caring for others change a community?
- What would you like to find out next? Which kind of source could help?
“Maria Louise Baldwin mattered because ___. A detail that supports my idea is ___.”
Grades 6–8: dig deeper
What kinds of barriers might Baldwin have faced as a Black woman leading a mostly white school?
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: historycambridge.org ↗Ask: Who made this source? What can it tell us? What might it leave out?