Massachusetts
Massachusetts became a U.S. state on Feb. 6, 1788 as the 6th state. Europeans sailed offshore in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Captain John Smith explored the coast of New England in 1614. Shortly afterwards epidemics broke out between 1614 and 1617 where it is estimated that 75 percent of the native population perished. Settlement began when the Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower and landed in1620 at Plymouth, it was named to honor their port of embarkation, Plymouth England.
The puritans settled in Boston in 1629, the early Puritans were primarily agricultural people. In 1730 the British introduced taxes for replenishment of the British treasury which we very unpopular, because of these taxes Massachusetts became a leader in resisting British rule.
The Stamp Act in 1765 and the Townshend Acts in 1767 preceded the Boston Massacre in 1770, and the Tea Act 1773 brought on the Boston Tea Party . The colonials were punished for this with the Intolerable Acts 1774, which troops under Gen. Thomas Gage were sent to enforce the acts.
In 1774 they called the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. In 1775 General Gage the Massachusetts militia fought the British force at Lexington and Concord, other colonies joined in, and after the battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, George Washington was made the commander of the patriot forces. The British evacuated Boston in 1776.
Independence had closed the old trade routes within the British Empire, but new ones were soon created, and trade with China became especially lucrative.
The late 19th century was the state’s greatest industrial period.
The largest cities in Massachusetts are Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Lowell, Cambridge, Brockton, New Bedford, Fall River and Quincy.
Notable
Location
Massachusetts is bounded to the north by Vermont and New Hampshire, to the east and southeast by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by Rhode Island and Connecticut, and to the west by New York.
Climate
The state has a temperate climate. Massachusetts has significant climatic differences between its eastern and western sections. The entire state has cold winters and moderately warm summers, the Berkshires in the west have both the coldest winters and the coolest summers. The normal January temperature in Pittsfield in the Berkshires is 22°F (–6°C), while the normal July temperature is 68°F (20°C). The coastal sections are the warmest areas in the state, the normal January temperature for Boston is 30°F (–1°C), and the normal July temperature is 74°F (23°C).
Capital
Boston
Population as of 2009
6,593,587 Ranked number 15 in the U.S.
Seats in the House of Representatives
10
Electoral College
12
Nick name
Bay State
Flower
Mayflower
Bird
Chickadee
Animal
Boston Terrier, Tabby Cat, Morgan Horse
