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About Massachusetts
Massachusetts (officially, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts) is a state in the New England region of the United States of America. Its nickame is the Bay State. Other nicknames are the Old Colony State, and less commonly the Puritan state and the Baked Bean state. On December 18, 1990, the Legislature decided that the people of the Commonwealth would be designated as Bay Staters.

The United States Postal Service abbreviation for Massachusetts is MA and its traditional abbreviation is Mass.

Seven ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Massachusetts in honor of this state






































History of Massachusetts
Early settlement

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was named after the indigenous population, the Massachusett, whose name means "a large hill place" in reference to a small mountain known today as "Blue Hill" (located in Milton, just south of Boston). Until 1691 when they merged, Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony were separate colonies. The Pilgrims established their settlement at Plymouth in 1620, arriving on the Mayflower

Massachusetts Bay Colony period (1629–1686)

They were soon followed by the Puritans, who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Although the Puritans came to Massachusetts for religious freedom, they were not tolerant of any other religion than theirs. People such as Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams, and Thomas Hooker left Massachusetts and went South because of the Puritans' lack of religious tolerance. Williams ended up founding the colony of Rhode Island and Hooker founded Connecticut. King Philip's War (1675-1676), the bloodiest Indian war of the early colonial period, included major campaigns in the Pioneer Valley and Plymouth Colony. It took many years for the colonies of southern New England to recover from the effects of the war.

Province of New England (1686–1692)

In May of 1686, the Massachusetts Bay Colony came to an end, as Joseph Dudley became President of New England under a commission of King James II. He established his authority later in New Hampshire and the King's Province (part of today's Rhode Island), maintaining this position until Sir Edmund Andros arrived to become the Royal Governor of the New England Dominion. Dudley continued on as a member of Governor Andros' council.

At the news of the accession of William and Mary, the Boston colonials rebelled. Andros and his officials were held on Castle Island and then sent back to England as prisoners. Andros was exonerated and went on to become Governor of Virginia (1692–98).

Royal Colony of Massachusetts (1692–1774)

Notable governors during this period were Thomas Hutchinson, Sir Francis Bernard, and Thomas Gage. Gage was the last British governor of Massachusetts.

Beginning of the Revolution

Massachusetts was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. On February 9, 1775 the British Parliament declared Massachusetts to be in rebellion and sent additional troops to restore order.

An African-American named Crispus Attucks from Framingham was one of the first Americans killed during the American Revolution, in Boston on March 5, 1770, at an event that has come to be called the Boston Massacre.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1780–present)

A Constitutional Convention drew up a Constitution drafted in the main by John Adams, and the people ratified it on June 15, 1780. At that time, Adams along with Samuel Adams, and James Bowdoin wrote in the Preamble to the Constitution of the Commonwealth, 1780:

We, therefore, the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe, in affording us, in the course of His Providence, an opportunity, deliberately and peaceably, without fraud, violence or surprize, on entering into an Original, explicit, and Solemn Compact with each other; and of forming a new Constitution of Civil Government, for Ourselves and Posterity, and devoutly imploring His direction in so interesting a design, Do agree upon, ordain and establish, the following Declaration of Rights, and Frame of Government, as the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Today, it is the oldest functioning written constitution in the world.

John Hancock was the first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

On February 6, 1788 Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution.

According to a 1790 census, Massachusetts had a zero population of slaves.

On March 15, 1820 the area of Maine was separated from Massachusetts, of which it had been a non-contiguous part, and entered the Union as a State in its own right.

[Credits (http://www.mass.gov/statehouse/massgovs_credits.htm)]

Massachusetts contains many historic houses

Massachusetts: Reference for Travelers
Massachusetts Weather: Weather Underground

Tourism: Tourism information for Massachusetts

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