Massachusetts

**Geography:** Massachusetts is bordered with New Hampshire and Vermont above and Connecticut and Rhode Island underneath, and began around 500 BCE, which was populated by the Algonquin Indians who consisted of farmers, hunters, and gatherers. With their rich soil they were great farmers with many agricultural methods. With the several bays and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Massachusetts is very prosperous. The Berkshires Mountains are also located in Western Massachusetts. Soon, many separations came together such as the Nausets on Cape Cod, the Wampanoags in southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the Massachusetts in the north, the Nipmucs in central Massachusetts and the Pocumtucs in the west. With all these divisions, they shared ancestry and culture, but there were many territorial arguments.



**History:** The first settlement in the colony of Massachusetts, and the rest of New England, began in 1620, with the majority of people coming from England. A ship known as the Mayflower carried over 100 Puritan's that planned on settling in the America's and finding gold to become wealthy. These Puritans were known as Pilgrims and landed at Cape Code Bay. The Pilgrims were very religious people and wanted to come to the America's in order to practice their religion freely. With the help of the Native Americans, the Puritans learned different farming methods. This colony flourished because of the different farming methods, trade, and fishing. The Mayflower Compact was issued to keep the government based on the consent of the governed. 

**Economics:** The colonists survived by learning different farming methods learned by the Native American's. They also settled along the coast so they were able to fish. The main reason they first came to the America's was to search for gold to bring back to Europe and be very wealthy. As time went on, trading outposts were set up along New England. After a year, to celebrate their survival they had a large feast (today known as Thanksgiving) in 1622 with the neighboring Indian tribes. The people of Massachusetts were against slavery although the practice of the triangle trade was a three-way trade route between the colonies, England and West Africa in which rum was shipped out in trade for slaves through the middle passage. Cash crops were used to make profits off of their crops. Mercantilism is when the colonies sent raw materials to their mother country, and then send back finished goods for a higher price back to the colonies. In this case, Massachusetts was sending out raw materials to Britain.

**Social:** Massachusetts was an English-speaking colony. A new generation of people from the Americas arose which focused more on the cultivation of the crops and making profits, and having pure souls. They were hardworking, but did not have the same religious passion that their parents and previous generation had. The church and the government were closely associated, but members of the church decreased because of the focus on crops. This soon caused civil and religious affairs. The Halfway Covenant brought back the church membership and civil participation. The role of women in colonial American was to raise children, cook, clean and the other necessities to keep their family running. The Great Awakening swept New England, which exerted an influence that shaped religious thinking.



**Political:** Massachusetts approved a new charter authorized by King William III and Queen Mary II. This royal charter joined Plymouth Colony to Massachusetts, which guaranteed religious toleration. It also assigned the colonial governorship to a royal appointee, Sir Edmund Andros. This royal governor wanted to take down the colonial government and put an end to local government. The British was also enforcing Salutary Neglect on Massachusetts and the other colonies. British did not strictly enforce laws, so the colonies would remain loyal.

**French and Indian War:** The colonists of Massachusetts were involved in colonial wars between Britain and France. The colonists supplied the army with supplies which defeated the French and the Indians. The conflicts put Britain in an economic decline because of soil and land shortages so Britain tried to enforce trade restrictions to increase their economic income. Though, civil dissatisfaction sparked. The majority of colonist living in Massachusetts were patriots. They did not want to keep prospering Britain because they were giving all their hard work to Britain to survive and prosper. Thus, they were not doing well for themselves. The colonist were supporting the ideas of the revolution because they wanted to rebel and go against Britain so they could no longer rule them, and they can rule themselves. 

**Revolution:** Massachusetts was the birthplace of the American Revolution with most fighting occurring around Boston. The Continental Army fought a battle against British at Bunker's Hill, which stopped British from expanding the hold in Massachusetts. Soon the army forced British to evacuate Boston. This ended most fighting in Massachusetts. The politicians went on to the Continental Congress very much wanted and supported the Declaration of Independence. Massachusetts took a step further and even declared itself a state with a constitution that supported public education, ordered a property requirement for voting rights, and established a state supported church. This was a huge change for the people of Massachusetts because of the sense of freedom and no longer under British rule. Leaders such as Samuel Adams helped them win the revolution and signed the Declaration of Independence.

//"Massachusetts."// American History //. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2011.

By Alyssa Luciano and Claire Fogarty