- The state seal of Massachusetts has remained in essentially the same form since 1780, though …
The state of Massachusetts got its name from Algonquian Indian words meaning “near the great mountain.” It is believed that the mountain being referred to was the tallest of the Blue Hills, a recreation area south of the town of Milton. Massachusetts is nicknamed the Bay State because early settlers made their home along Cape Cod Bay. Massachusetts has a rich heritage. In the 18th century it was the cradle of the American Revolution. In the 19th century Massachusetts was home to the Industrial Revolution in North America. Throughout its history Massachusetts has also been a center of education and culture. The state capital is the historic city of Boston. GeographyMassachusetts is located in the northeastern United States in a region known as New England. A rather small state, it has an area of 8,284 square miles (21,456 square kilometers). Massachusetts is bordered on the north by New Hampshire and Vermont, on the west by New York, on the south by Connecticut and Rhode Island, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Several islands are part of Massachusetts: Martha's Vineyard, the Elizabeth Islands, and Nantucket. Cape Cod is a large peninsula in the southeastern part of the state that juts into the Atlantic in the shape of an arm bent at the elbow. Massachusetts has several distinct natural regions. It rises from a coastal plain and lowland in the east to a plateau region in the center of the state. The Berkshire Hills region in the western part of the state include the Taconic Mountains, the Berkshire Hills, and the Hoosac Range. At 3,491 feet (1,064 meters) Mount Greylock in the Berkshire Hills is the highest point in the state. Plants and animalsDespite its industrialization, Massachusetts has preserved many of its forests; there are now more than 100 state forests, reservations, and parks. Several national wildlife refuges and the Cape Cod National Seashore allow further contact with nature. Not far from downtown Boston is the Arnold Arboretum, which has one of the largest collections of trees and shrubs in the United States. Few large animals remain in the wild, but an occasional bear or moose is sighted. Other animals seen in the woods include deer, otters, snowshoe hare, red foxes, woodchucks, and raccoons. A variety of birds also live in the state. They include water birds such as the loon, land dwellers such as the brown thrasher, and game birds such as the wild turkey. People and cultureEastern Woodland Indians of the Algonquian language family were the first people to live in the Massachusetts region. The major tribes were the Nauset on Cape Cod, the Massachuset, and the Wampanoag. The region was settled in the 1620s and 1630s by English Puritans. These Protestants had left their homeland because of conflicts with the Church of England. For more than 200 years the descendants of Puritan settlers governed Massachusetts. The state is now largely Roman Catholic. In the 19th century waves of immigrants began arriving in Massachusetts. First were the Irish, fleeing the great potato famine of the 1840s. Later came Italians, Portuguese, Scandinavians, Poles, and others from Europe. African Americans came from the South. At the end of the 20th century Hispanics were the largest minority group in Massachusetts, followed by African Americans and Asians. Only about 15,000 Native Americans remained in the state. CitiesMassachusetts is a heavily urban state, meaning that most people live in cities or towns. The largest city is Boston, a major industrial center and Atlantic seaport as well as the state capital. Worcester, the second-largest city, Springfield, and New Bedford are other major industrial cities. Cambridge, a suburb of Boston across the Charles River, is a cultural, educational, and industrial center. Recreation - Norman's Woe, off the east coast of Cape Ann, Massachusetts.
The state's scenic and recreational attractions are many. The chief seaside resort areas are Cape Ann, the north shore (between Cape Ann and Boston), Cape Cod, and the offshore islands. All along the coastline, swimming, boating, and fishing are popular. People vacation in the Berkshire Hills in both winter and summer. Many visitors are drawn to the historic and cultural richness of Massachusetts. Throughout the state, but especially in Boston and the other coastal cities and towns, the past is preserved in historic buildings, monuments, museums, and libraries. Notable attractions include the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops, the Franklin Park Zoo, and the New England Aquarium. Massachusetts is home to several professional sports teams, including the Boston Red Sox (baseball), the Boston Celtics (men's basketball), the Boston Bruins (ice hockey), and the New England Patriots (football). The annual Boston Marathon attracts runners from around the world. EducationPrivate academies in Massachusetts started in 1635 with the founding of the Boston Latin School. The state is famous for its excellent colleges and universities, including Harvard University (in Cambridge), founded in 1636 as the first college in the United States. Two other well-known institutions are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (in Cambridge) and Tufts University (in Medford). The state also is home to several of the nation's best women's colleges, including Wellesley College (in Wellesley). The University of Massachusetts is the main state-supported school. It has branches in Amherst, Boston, Lowell, and North Dartmouth. EconomyIndustryMassachusetts has long been an important industrial center. In the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries the state was known for manufacturing industries such as textile production. Massachusetts continues to produce such goods as industrial machinery, electronic equipment, medical supplies, and computer components. The state's economy today, however, depends largely on technological research and development and service industries. The state's many high-technology companies draw upon the educational institutions in and around Boston. Health care, business services, and educational services are other leading industries in the state. Tourism contributes to the economy as well. AgricultureMuch of Massachusetts has thin, rocky soil that is difficult to farm. For this reason agriculture has never been central to the state's economy. Milk and eggs are the main agricultural products. The cranberry bogs on Cape Cod make Massachusetts a leader in this crop. Fishing and miningFishing in the Atlantic waters has always been important to the state's economy. The hunting of whales once was a major source of income for the state, but the whaling industry declined at the beginning of the 20th century. The leading catches now include haddock, flounder, cod, whiting, ocean perch, lobster, clams, and sea scallops. Some mining is done in Massachusetts. The chief mineral deposits are sand, gravel, stone, lime, and clays. HistoryEarly settlersNative Americans had been living in the Massachusetts area for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. The first European settlers landed at Plymouth on a ship named the Mayflower in 1620. These people, known as the Pilgrims, established Plymouth Colony. The Pilgrims were a group of radical Puritans who had broken away from the Church of England to form a separate church. To the north of this settlement, the larger Massachusetts Bay Colony developed during the 1630s as many more Puritans arrived from England. In 1692 the town of Salem in the Massachusetts Bay Colony was the site of a famous series of trials that resulted in the hanging of people thought to be practicing witchcraft (see Salem witch trials). The colonial settlers fought two significant wars with Native Americans in the 17th century: the Pequot War (1637) and King Philip's War (1675–76). Many Native Americans were killed or driven off the land during these conflicts. American RevolutionDuring the 18th century Massachusetts became known as a trading center. As wealth increased, so did the desire for self-government. Colonists especially hated all of the taxes Britain made them pay. A series of events led Britain and the colonists close to war. In 1770 British soldiers and an angry mob clashed in an event known as the Boston Massacre. In 1773 some colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor to protest the tea tax; this act was known as the Boston Tea Party. In April 1775 the “shot heard round the world” was fired at Concord to start the American Revolution. Massachusetts was the site of many conflicts in this war, including the battle of Bunker Hill. Britain was defeated and the colonies became independent in 1783. Massachusetts faced its own revolt in 1786, when Daniel Shays led farmers of the Berkshire Hills in a rebellion against the state government. In 1788 Massachusetts became the sixth state to approve the United States Constitution. Massachusetts in the 19th centuryThe state's economy declined after the American Revolution and continued to struggle until after the War of 1812. When textile mills were opened at Lowell, however, Massachusetts became the North American center of the Industrial Revolution. The opening of new factories brought jobs to thousands of workers. The state also became a center for literature, the arts, sciences, and social-reform movements. Massachusetts was strongly against slavery. As a result, it fought on the side of the Union during the American Civil War (1861–65). Modern MassachusettsDuring the 20th century the state's economy went through a number of changes. The textile and shoe industries moved out of Massachusetts to Southern and Midwestern states, causing years of economic decline. The growth of the electronics and communications industries after World War II helped the state to thrive once again. In the late 20th century Massachusetts became a leader of the high-technology industry. This renewal has allowed the state to maintain its financial, educational, and cultural prominence. Population (2000 census), 6,349,097. |