A Tour of Massachusetts History and Trivia

[MA Seal - 8.8K]

A Tour of Massachusetts History and Trivia

INTRODUCTION

The name Massachusetts comes from Algonquian Indian words that mean the great
mountain, an apparent reference to the tallest of the Blue Hills, a recreation area south
of the town of Milton. Massachusetts is nicknamed the "Bay State", for the early
settlement on Cape Cod Bay. Like other New Englanders, Bay Staters are popularly
referred to as Yankees. (Not if they are Red Sox fans!)
Much of the American heritage is embodied in Massachusetts. The windswept seacoast of
this small northeastern state may have been the first part of what is now the United States seen by Europeans. Norse explorers probably landed on Cape Cod more than 1,000 years ago. The Mayflower colonists who reached Plimoth (Plymouth) in December 1620 (in the words of Governor William Bradford) found it "fitt for shipping; and marched into ye land,
& found diverse cornfields, & little running brooks, a place fitt for situation".These Pilgrim leaders were refugees from religious persecution that had already driven them to another alien land. The English-speaking colony they founded became the New World's hub of
liberty and culture, its cradle of commerce and industry.

ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

Original inhabitants included:
Nauset, Algonquian Indians formerly living on Cape Cod, Massachusetts;
Massachuset, a North American Indian tribe that formerly lived in Massachusetts; and
Wampanoag, powerful Algonquian Indian tribe whose proper territory was the peninsula
on the east shore of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, and the adjacent parts of Massachusetts but whose chiefs ruled a much larger territory.

NOTABLE EVENTS IN MASSACHUSETTS HISTORY

For over three hundred years, Massachusetts has led the nation and the world:
In Massachusetts the concept of popular government quickly took substance and the first
free public schools were founded. Among the many American institutions and practices
introduced in Massachusetts were the town meeting form of self-government, the first
regular newspapers, and the first private academies. Harvard, founded at Cambridge in
1636, was the first American College. The first celebration of Thanksgiving Day was
celebrated at Plymouth. Massachusetts was also the scene of the notorious witch hunts
and trials in Salem during the late 17th century.
The heightened ideals of the Massachusetts people made their colony the tinderbox of the
American Revolution. The first martyr killed in the cause of independence was a runaway
slave, Crispus Attucks, who fell on the Boston Common in 1770. Boston Harbor was the
stage for the famous Tea Party (1773) that defied British tax laws. The opening shots of
the conflict that created the United States were fired on Massachusetts soil in Lexington
and Concord, and at Bunker Hill.
Read the Chronological List for a summary of "Famous Firsts In Massachusetts" and
other noteable events in Massachusetts history.

PRESIDENTS FROM MASSACHUSETTS

The second and sixth presidents of the new nation came from the same Massachusetts
family: John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams. Other presidents elected from
Massachusetts include the 30th president, Calvin Coolidge and the 35th president,
John F. Kennedy. In 1988, both major presidential candidates were Massachusetts-born:
the Democratic governor, Michael S. Dukakis, was defeated by George Bush.

FACTS ABOUT MASSACHUSETTS

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts entered the Union on February 6, 1788, as the
sixth state. It is governed under its original constitution, which was adopted in 1780.
Boston (also known as "The Hub" and "Beantown") became the capitol city of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1632. It has served as the state capitol since 1780.
The chief executive officer is the governor, elected for a four-year term. An interesting fact to know and tell: There have been 11 Democratic and 14 Republican Governors of Massachusetts since 1914, a virtual 50-50 split. This is pretty remarkable when you consider that many people view Massachusetts as a Democratic political stronghold.
The legislature, called the General Court, consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judiciary is headed by the Supreme Judicial Court, consisting of seven justices.
Despite its industrial orientation and the location of corporate headquarters for many
businesses in the state, Massachusetts is a popular state for visitors. Tourism is a
major industry. The state's scenic and recreational attractions are many, ranging from
the low, sandy beaches of Cape Cod to the wooded Berkshire Hills of the west. The
chief seaside resort areas are Cape Ann, the north shore (between Cape Ann and Boston),
Cape Cod, and the offshore islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. All along the
coastline dotted with fine harbors swimming, boating, and fishing are popular. Inland, the
areas along the Mohawk Trail, which have long been a magnet for artists, are a summer
and winter playground.

Many visitors are drawn to the historic and cultural richness of Massachusetts. Through-
out the state, and especially in Boston and the other coastal cities and towns, the past is
preserved for the future in historic buildings, monuments, museums, and libraries.
Massachusetts ranked 13th in population as of the 1990 census with 6,029,051 residents.
The state covers an area of 8,257 square miles, with 431 square miles of water surface.
Elevations range from 3,491 feet (Mount Greylock near North Adams) to sea level along
the shoreline. The geographic center is in the northern part of the City of Worcester.

MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

The chief state-supported school is the University of Massachusetts,with branches in Amherst,
Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and Worcester. Harvard, in Cambridge, was the first American College. Other large schools include Northeastern University and Boston University, both in Boston; Boston College, in Chestnut Hill; Brandeis University, in Waltham; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge; Tufts University, in Medford; College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester; Clark University, in Worcester; Smith College, in Northampton; Springfield College, in Springfield; Wellesley College, in Wellesley; Mount Holyoke College, in South Hadley; Williams College, in Williamstown; American International College, in Springfield; and Amherst College, in Amherst. Over one hundred colleges, universities, and teaching hospitals are located in Massachusetts, including an extensive network of State Colleges.

MASSACHUSETTS STATE OFFICIAL SYMBOLS

The STATE FLAG

[MA Flag - 1.6K]

The Massachusetts flag was two-sided from 1908 to 1971. The current flag (above) bears
the arms of the state on a white field. The arms show an American Indian holding a bow
and arrow and a white star in the upper left of the shield. The state motto appears below
it. The other side of the former flag had a green pine tree on a blue shield. The pine tree
had been a traditional symbol of the state since the founding of the original colony.

The STATE SEAL

[Mass. Seal - 5.6K]

The state seal of Massachusetts has remained essentially the same since 1780, though
details changed and were standardized in 1898. The arms, as on the state flag, include
a crest (an arm holding a sword) and a ribbon with the state motto Petit Placidam Sub
Libertate Quietem (By the Sword We Seek Peace, but Peace Only Under Liberty).

(You can see another "State Seal" here.)

OFFICIAL SONG:
"All Hail to Massachusetts"
Words & Music by Arthur J. Marsh. OFFICIAL POEM:
"Blue Hills of Massachusetts"
by Katherine E. Mullen.

OFFICIAL BIRD:
Black-Capped Chickadee

[Mayflower - 8.1K]
OFFICIAL FLOWER:
Mayflower

[American Elm - 13.1K]

OFFICIAL TREE:
American Elm

Tom Wells Painting

OFFICIAL VESSEL:
The Schooner Ernestina

OTHER OFFICIALDOM

HEROINE: Deborah Sampson BEVERAGE: Cranberry Juice

BUILDING AND MONUMENT STONE: Granite

FOSSIL: Dinosaur Track GEM: Rhodonite

HISTORICAL ROCK: Plymouth Rock ROCK: Roxbury Pudding Stone

MINERAL: Babingtonite FISH: Cod

HORSE: Morgan Horse CAT: Tabby Cat

[Boston Terrier - 2.3K]
DOG: Boston Terrier [Johnny Appleseed - 1.4K]
FOLK HERO: Johnny Appleseed [Cranberry - 2.3K]

BERRY: Cranberry

INSECT: Ladybug
MARINE MAMMAL: Right Whale

and last, but by no means least, the official
COOKIE: Toll House.

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	OFFICIAL SONG: "All Hail to Massachusetts" Words & Music by Arthur J. Marsh.	OFFICIAL POEM: "Blue Hills of Massachusetts" by Katherine E. Mullen.
	OFFICIAL BIRD: Black-Capped Chickadee	OFFICIAL FLOWER: Mayflower
	OFFICIAL TREE: American Elm	Tom Wells Painting OFFICIAL VESSEL: The Schooner Ernestina