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Massachusetts was named after local Indian tribe whose name means "a large hill place" The 6th Colony of the United States (February 6, 1788), Massachusetts has lead the way in many areas of the common culture.
The Pilgrims, fleeing religious persecution, set sail for North America in 1620 and established their colony in Plymouth, where they set up a democratic government (the Mayflower Compact under the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony) The Constitution of Massachusetts (1780) is the oldest written Constitution in the world still in effect.

Firm in their respect for education, Massachusetts established the prestigious Harvard University in 1636. Massachusetts passed the 1st compulsory attendance laws for school in 1852. (Harvard School of Dental Medicine was established in 1867 as the first university-based dental school in the United States.) Ironically, the compulsory attendance law was to strengthen the common culture by ensuring that religion was a base of education, this has been negated by recent Supreme Court decisions which use this legal base to compel imposition of secular humanism. Today, the Commonwealth has more than eighty colleges and universities.

The first anti-slavery publication, The Liberator(1831), gave rise to the New England Anti-Slavery Society in Boston. Responsible for the historic "Underground Railway". Massachusetts generously gave men and money to the Civil War, also contributing the first African-American regiments to be mustered.

The Colony of Massachusetts was the first English speaking government to adopt permanent military regiments in December, 1636. Massachusetts' Motto is: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem (By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty) From 1660, when regulations began increasing from abroad (the Stuarts revoked the Massachusetts charter in 1684) to the "Boston Massacre" in 1770 when British soldiers fired upon Boston's taunting citizens, Massachusetts has met any attempt at outside regulation firmly. (The first rioting and boycotts in America were in Massachusetts. The first blood shed in the American Revolutionary War was in Massachusetts.) Since the siege of Boston, and Battle of Bunker Hill, (1776), Massachusetts has had no enemy troops within its borders.

Archaeological excavations show that Paleo-Indian habitation of the Massachusetts area began more than 10,000 years ago. Sophisticated technology has been found, including ceramics, textiles, leather, basketry, and maneuverable canoes. Around 1500 A.D., European settlers found the Massachusett, Wampanoag, Pennacook, Mahican (Stockbridge), Pocumtuck, and Nipmuck - all speaking variations of the Algonquian language family. (John Cabot explored the area in 1497 and 1498. Bartholemew Gosnold explored the bay in 1602 and named Cape Cod for the fish.) The Indians had no natural immunities to European disease and epidemics began in coastal Massachusetts in 1616 and 1617, devastating native populations by as much as 90%. Pilgrims, arriving in 1620, they found many areas abandoned. Plimoth plantation was established on the site a depopulated Native American settlement. Native Americans are a deeply rooted, vigorous part of the diverse population (2000 census) of 6,349,097 Massachusetts residents.

Known as the "Bay State", Massachusetts stretches from Cape Cod (easternmost areas border the Atlantic Ocean), to the western mountains in the northeast United States. Its capitol is Boston. It has 12 County governments, 44 Municipal governments and 307 Townships.

The Embargo during the War of 1812, hit Maritime Massachusetts hard, but, resilient, as always, and using the plentiful waterpower available to them, Massachusetts began the manufacture of essential goods, soon becoming a leader. Francis Cabot Lowell's power loom (1814) jump-started the textile industry, turning Waltham, Lawrence, Lowell, Fall River, New Bedford, and other cities into great manufacturing centers.

Massachusetts' present day economy is characterized by entrepreneurship, innovation, venture capital, one of the highest employment rates in the nation, an educated employment pool, and a strong research and development network. The state leads the nation in attracting federal investments in research and development, and the universities and laboratories work hand-in-hand with business interests for the future of the state and the nation. High-tech innovation, global trading. exports of information technology, financial services, health industry, manufacturing, travel and tourism combine to assure Massachusetts of a bright financial future.

Helpful links:

Massachusetts Golf Courses

Massachusetts Lighthouse Links

MassTourist.com

Massachusetts Weather

Mass Wildlife Home Page

Mohawk Trail Region - Northwestern Massachusetts