The Massachusetts Chronicles Newspaper Sample

ABOUT THIS NEWSPAPER

Welcome to The Massachusetts Chronicles. This historic newspaper tells stories about the place now called Massachusetts from earliest times to the present day. Here is what you will find inside:

PART 1

HISTORY AS IT HAPPENED

PAGES 2-47

More than 60 newspaper-style articles capture key moments in the history of the state reaching back thousands of years.

A series of boxes containing this arrow symbol, written from the perspective of today and highlighted in italics, provide additional information.

NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS!

VILLAGES MAKE PREPRATIONS FOR SPRING AND TO GIVE THANKS FOR ALL THE NEW LIFE THAT IS COMING FORTH

RUNNERS HAVE been seen throughout Wampanoag Territory. They are checking that everyone is ready for new year ceremonies.

QR codes appear on selected articles and the timeline. Focus the camera of a smartphone or tablet on any QR code, click on the gray box at the top of the screen, and you will be transported to a piece of related digital content.

PART 2 TIMELINE

PAGES 48-59

A 100-moment, color-coded timeline includes events in Massachusetts state history across six cross-curricular themes: commerce, conflict, culture, politics, science, and sports.

PART 3 NEED TO KNOW

PAGES 60-69

The back section contains a factfile of interesting information about Massachusetts, including a 35-question quiz, a map of the state and suggested places to visit, a hall of fame of influencial people, a glossary, details on the primary sources used in the articles, suggestions for further reading and more.

EDUCATOR’S GUIDE

A separate Massachusetts Chronicles Educator’s Guide features dozens of activity suggestions for teaching state history, all mapped to state standards, for use across the curriculum K through 12. For details of how to obtain a copy of the Massachusetts Chronicles Educator’s Guide, email info@statechronicles.com

Families from all 69 villages have moved from winter homes to the planting fields. The cedar swamps are busy with men collecting saplings for new house frames. The past winter gave just enough snow and rain, so the swamps are not too deep.

Men dig holes in the ground to put the frame poles in. Children watch their grandparents peel bark from the cut trees. Little hands may try this work. They separate the inner and outer layers. They watch their elders and learn that not even the smallest twig should be wasted.

Every spring, people give thanks for the new life that comes forth. There are flowers that bloom even before the snow leaves the ground. There are tiny oak leaves that tell us it is time to plant. There are young fawns, baby rabbits, squirrels, and turkeys. There are fish swimming upriver to bear their young. And there are our plant relatives that

give us food and medicine. We especially remember the white pine tree, for the ancestor Creator made us from white pine.

Thanksgiving to all life will begin at first light on the day of the new moon. Runners have reported to the sachem’s councils that all preparations are well underway. The fields have been burned and the ashes dug back

The Wampanoag people have lived in what is now Massachusetts for more than 12,000 years. In the early 1600s there were as many as 100,000 people in 69 villages. But many died of disease in 1616-1618. When the Mayflower landed in what is now Provincetown on Cape Cod, it was in the territory of Meeshawn of the Wampanoag Nation.

into the earth of the corn mounds. Each village is joyous with feast preparations. Women reach into the stores of corn and beans. Spring brings plenty of fresh herring, which we use to fertilize our land. We also get flounder, clams, quahogs, and other food from the sea. Fresh greens sprout all around us. And every hearth will certainly have a turkey roasting, or a large cod or bluefish.

As new year observances conclude, the women will begin getting ready for this year’s planting ceremonies. Thanksgiving is offered to all our relations.

Kidnapped: Sachems Meet After Coastal Disappearances

By our reporter Running Fox Time of Green Corn, 1614

EARLIER IN THE summer, ships from Europe came to trade. When they left, 20 men from the narrow land had disappeared. Families are frantic over the loss of their loved ones. Now Tisquantum and six others have gone missing from Patuxet. How could sailors so boldly take even more people? What

Tisquantum (Squanto) spoke English. That’s because he and 26 others were taken to England after being kidnapped by sailors in 1614. Tisquantum made it home to Patuxet in 1619, but everyone there had died from the disease in 1616. The Pilgrims valued him as their translator, but many Wampanoag didn’t trust him. Squanto died of a fever in 1622.

manner of people steal others from their homes? Parents are left without sons. Wives are left without husbands. Children are left without fathers.

The sachems of all villages along the coast will gather to discuss these horrific incidents. Before this conference, they will prepare. They will consult their elders’ and warriors’ councils. And they will learn what they can from other nations who have had ships come into their territory. Sachems will work together to make plans. They will save our people from those strangers who come from across the sea.

A modern Wampanoag shows how her ancestors gardened.

Watch a video explaining how Native peoples used long-distance runners to deliver important messages.

The English were not the first Europeans to visit the East Coast. Icelanders led by Leif Erikson beat them by 600 years. They set up a settlement in what is now eastern Canada, but it didn’t last long. The Beothuk people, on whose land they had settled, drove them away.

LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

By our pamphleteer

London, England, December

1616

NEW ENGLAND is the perfect place to make a new life in North America, says Captain John Smith. You may have heard of Smith. He was an early leader of the Jamestown colony in Vir -

ginia. It is the first lasting English colony in North America.

Captain Smith explored the coast of America far to the north of Jamestown. Now he is telling everyone that this region is the best place to settle. He has named it “New England” and published a map with English place names.

For years, European fishers

have fished the waters off Cape Cod and the rest of New England, but no one from Europe has started a colony there. Smith says an English person can get rich farming, fishing, trading with the local people, and selling American goods back in Europe.

There are many Indigenous peoples in New England. They

live together in villages, growing corn and other crops. Chiefs called sachems assign a planting area to each family. They live in two places. The summer home is near the coast. The winter home is inland. But there are no fences to close off lands. All the land is owned by the community. Because Native Americans don’t

care about owning land, Smith says settlers will be able to take what they want and grow rich.

See the original 1621 and 1630 patents (official contracts) issued to the first European settlers.

A map of New England by Captain John Smith, an early leader of the Jamestown colony in Virginia.

The Great Sickness: Disease From Ships Wipes Out Whole Villages And Communities

By our reporter Voice of the Wind End of Winter Moon, 1619

THE GREAT sickness that has swept across our land is finally relenting! For two years, the disease rampaged mercilessly from the north. We lost more than half of all of our villages to this most horrible plague.

In all of the villages, people of all ages—elders, moms, dads, children, and babies—got sick and died within three days.

Those who survived fled to relatives in living villages, praying that the sickness did not follow them. No one was left to bury the dead. Their bones lay

One method of delivering information between Indigenous villages was by using men as runners to carry messages. They could run 90 to 100 miles per day—that’s the equivalent of going from Hyannis to Boston!

strewn across the deserted land. Runners from the northern nations have brought news. They say that this disease came with ships that sailed here from across the water.

These northern neighbors too have lost thousands to this horrid death. Entire communities are gone. And when people die, generations of knowledge and wisdom die, too. Sachems, councils, and clan mothers still among us are meeting to plan for the rebuilding of our nation.

AN EPIC JOURNEY TO A NEW LIFE

By our Mayflower writer Cape Cod, December

9, 1620

AFTER arriving in this new land last month, our small group of pilgrims has survived our first encounter with Native people. We give thanks to God for our deliverance!

Our sailing ship the Mayflower has brought us to New England. Here we will be free to practice our religion as we please.

Sick and weary after ten long weeks at sea, we came to anchor in a good harbor on a pleasant bay. There are 132 of us, 30 crew and 102 passengers. The women came ashore to do the laundry as our clothing had great need of washing.

A group of us went ashore to explore the bay side of Cape Cod. We were 16 armed men, led by Myles Standish. Standish is an English army officer who will serve as our colony’s military adviser. We glimpsed Native people, who ran from us.

They have good reason to be afraid. Other English have kidnapped some. But we are different. We mean to live here for the rest of our days in peace.

About half of us on the voyage

are Separatists as I am. The other half have other reasons for making the trip. Those others were worried that we would have no form of government.

We put their minds at rest by drawing up a “Mayflower Compact”—which we named an “An Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth”— while still aboard the ship. A group of men signed this important document, which is thought to be the first written constitution in the New World, as we docked in the harbor. The Mayflower Compact creates a representative government, binding the passengers of the Mayflower and the people of our colony

together for the common good. We have not yet found a place to settle. Beneath heaps of sand, we found baskets of corn which we took for ourselves. It is winter, and we are desperate for food, but we fear that God will judge us for this theft. If we can track the people who buried the corn, we must surely pay them for it. We also found a place that looked like a grave. We dug it up and later covered it back over. We also came upon domed houses that Native people seemed to have left in great haste. They contained clay pots and wooden bowls, and we took some for our own use.

On our last exploration, we were confronted by a group of at least 30 Native men. Their cries terrified us. So did their arrows, which flew through the air and landed thick and fast around us. We fired our guns, and the Native warriors withdrew.

This is not the right spot for us. We must move on and find our new home.

ARE MYSTERY SETTLERS HERE TO STAY?

Explore an interactive list of the Pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower

ONE MORE SHIP has come to our shores, but it is very different this time. Women and children are among the group. And the men have begun to build on the grounds of Patuxet. Runners are reporting their movements to the sachems, who are worried.

We have seen many, many

ships come and go over the last 100 years. The visitors have fished in our waters. They have found those who would trade furs and goods with them. These new people seem to be planning to stay. What changes will be coming now? Our people are still tired and fearful from the great sickness.

Many worry about these new arrivals, and they are right. This new group of settlers has not

The first group of pilgrims lands at Plymouth Rock.

By our reporter Voice of the Wind Winter Moon, 1620

paid their respects to any of our leaders. They have not gained permission to come here and live in our land, and yet they behave

This is how the Pilgrim Village would have looked in 1627, once the English had time to create their settlement.

ENGLISH PLANT COLONY, SURVIVE FIRST WINTER

By our senior chronicler in Plymouth Colony March 19, 1621

THANKS BE TO GOD. Our colony has survived the winter in the fellowship of the Gospel, free to worship as we wish. Since arriving off Cape Cod, death has been everywhere. It claimed the lives of about half the 102 souls who were on our sailing ship. The wife of William Bradford, one of our leaders, was among them. Mercifully, others have been left untouched by illness.

We have chosen to make Plymouth on Cape Cod Bay our new home. Although the harbor is shallow, there is plentiful clean spring water.

It was not our plan to make for this area. We were hoping to land farther south.

Plymouth is named on a map by Captain John Smith, who explored the New England coast. It is a coincidence that it is also the name of the English port we set sail from.

Our new home is on the site of the former village of Patuxet. The Native people of Patuxet and other nearby communities were wiped out by an epidemic

known as “the great dying.”

We have built wooden dwellings for shelter against winter. For now, we farm in common.

We have use of the land but do not fully own it. Our colony is co-owned by merchants in London. We must wait seven years and pay off our debts before we can be sole owners and expand to settle other places.

Each of us has brought enough supplies to survive for a year. They include clothing, tools, household implements, and food. The men have muskets and swords.

We are concerned about threats from Native people. So we have built a fort on a hill for our guns. With views across the plain and the bay, it provides some basic protection.

Despite our fears, we are not without Native allies. A few days ago, a Native man called Samoset marched into the settlement and bade us welcome in English!

as if their actions should be all right with us.

What causes these people to behave in such a manner? Many

villages that are left from the great sickness have joined with Massasoit of Pokanoket, and the councils have begun discussions. While we are still hard at work rebuilding our nation after the great dying, we must also decide how to treat these intruders into our country.

A religious group with roots in England believed it was necessary to separate from the Church of England. Persecuted there, these Separatists moved to Holland, where they lived for more than ten years. They moved to North America in 1620 to start anew.

Massasoit Makes Historic Alliance With Settlers

WAMPANOAG leader Massasoit made a historic agreement yesterday with the Plymouth Colony. So writes our senior chronicler on March 23, 1621.

Massasoit decided to make this agreement with the English in order to have an ally in his people’s struggle against the Narragansett.

The Narragansett lost few people in the great dying, which has added to their power. And recently they have been

trying to take over parts of Wampanoag territory.

It is common for sachems to make alliances with sachems of other nations in order to work together to the benefit of all. Massasoit is hopeful that this new alliance with the English will work in the same way.

Plymouth Governor John Carver believes that the alliance with Massasoit will be the best way for the English colony to survive in Wampanoag territory.

Many Indigenous people are worried by the European settlers.

Explore a collection of personal possessions owned by passengers on the Mayflower

Settlers Share Feast To Give Thanks For A Healthy Harvest

By our diarist in Plymouth October 3, 1621

WE DREAMED about this moment as we carefully gathered in our corn, squash, and beans. The harvest was complete, and the Governor declared a time of rejoicing to celebrate the fruits of our labors. It had been months of hard work.

William Bradford, our newly elected governor, ordered a party of men to go out hunting. They had great success, bringing birds back for the feast. One kind of bird is the wild turkey. They are large and strange looking and are a common sight here.

We were about 50 in number and were joined by our new ally Massasoit and at least 90 of his people. They brought deer for the feast. We were all awed by the sight of deer and birds turning on wooden spits over outdoor fires.

We ate heartily and shared the best of what we had with Massasoit and his people. We feasted and played games for three days. Everywhere around us looked just as God intended. The green leaves of summer were turning brilliant yellow and red.

What began as a terrible year of struggle and sickness is ending in a spirit of gratitude to God.

The colony’s future now seems assured. Some of the Native people have become our trusted allies. We give thanks for our good fortune.

TRADITION says that the first Thanksgiving took place in 1621. That was when the settlers and their Indigenous allies celebrated the harvest together. But it didn’t become a holiday at that time. It was 168 years before George Washington named November 26, 1789, a “Day of Publick Thanksgiving.” And it didn’t become an annual national holiday until 1863. President Lincoln made it one.

A painting of the first Thanksgiving celebration, in 1621.

PILGRIM SETTLERS DEMAND MORE LAND!

the borders of their town.

By our investigative reporter, Looking Mouse

Time When the Herring Run, 1623

RUNNERS HAVE noted that the English are now moving beyond

They have been in our country three years, and in spite of the agreement with Massasoit, again they have not asked the sachems about the use of more land. They

have been clearing new ground to plant more corn—twice as much land as they originally settled on. This land is within the bounds of the Wampanoag nation. The English should

be talking to Massasoit.

The sachems and elders agree this activity is dangerous. The English want more land—and how much more in the future?

There have already been several other ships bringing even more people to settle here. They have been told which sachems are responsible for which lands. Yet most disregard our laws and boundaries. Each day brings another intrusion for us to contend with.

WILLIAM BRADFORD was elected Governor of the Plymouth colony over and over. In 1623 he wrote in his journal about the benefits of giving individual families the freedom to grow their own crops on their own areas of land. As a result of this initiative, the Plymouth settlers had added motivation to grow more crops so that through good farming practices and hard work they could feed their families. Governor

Bradford wrote: “So they began to consider how to raise more corn, and obtain a better crop than they had done, so that they might not continue to endure the misery of want … After much debate, the Governor … allowed each man to plant corn for his own household … And so every family was assigned a parcel of land, according to their number. This was very successful. It made all hands very industrious, so that much

more corn was planted than otherwise would have been … and gave far better satisfaction.” In the culture the English came from, land ownership gave people a sense of worth. They were willing to work hard to improve their land and maybe be able to buy more in the future. This was very different from Native peoples’ belief that the Creator gifted humans the land, and it is not anyone’s to buy or sell.

THE CITY OF BOSTON IS BORN

PURITAN COMMUNITY CREATES A NEW “CITY UPON A HILL”

By our newssheet writer in Boston

September 8, 1630

PURITAN elders told the people yesterday that the Shawmut Peninsula will now be called “Boston”. Boston will also be the seat of government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The decision follows a meeting between the colony’s governor John Winthrop and clergyman William Blackstone. Blackstone was one of the first settlers to live on the peninsula. He believes its spring waters are good for the health.

Winthrop left England earlier this year. He led ships across the Atlantic to his new Colony. There were hundreds of passengers on board. Many were Puritans seeking religious freedom. They were eager to start a new life in New England. They brought supplies with them, including many horses and cows.

The new governor is a member of the English upper classes. He brought a royal charter with him. The charter gives the group Britain’s permission to live in the area. But the colony won’t be ruled from England. It will govern itself.

The ship landed in Cape Ann. There the people went ashore and picked fresh strawberries. What a welcome change! On board ship, there are no fresh fruits and vegetables.

Other colonists had been in the Cape Ann area before. Many died in the harsh winter. Their houses stand empty.

There was already a town at Salem. But Winthrop and the other leaders chose not to stop there and instead kept looking for their own Promised Land. They have now found it in Boston.

Winthrop told his fellow Puri-

tans: “We shall be as a City upon a Hill; the eyes of all people are upon us.” The name Boston is said to have been chosen by Puritan clergyman Isaac Johnson. Johnson once lived in the English town of Boston.

The Puritans got off to a better start than the Pilgrims did ten years ago. But the colony has struggled with illness and tragedy in the past few months. Dozens have died. The governor’s own son Henry drowned in July. The Native peoples of the area are weak. They lost many people during the great dying. But Winthrop is taking few chances. He is spreading out settlements to make it hard for hostile groups to attack.

Winthrop believes that in time many more Puritans will flock to his “City upon a Hill.” He plans to build a godly community and to grow rich, too. The harbor at Boston is a natural wonder. The city could become a great center of trade in years to come.

See the original 1691 charter (official contract) for the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

Dorchester School Hosts First Town Hall Meeting

THE TOWNSPEOPLE of Dorchester gathered for the very first Town Hall meeting yesterday in an important moment for free speech and local democracy. So writes our senior chronicler on October 9, 1633.

At the meeting, which was held in a meeting house that is also used as a school, the townsfolk voted to meet regularly to

discuss and agree decisions for “the generall good and well ordering of the [affairs] of the Plantation.” From now on, every Monday at 8am, on the sounding of a bell, the townspeople will gather for a town meeting, and the decisions they make together will be honored as law. Dorchester’s Town Hall meeting is thought to be the first of its kind.

Following Dorchester’s first Town Hall meeting, the practice quickly spread throughout New England, allowing ordinary people to have their say in local affairs. Town Hall meetings became a foundation of early American democracy and are still held throughout the country today.

A portrait of John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

ENGLISH INTENSIFY EFFORTS TO CONVERT NATIVES TO CHRISTIANITY

MANY OF the English who came to New England didn’t want to follow English laws about religion. But they are not giving the same freedom to others. The settlers let the Native people help them. But now they are trying to force Wampanoag, Nipmuc, Narragansett, Pequot, and others to follow their ways. So writes our reporter Looking Mouse, Winter Moon, 1651. Reports tell us that in 1643 Hiacoomes was the first Wampanoag to convert to Christianity.

There are many myths about the English settlers and Native Americans in New England. One is that the Native people were happy when the English came. Another is that they lived in peace for 50 years until King Philip’s War. But a lot

That is the religion of these newcomers. Many of our people have now joined this faith from across the sea. But others see the new

of things happened in those 50 years that were not peaceful.

By the 1630s, the English settlers were taking more and more land. They forced tribal people to become Christians. Sometimes colonists forced Native people to move to new

religion as the end of our way of life. This has caused much anger and argument.

Now preacher John Eliot has

“Indian Districts” so they could take their land. The English also stopped Native people from living in their traditional ways. And Native children were stolen from their families and given to English families to raise.

The Native peoples tried to

set up a “Praying Town” at Natick. And he has planned many more. They are trying to make Native people into English

work with the English for a long time. In the end, they saw no way out but war.

The myth of the English and Indians being “friends” hides the true history. This is why Indigenous people today can be offended by these myths.

people. We must obey their rules or receive fines or harsh punishment. This threatens our way of life and puts our very lives at risk.

Counting The Terrible, Bloody Cost Of King Philip’s War

By our war correspondent August 13, 1676

KING PHILIP, a son of sachem Massasoit, was killed yesterday. Thus ends one of the bloodiest conflicts on this soil. King Philip’s true name was Metacom. He united many Native peoples to defend their lands and traditions against English settlers. Not all Native peoples sided with King Philip. Some fought alongside the English or stayed neutral.

King Philip’s War began over a year ago. It has left thousands of people either dead or wounded. At one time, it looked as if the English would be driven out after their towns were destroyed. But colonial militias fought back. They burned Native villages.

A violent clash between Native Americans and the colonists.

ever since the settlers arrived.

Some blame Massasoit for allowing ancestral lands to be given away. They say King Philip realized this was wrong and went to war to try to stop the English taking even more.

MARTYRS’ FIGHT FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

QUAKER Mary Dyer was hanged yesterday. It was punishment for coming back to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. So writes our senior chronicler, June 2, 1660. After she was sentenced to death, Dyer showed little emotion. She said she was on a mission from God. Dyer believed she should have the right to practice

her religion freely in the colony. But the law says no Quakers are allowed to live here.

She refused to leave last year, too. Two fellow Quakers were hanged on Boston Common then. Dyer was spared the noose at that time but was told never to return. She ignored that order.

The Puritans left England

because they were not allowed to practice their religion freely. Now they are restricting others. In 1636, Preacher Roger Williams was accused of “new and dangerous opinions” for his religious beliefs. He was forced to flee. He started the new colony of Rhode Island. There, people are free to worship as they please.

Metacom’s head will be stuck on a pike. It will then be displayed in Plymouth for 25 years.

One of his hands will be sent to Boston—the other sent to England. His family and many others are being sold into slavery. The English will take lands held by those who fought the colonists.

Before this, there have been few openly violent clashes between Native Americans and European settlers in the area. But tensions have been rising

Others talk of a huge misunderstanding. Native peoples believed they were offering the colonists the use of their lands. But the colonists believed that the land had been given to them.

This defeat will likely make it much harder for the Native peoples to maintain their way of life.

Watch a video telling the story of King Philip’s War between Indigenous peoples and the English colonists.

Mary Dyer was hanged for refusing to leave Massachusetts Bay because of her religious beliefs.

Disease Strikes After College Struggles To Attract Natives

THE ONLY Native student to graduate from the Harvard Indian College died yesterday. So writes our obituaries editor, 1666.

Caleb Cheeshateaumuck lost his young life to consumption. This is a disease of the lungs that causes serious bleeding and troubled breathing. Caleb had become ill from his poor living conditions while studying at the Harvard Indian College.

The College was established in 1655 as a way for Harvard to receive funding. Its goal was to make Native American youth act like whites. However, in ten

Harvard College was founded in 1636 by the “Great and General Court of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England.” The college began by training many Puritan ministers. For a short time starting in 1655, Harvard also had an “Indian College” for Indigenous people. The Harvard Indian College closed in 1693.

years, only five Native American students have ever attended the Indian College.

There were three Nipmuc men, brothers Benjamin and Eleazar Larnell and James Printer. And there were two Wampanoag, Joel Hiacoomes and Caleb.

The Larnell brothers died from poor food and not enough of it. And Joel died in a shipwreck just one month before he was due to graduate.

The only living student is James Printer, whose Nipmuc name is Wowaus. James works at the college’s printing press as a printer. He has already helped to make more than 1,000 copies of the Eliot Bible. This is a translation of the Christian holy book into the Wampanoag language. It is the first Bible in any language to be printed in British North America.

Caleb Cheeshateaumuck was the first Indigenous student to graduate from the Harvard Indian College. He later died of lung disease.

SALEM WITCH-HUNT IN FULL SWING

DOZENS OF PEOPLE ARE FALSELY ACCUSED OF WITCHCRAFT IN THE MASSACHUSETTS TOWN

By our religious affairs correspondent October 29, 1692

SHOCKING events have taken place in the town of Salem. Some 20 men and women have been executed for witchcraft.

They all told the judge they were innocent. But still 19 have been hanged. Plus, one man has been crushed to death with huge stones. Only those who told the court they were really witches have been spared.

Several people accused others of witchcraft. They included the enslaved woman Tituba and several children. The children had fits that they thought were caused by witchcraft. Doctors found nothing wrong. Other accusers had dreams and visions.

In much of Europe, witchcraft is a religious crime tried by the Church. But under English law it a crime to be tried in a government court. Massachusetts of course is under English law.

Salem is not the only town in New England to be gripped

In the town of Salem around 20 men and women were put on trial and executed for witchcraft.

by witch-hunt hysteria. But nowhere else has so many suspected witches been killed. Many people do not believe dreams and visions should be used in court. They argue that

the charges were based on nothing more than rumors and gossip. These people hope that the townsfolk of Salem will come to their senses and recognize that innocent people are dying.

Find out the answers to a series of questions asked by children about the Salem witch trials.

No Taxation Without Representation

A BOSTON lawyer and writer is speaking out against Britain. He hates the new taxes on American colonists. So writes our civil rights editor, December 20, 1765.

James Otis Jr. says there should be no taxation without representation. That means he doesn’t think Britain should be allowed to tax the colonists unless they are given the right to elect representatives to the British Parliament, too.

Otis also hates the Stamp Act. That law taxes printed materials.

He says that taxing newspapers and pamphlets and other forms of communication will make for an unjust society. People can’t learn what is going on if they can’t read the news.

Otis’s ideas are being taken up by a group of colonists calling themselves Patriots. They want to unite Britain’s American colonies. Maybe then they could get Britain to stop the taxes.

This is all happening because Britain needs money. It just fought a very expensive world

Enslaved Woman Wins Her Freedom In Court

By our civil rights correspondent November 5, 1766

JENNY SLEW is free. She is one of the first enslaved people to be freed through trial by jury. Slew had been kidnapped from her home in Ipswich and forced into slavery. The judge awarded Slew money as well as her freedom.

Legal experts say future court cases may go the way this one went. If they do, slavery in Massachusetts may die out.

Massachusetts has been involved in the slave trade since the early 1600s. Ships from Boston bring enslaved people to Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Virginia. Also, about 4,000 enslaved people now live in the

American slavery began in earliest colonial times. In New England, the English enslaved people from the Native nations who surrounded them. After King Philip’s War, the colonists needed money to rebuild. One way they got it was by kidnapping Indigenous people and selling them into slavery. Thousands of Native people were shipped to the Caribbean and Bermuda.

colony of Massachusetts.

war called the Seven Years’ War. Part of that war was fought in North America. Here it was called the French and Indian War. So, Britain is taxing the colonies to pay for the war.

But colonists are increasingly angry about Britain’s demands. They say they already sent fighting men to help Britain defeat France. They shouldn’t have to give money, too.

Colonists are also mad that Britain is using taxes to try to control trade in the colonies.

Ports such as Boston and Salem have grown rich from the triangular trade. This trade is built on slavery. On the Caribbean islands, enslaved people work on sugar plantations. Their owners sell raw sugar or the molasses made from it to New England. In New England it is made into the alcoholic drink rum. The rum is sold in Britain. British slave traders then bring the rum to Africa. They trade it for enslaved people. The slave traders take the enslaved people to the Caribbean. They sell them to the owners of sugar plantations. And the cycle starts again.

Lawyer James Otis Jr. spoke out against new British taxes.

A BLOODY MASSACRE

By our chief reporter March 6, 1770

THEY ARE CALLING it the “Boston Massacre.” British soldiers fired on an angry mob yesterday. They killed at least three colonists then and injured others. A 17-year-old boy died earlier today. A fifth person is said to be close to death.

Violence erupted in front of the Custom House after a British guard struck a young colonist. When a small group of soldiers

came to help, they were faced by a mob. The mob dared the soldiers to shoot. In an instant, the men lay dead. One of them was Crispus Attucks, who was Nipmuc and Black. We do not know if the soldiers’ commanding officer ordered them to fire.

The Boston Massacre is certain to fan the flames of revolution. Boston-born Samuel Adams has been blamed for stirring up mobs against British rule. He is said to be a founder of the Sons of Liberty patriot group. Adams rejects

Britain’s taxes and calls the colonies to unite in action. Support is growing for Adams and his ideas.

The people of Boston are also angry that British troops are marching in the streets. They see these “redcoats” as a threat of violence.

Tensions are very high between Britain and its colonists. The chance of armed conflict increases every day. But one Massachusetts lawyer is trying to uphold the rule of law. John Adams is a second cousin of Sam-

uel Adams. He opposes many of Britain’s policies in America. But he will defend the British soldiers who carried out the Boston Massacre. He believes that the soldiers are entitled to a good defense even in this tense moment.

Watch a video to find out more about the life of Crispus Attucks and his place in United States history.

Crispus Attucks, who was shot during the Boston Massacre.

British soldiers, who were known as “redcoats” because of the color of their uniforms, opened fire on a group of men in Boston that were protesting against British rule.

Colonists Hold Daring “Tea Party” Protest In Boston Harbor

By our politics editor December 17, 1773

IT WAS A DARING protest against British rule. A group of colonists dumped hundreds of chests of tea into Boston Harbor last night. These rebels were armed with axes, hatchets, and pistols. They disguised themselves as Indigenous people and boarded three ships. Then they broke open the tea chests onboard and tossed the tea into the sea. Nobody was injured.

Ruining the tea is a direct protest of the new tea tax. Britain is trying to control the tea trade by taxing tea coming from the British East India Company. This hated tax has become a symbol for both sides.

John Adams is a moderate patriot. But even he supported

the protest, calling it “so bold, so daring, so firm.”

Earlier, the patriots had told one of the ship owners to take his tea out of Boston. He refused because he needed to make money from selling the tea. Matters were made worse when royal governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to let ships leave without paying the taxes.

The tea tax is the latest in a series of taxes Britain has used to try to raise money from its American colonies. Many colonists have been strongly against all of them. The British Stamp Act of 1765 was such a big failure that it had to be repealed.

Watch a modern re-enactment of the major events of the Boston Tea Party.

THE SHOT HEARD

Colonists protest British rule by dumping tea in Boston Harbor.

HEARD AROUND THE WORLD

By our war correspondent April 20, 1775

THE FIRST SHOTS of the Revolutionary War were fired at Lexington and Concord yesterday. The battles mark the beginning of a war for independence from Britain.

In the early morning light, colonial militia stood in the path of British soldiers on Lexington Common. The redcoats were on their way to nearby Concord where the patriots’ weapons and supplies were said to be stored.

The colonists saw that there were a lot more British soldiers than colonists. So, they began to scatter. Suddenly, there was a shot and both sides opened fire. Eight colonists died. British casualties were light. Prince Estabrook, an enslaved man, was one of the patriots in the battle. He was wounded.

Later, hundreds of colonists battled redcoats at the North Bridge in Concord. The Patriots fought well, driving the British to retreat. Then, they ambushed the redcoats, winning the battle. In total, 73 redcoats and 49 patriots were killed.

The colonists likely won because they had been tipped off before the attack. Silversmith Paul Revere and others rode on horseback from Boston to Lexington. Along the route they told

Wooden “liberty poles” were symbols of freedom during the Revolution. The Sons of Liberty built them in town squares. An elm tree near Boston Common also served as a rallying point for patriots. It was called the Liberty Tree. Later it was cut down by British soldiers and colonists loyal to the British.

people that the redcoats were on their way. British troops caught Revere before he reached Concord. But his fellow William Dawes got through. And Revere was let go when the fighting began. The “midnight ride” had succeeded in alerting the patriots. Without it, the British might have won at Concord.

Armed colonists have been called “traitors” by the British. And General Thomas Gage has been ordered to use force to stop the rebels from stockpiling weapons. At the same time, the patriots have set up Minutemen groups. These armed militias are ready to march at a moment’s warning.

Massachusetts and other colonies are now at war with Britain.

Watch a modern news report recalling the events leading up to the “shot heard around the world.”

Battle Of Bunker Hill: British Victory Proves Costly

BRITISH FORCES won the war’s first major conflict yesterday. But their victory in the Battle of Bunker Hill has proven costly, writes our reporter, June 18, 1775. The battle left about one thousand British soldiers dead or wounded. That’s more than double the number of patriots. Earlier, patriots had dug in on Breed’s Hill. But then British forces

attacked. The patriots were forced to retreat to the other side of Bunker Hill. The British failed to stop them, though. So colonial forces have lived to fight another day.

5 , 000

The number of British troops stationed in the city of Boston.

The patriots fought well but they are up against one of the best armies in the world. And the colonial army has little training.

A group of delegates representing 13 of the American colonies are meeting in Philadelphia. They are called the Continental Congress. Just a few days ago, they created a new Continental Army. It will be led by George

Watch a video telling the story of the Battle of Bunker Hill—the first major conflict of the Revolutionary War.

British troops and colonists clash on the North Bridge.

Washington of Virginia, an experienced soldier who knows how to lead and fought in the French and Indian War.

British troops suffered serious losses at Bunker Hill.

SAMPLE EDITION

- March,

WINNISMET

Noddles Island

Island 14 T he M assachuse TT s c hronicles

Snake Island Ploughed Hill Cobble Hill BROOKLYN ROXBURY DORCHESTER

Flats Massachusetts Bay Hog Island 1,000 YARDS

Abigail Adams Leads Brave Bid to Beat Smallpox

Bird Island

Governors Island Castle Island

Apple Island Nooks Hill

Dorchester Heights Spectacle Island Nick’s Mate Gallops Island MaidenR .

AMERICAN B - Battery, (3) - number of guns F - Fieldworks (trenches, breastworks, etc.) R - Redoubts The American Works on the Dorchester Peninsula were made early in March, 1776 Breed’s Hill Redoubt, made during night of June 16, 1775, was stormed by the British next day.

BRITISH Fortifications

ABIGAIL ADAMS, the wife of the leading Massachusetts lawyer, diplomat and politician John Adams, struck an important blow against the deadly disease of smallpox yesterday. So writes our chief medical reporter, July 13, 1776

Smallpox is raging through the Boston area. John Adams is out of town at the moment, in the city of Philadelphia, working on the Declaration of Independence. So his wife Abigail took their family from their farm into the city of Boston. It was a risky thing to do because many people there are ill.

PATRIOTS WIN THE SIEGE OF BOSTON

STORM FOILS BRITISH FLEET, GEORGE WASHINGTON’S ARMY SEIZES

DECISIVE VICTORY

The Adamses were vaccinated by Dr. Thomas Bulfinch. Dr. Bulfinch put a little scab from someone with smallpox into small cuts made in the families’ arms. The hope is that the patients will then get mild cases of the disease. This means that they will be immune from catching the disease more seriously later on. This system of inoculation has worked very well in some people. Others have been sick for days with confusion and fever. Some take weeks to recover. However, once people who have been inoculated are well, they will never again have to fear this terrible disease that has so far killed millions.

HISTORIC AD

Now the patriots are in Boston. Years of British control of the town have come to an end.

The British soldiers who have been stationed in the city are sailing away to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada. Nova Scotia is one of the British colonies that didn’t join the revolution.

Hundreds of families who have decided to stay loyal to the British Crown are going too. If the Americans win the war, those loyalists might stay and make new lives in British Canada.

SMALLPOX and other diseases seriously impacted Indigenous peoples in New England across hundreds of years. There was an epidemic in every decade throughout the 17th century. During the 18th century, two thirds of the Nantucket Wampanoag people died after smallpox inoculation. Entire communities were wiped out as a result, as were generations of ancestral knowledge of oral histories, relations with the earth, and many important cultural and spiritual traditions. A safe smallpox vaccine was finally developed in the late 1900s.

INDEPENDENCE DECLARED!

By our politics editor July 5, 1776

HISTORY WAS made yesterday. The Continental Congress has signed the Declaration of Independence.

Massachusetts was one of 12 colonies that voted in Philadelphia. Only New York did not cast a vote. The Massachusetts delegation included John Adams, Samuel Adams, lawyer Robert Treat Paine, and Elbridge Gerry. Gerry is a member of a merchant family. John Hancock served as president of the Congress.

After months of debate, the colonies have agreed what this war is about. It is not only about

The Declaration of Independence, pictured left, says that “all men are created equal.” It lists the harmful actions of the king. And it explains the reasons the colonies want to separate from Britain. But those who wrote it did not consider all people equal. The document allows slavery to continue. And in one passage, Indigenous people are described as “merciless Indian savages.”

taxes anymore. It is not only about electing representatives to the British Parliament. It is now a struggle for the freedom to be our own country. Britain is certain to view this as an act of treason.

Thomas Jefferson of Virginia wrote the Declaration, with the help of others. One passage reads: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

former U.S. president John F. Kennedy read the Declaration of Independence.

Hear

ALL MEN ARE BORN FREE AND EQUAL

MASSACHUSETTS CONSTITUTION WILL BE USED TO END SLAVERY IN THE STATE

Massachusetts Compromise Helps Forge U.S. Constitution

THE U.S. CONSTITUTION is now in effect. Leaders from Massachusetts played a major role in writing it. It will be the basis of all law for the new nation, writes our civil rights correspondent, March 4, 1789

The new government will be made up of three branches. The legislative branch is the U.S. Congress. The executive branch is the president and those who work for him. The judicial branch is the Supreme Court and other federal courts.

The U.S. Constitution is based on that of Massachusetts. Even so, it was not easy to get the people of the state to agree to it. Some people worried it would give the central government too much power over the people. They wanted changes and a Bill of Rights to protect their freedoms. Others wanted the state to

By our civil rights editor October 25, 1780

THE MASSACHUSETTS

CONSTITUTION came into effect today. It states that all men are born “free and equal.” But women still do not have the right to vote. And the question of slavery isn’t clear.

The war is not over yet. But the United States declared independence in 1776. So our state is no longer Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony. And it is no longer governed by the British King and Parliament. It is time to set up our own government. We are to be the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The new constitution is the first step. It records the rules by

which we will govern ourselves. Patriot John Adams wrote most of the document. He is greatly admired across the state.

The constitution says it is “a social compact.” That means we all agree to follow rules that are for “the common good.” It also says that Massachusetts is “a free, sovereign, and independent state” with three branches of government. They are an elected governor, an elected legislature, and a system of courts.

The new state constitution leaves the question of slavery open. It looks as if enslaved people are likely to go to court to win their freedom. They will argue that the constitution includes them when it says all men are born free and equal.

The State House in Boston was completed in 1798 and is still in use today. It replaced the Old State House, which is where the Boston Massacre took place. A wooden “Sacred Cod” used to hang in the Old State House, to represent the fishing fleet that is so important to Massachusetts. A similar cod hangs over the House of Representatives chamber today. In 1933, the politicians were upset when the Sacred Cod was stolen. They thought that Harvard students were to blame. The Cod was eventually returned.

accept the Constitution as it was. The two groups, led by John Hancock and Samuel Adams, came to an agreement which has become known as the Massachusetts Compromise. They would ratify the new Constitution but also propose a Bill of Rights. Other states agreed and followed our state’s example. Now Massachusetts has become the sixth U.S. state.

Without the Massachusetts Compromise, the new U.S. Constitution might never have been ratified at all.

Find out more about how John Adams drafted the Massachusetts Constitution.

The Massachusetts State House was designed by the architect Charles Bulfinch and completed in 1798.

Without the Massachusetts Compromise, the Constitution might not have been agreed.

JOHN ADAMS WINS PRESIDENTIAL RACE

By our politics editor

February 8, 1797

JOHN ADAMS was elected as the second president of the United States today. He is from the town of Braintree. Before he was elected he was the Vice President to George Washington.

Adams defeated Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson will now be the Vice President.

The president will live at the

Presidential Mansion in Washington, D.C. Some call it the “White House.”

Adams helped write our constitution. He is a statesman and a lawyer. He was also a delegate at the Continental Congress.

Adams worked with Great Britain on a peace treaty to recognize the U.S. as its own country.

John’s wife Abigail is an advi-

sor to him. She did not go to school but is known to be very smart. She is an expert on politics and women’s rights. Their son John Quincy Adams has been given the job of representing the U.S. in Holland.

After John Adams, Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the U.S. The men disagreed on most things, but eventually became friends. Just before Adams died, he said “Thomas Jefferson still survives”—not knowing that Jefferson had died a few hours before. Both men passed away on the 4th of July, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Left to right: Abigail Adams and John Adams.

Read Abigail Adams’s letter to John Adams after he became the second president of the United States.

By

Springfield Armory Comes Of Age

our defense correspondent

February 18, 1815

THE U.S. ARMORY in Springfield helped the U.S. in the War of 1812. The war is over now. A treaty has set the eastern part of the border between the U.S. and British Canada.

10

,

000

The number of muskets made by the Springfield armory in 1814.

The Springfield Armory makes weapons for the army. It made nearly 10,000 muskets last year. This is a lot of guns. In 1795, its first year as a government-run armory, it produced just 245 muskets.

Luckily, the U.S. was ready for the war. About twenty years ago, it looked as if the French might invade the U.S. This was shocking to some because France helped the U.S. defeat the British in the Revolutionary War.

The U.S. decided to prepare for possible war with France by building up the navy and buying new guns. In 1798, Eli Whitney, who grew up on a farm in Massachusetts, won a contract to produce muskets.

AMERICANS MOURN DEATH OF ABOLITIONIST

CAMPAIGNER PAUL CUFFE CROSSED RACIAL AND CULTURAL DIVIDES

By our obituaries editor October 22, 1817

SHIP OWNER, merchant and activist Paul Cuffe died last month in the town of Westport.

Cuffe was a self-made man. He rose to become one of the wealthiest people of mixed race in America.

Cuffe was born on January 17, 1759. His father was Cuffe Slocum, a formerly enslaved man and skilled carpenter. His mother was Ruth Moses, from the Wampanoag tribe of Aquinnah on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. When his father died in 1772, Cuffe took his father’s first name as his last name.

refused to pay their taxes in the 1770s. They were protesting the fact that they didn’t have the right to vote even though they were free men. They even went to jail for their refusal.

Over time, Cuffe grew rich, and people listened to what he had to say. He became a leader in the movement to resettle freed slaves in Sierra Leone in Africa. He even sailed to Britain and West Africa to campaign for the cause. Back home, he started a smallpox hospital. He also founded a racially integrated school.

HISTORIC AD

Whitney developed a new factory process called “interchangeable parts.” In this system, each gun part is made exactly the same way each time. That way one worker with piles of all the necessary parts can build a gun very quickly. The Springfield Armory now uses this system. Whitney is also the inventor of the cotton gin, a device to remove seeds from cotton.

Cuffe became a seaman. He served on whaling ships. During the Revolution, he smuggled supplies through the British blockades.

In 1783, he married Alice Pequit, a member of the Pequot tribe of Connecticut. They had seven children. After the war, Cuffe opened a shipyard with his brother-in-law. He also became a successful merchant and farm owner.

A Quaker, Cuffe worked to improve equality in the new nation. He and his brother John

In 1812, Cuffe had an argument with customs officials. They had seized the cargo on one of his ships returning from Sierra Leone. He went to Washington, D.C. to meet President Madison. Madison was happy to meet Cuffe. He asked him about his experiences in Sierra Leone. He also ordered his ship’s release. Cuffe is thought to be the first free black American to meet with a sitting president at the White House.

Cuffe was widely liked and admired. His friend Reverend Peter Williams Jr. said this about him: “Such was his reputation for wisdom and integrity, that his neighbors always consulted him in all their important concerns; and, oh! what honor to the son of an African slave, the most respectable men in Great Britain and America were not ashamed to seek him for counsel and advice!”

The famous Springfield Armory first began manufacturing muskets in 1794.

Find out more about the life, achievements and legacy of ship owner and activist Captain Paul Cuffe.

Son Follows Father To Presidency

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

became the sixth U.S. president today. He is the oldest son of John Adams, the second U.S. president. So writes our politics editor, February 9, 1825.

Adams was chosen by the U.S. House of Representatives because none of the four candidates won a majority of votes.

Before he was president, Adams held many jobs in government and was a diplomat in Europe, where he helped bring the war of 1812 to an end. He was Secretary of State and negotiated the Adams-Onís Treaty with Spain. This treaty added Florida to the U.S. He also represented his state in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.

There is a rumour that Adams will keep an alligator at the White House—a gift from the war hero the Marquis de Lafayette.John Adams and John Quincy Adams are the first father-and-son duo to become U.S. presidents.

Paul Cuffe is thought to be the first free Black American to meet with a sitting president in the White House.

John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States.

THE NEW DAWN

By

our industry correspondent March 1, 1826

LOWELL now has 2,500 people. That’s enough to become an official town. It has been named in honor of Francis Cabot Lowell. His cotton factory in Waltham was the first in the U.S. to turn raw cotton into finished cloth.

The new town will be a center for textile mills and other factories and will be powered by the Merrimack River and canal sys -

tem. Factory workers at the mills will clean, spin and weave cotton. The cotten is grown and picked by enslaved people in southern states and transported to the North.

Much of the state has become a hotbed of new technology. Some even call it “the workshop of America.” Factories are springing up everywhere. They produce tools, paper, and leather, as well as wool and cotton textiles. A chain bridge at Newburyport

is said to be the first suspension bridge in the U.S.

The Middlesex Canal is one of the first engineering projects of its kind. Completed in 1803, it connects the Merrimack River to Boston. The canal allows vessels to deliver bark to tanneries. The tanneries create dye from the bark to color leather. As a result, the town’s shoemaking and leather businesses are booming. Having the canal here means companies in Lowell also can

easily get their supplies and ship their goods to market on boats.

Many factories still rely on children to operate the machines. They are less expensive than adult workers, and their small size and sharp eyes make them good at certain kinds of work. Few people think child labor is a problem. But some do want the state to limit how many hours children can work and require them to go to school for some months of the year.

Machinery at the Boott Cotton Mill in Lowell.

OF INDUSTRY

Francis Cabot Lowell’s new factory system employs young white women instead of children. They are called “Mill Girls.”

They will earn money until they get married and are paid less than men but more than children.

Find out more about Lowell’s industrial past and the leading role it played in the American Industrial Revolution.

THE PLYMOUTH Cordage Company was founded in 1824. It was one of the largest makers of rope and twine in the world. The company made ropes to hold up and control sails on a sailboat. This is called the ship’s rigging. To make rope, workers put fibers around their waists. Then

they walked backward down the 90-foot-long “rope walk,” twisting the fibers as they went. The company was the largest

employer in Plymouth for more than 100 years. Another industrial success story is Crane Currency. Founded in 1801 in Dalton, it won its first contract to make paper for U.S. banknotes in 1879. Now it is a global company.

The first U.S. dollar bill.

Preacher William Apess Leads Mashpee Revolt

MASHPEE Wampanoag in Cape Cod have won a degree of selfrule. So writes our civil rights correspondent, March 31, 1834

The Mashpees were unhappy with the way that the state was running their reservation. They were also angry that white men were stealing wood from their forests. In an act that people are now calling the Mashpee revolt, a group of the Mashpee Wampanoag told the state authorities that from now on

they planned to rule themselves.

The Mashpees also said that white men would no longer be allowed to take wood without their permission. Their leader in discussions with the state authorities was William Apess, pictured above, a Pequot preacher. The state authorities were angry at first. But then they agreed to allow the Mashpees some self-government.

Mashpee whalers wrote the Mashpee’s new laws. They say they were inspired by the freedom of whales.

Despite this important victory for indigenous people, there are still fears that the state will break up the traditional Mashpee tribal lands. As elsewhere in the U.S., indigenous people here suffer discrimination and do not have basic rights.

William Apess, the leader of the Mashpee Wampanoag.

Farewell To Johnny Appleseed

By our agriculture correspondent

March 23, 1845

JOHN CHAPMAN died yesterday. Born and raised in the city of Leominster, he was known to most as the folk hero “Johnny Appleseed.” Chapman spent most of his life wandering through the wilds of the Midwest. That is where Americans and European immigrants were starting farms. He carried a bag of apple seeds and planted orchards wherever he went.

The apples were a welcome gift to the pioneer families Chapman met. Cider, a mildly alcoholic drink made from apples, was an important part of their diet. They gave him food and shelter when he passed through. And they listened to his stories and his preaching. He was a follower of mystic Emanuel Swedenborg and preached that “the life of religion is to do good.”

Chapman walked miles every day and often slept outside. He was kind to people and animals. One story tells of him lying by a campfire. He saw that mosquitoes were getting burned by the flames, so he filled the metal pot that he wore as a cap with water

and used it to put out the fire.

Chapman died in Indiana last week, aged about 70. A notice of his death stated: “He is supposed to have considerable property, yet denied himself almost the common necessities of life. In the most inclement weather he might be seen barefooted and almost naked except when he chanced to pick up articles of old clothing.” Despite his devotion to poverty, John Chapman leaves an estate of more than a thousand acres of orchards to his sister.

CRANBERRIES grow naturally in bogs in the southeastern part of the state. The Wampanoag people used the cranberries for food and medicine. They did this long before the Europeans arrived. Henry Hall was a Revolutionary War veteran from the town of

Dennis. In 1816, he found that cranberries grew better when sand had blown over them. He used that method to start his own business to grow and sell cranberries. Other people copied him, and the industry grew fast. Cranberry bogs can still be found in the region today.

Johnny Appleseed was known for his kind nature.

Massachusetts is famous for growing cranberries.

DOUGLASS EXPOSES EVILS OF SLAVERY

THE MEMOIR OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS IS PUBLISHED

By our civil rights correspondent May 2, 1845

FREDERICK DOUGLASS of Lynn has been hailed a new leader of the anti-slavery movement. His autobiography was published yesterday. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass describes his years enslaved and his struggle for freedom. The work is likely to become an instant bestseller.

Douglass’s book should help convince many people that slavery is evil. But some whites question whether Douglass really wrote it. They say a Black man is not capable of such good writing. But those who know Douglass have no such doubts.

In the book, Douglass recounts the evils of slavery in chilling detail. He describes seeing an aunt whipped and many other enslaved people punished by masters, even for telling the truth. One cruel owner whipped Douglass over and over, working and beating him to exhaustion. This went on until Douglass collapsed one day while working in the fields.

Somehow, Douglass learned to read and write. He read everything he could get his hands on.

Eventually, Douglass escaped to the North. He lived in New Bedford for a while. The

whaling town has become an important stop on the Underground Railroad. This is the network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved people to escape to free states and Canada. Many fugitive slaves have found jobs working on whaling ships.

For years now, many people supporting the abolition of slavery have been drawn to the state of Massachusetts. Boston’s Beacon Hill is a gathering place for free Blacks and formerly enslaved people. Many are working in the U.S. anti-slavery movement. African-American activist Sojourner Truth, pictured left, lives in Northampton. John Brown, a leading white abolitionist, lives in Springfield. The Liberator, a Boston newspaper, is a leading voice in the campaign to free all slaves. It is put out by William Lloyd Garrison, a white man born in Newburyport who is both a prominent anti-slavery campaigner and an advocate for women’s right to vote in elections. Lloyd Garrison is one of the people who encouraged Frederick Douglass to tell his story.

Find out more about Frederick Douglass and his important speech “What to a slave is the Fourth of July?”

Left: Frederick Douglass. Above: Sojourner Truth is an African American abolitionist and campaigner for women’s rights.

Education Champion Takes Seat

HORACE MANN, from Franklin, became a U.S Representative yesterday. His first speech to Congress was about how terrible it is that slavery is legal in parts of the United States, writes our education correspondent, April 4, 1848.

Mann started the free public schools of our state. He wants to build public schools and make them free for all children in the U.S. Mann also believes that

teachers should be well trained, not just young people with nothing better to do. So he created a teacher-training program that is open to both men and women. He thinks that women make the best teachers.

Mann, whose father was a farmer, grew up poor and didn’t go to school much. He taught himself by going to the Franklin Public Library. It was one of the first public libraries in America.

THE STRUGGLE FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS

By our civil rights editor October 25, 1850

THE FIRST National Women’s Rights Convention was yesterday. It was held in Worcester. Delegates from 11 states were there. Women’s rights to vote, to equal pay, and to own property were all discussed.

Both women and men attended the meeting. They came from as far away as the new state of California. Lucy Stone (pictured right) of West Brookfield was one of the organizers of the convention. She is the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree. At the meeting, she called for women to have the right to vote and to own property.

now fights for women’s rights and rights for Black people.

Lucretia Mott from Nantucket was there, too. She helped organize the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. Held in Seneca Falls in the state of New York, it was the first regional women’s rights convention.

Abolitionists Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison were also seen at the convention. They are among the men who are not scared of or opposed to the idea of women having rights.

SOME IRISH PEOPLE had always come to the U.S., but in small numbers. Then, between 1845 and 1949, a plant disease called late blight killed the potato crop in Ireland. Poor people were used to living on almost nothing but potatoes. With no potatoes to eat, they had to leave or starve.

Thousands fled to America. Many chose to live in cities such as Boston. They faced antiCatholic prejudice and a life of poverty. But it was better than starving to death at home, so they stayed. Now a third of the people of the state are Catholic, many of them descendants of these immigrants.

Ernestine Rose fled from Poland for the US. She said: “We have heard a great deal of our Pilgrim Fathers … but who has heard of the Pilgrim Mothers?” Abby Kelley Foster urged people not to argue over women’s rights but to take them, “as did our fathers against King George III.”

Sojourner Truth gave a moving speech on women’s rights. She was born into slavery and

Elizabeth Cady Stanton is a leader in the women’s rights movement. She is pregnant and could not come to the meeting. Instead, Cady Stanton sent a letter to show her support for what the convention was aiming to achieve. Her letter said, “The earth has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation, for woman has never yet stood the equal with man.”

Women are finding their voice and plan to hold another convention next year.

PARTNER AD

Lucy Stone is the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree.

Earle Report Says Indians Not Suitable As Citizens

THE LATEST count of the Native people of our state is just in. Commissioner John Milton Earle put together the census and gave a report of it to the Governor’s Council. So writes our staff reporter, Josiah Neesmuhshoonash, April 15, 1861.

The state is in charge of the indigenous tribes living within its borders. That means their numbers must be recorded, along with their social and living conditions.

White bosses of tribal lands often allow non-Natives on Native land. These outsiders graze sheep, cut wood, and even build homes there. Native people say they want their lands for themselves. They want to be able to farm, hunt, and fish as they always have. “We still know the forests and the ancient

LUTHER BURBANK grew up one of 13 children on a farm in Lancaster. He became an expert in plant science. In 1872 he developed a new blight-resistant potato to avoid disasters like the Great Famine. Called the Russet Burbank Potato, it is now the most common potato in the U.S.

roads and take heart in our remaining communities living throughout our old homelands,” said a tribal leader.

The Earle Report, which is named after the commissioner, lists 1,126 people in 291 families. It has each person’s name, age, tribe, gender, job, address, animals, and land owned. But not everyone is counted. Those who

roam from place to place with the seasons are missed. Plus those who do the counting are free to decide who is Native. They guess based on a person’s looks or skin color. They pay no attention to family or kinship. This report was intended to help the state decide whether Native people are ready for full citizenship. That would give them the same legal status as whites. Earle says that they are not ready. He says this is because white people have put them in such a bad situation that they can’t be good citizens.

Learn more about the history of the Indigenous tribes who were the first peoples to live in the Americas.

NATIVE AMERICANS have hunted whales for as long as anyone can remember. When colonists started whaling in New England in the 1600s, sea captains were eager to hire Natives. They were already experts. Later on, people came from the Azores islands and Cape Verde. Many of them also knew whaling and took jobs on ships. Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby Dick shows how whaling was done. Its early scenes are set in New Bedford and Nantucket.

HISTORIC AD

BATTLE FOR GLORY

AFRICAN AMERICAN REGIMENT STORMS FORT UNDER HEAVY FIRE

By our war reporter July 19, 1863

THE BLACK SOLDIERS of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment were in a big battle yesterday. They attacked Fort Wagner in South Carolina and many of the soldiers were hurt or killed. Their white officer was killed, too. Sergeant William Harvey Carney (pictured right) grabbed the U.S. flag after the flag bearer fell. He bravely carried it to show the regiment still fought. But in the end, they lost the battle.

This may be the worst war in U.S. history. It began over two years ago. Eleven southern states decided they didn’t want to be part of the U.S. anymore. They feared President Lincoln would ban slavery.

This would be very costly for rich white Southerners. They rely on enslaved people to work on their farms. That way they don’t have to pay wages. So they are trying to start their own country. They call it the Confederate States of America. The rest of the Union decided to fight to keep those eleven states from leaving the U.S.

Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in January. It says that all enslaved people in the rebel states are now free. It also says that Black men may join the Union Army. Our state’s 54th and 55th regiments are the first units of armed African Americans in the country.

Frederick Douglass is a leader of the movement to get rid of slavery. He also works to get

African Americans to join the Union Army. He says, “Men of Color, To Arms!”

The courage of the 54th is cer-

tain to inspire other Black men to join up. Some even think Carney should receive the Medal of Honor for his bravery.

Massachusetts is a center of the anti-slavery movement. It supports the Union and its cause. This “most Yankee of Yankee states” is expected to supply at least 150,000 soldiers and sailors to the war effort.

Sergeant William Harvey Carney of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment holding the American flag.

See the bronze monument in Boston that honors the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.

NEW AGE OF COMMUNICATIONS

TELEPHONE MAY SURPASS POPULARITY OF THE TELEGRAPH

By our technology editor March 11, 1876

ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL has invented the first telephone that is easy to use. It might even change how people communicate both in the U.S. and around the rest of the world.

Bell made the historic breakthrough yesterday in Boston. He shouted into a mouthpiece in his laboratory. His assistant Thomas Watson was listening on a telephone in a different room. Bell reportedly said “Mr. Watson, come here—I want to see you.”

Watson came in and said he had heard and understood what Bell said. He then repeated the words back to Bell.

The Scottish-born inventor has succeeded in transmitting the human voice by wire. His telephone makes it possible for people in different places to talk to each other. Maybe such conversations will even be possible over long distances.

Speech and sound have always been a big part of Bell’s life. He developed a “finger language” to “talk” to his mother, who lost her hearing. His father was an expert speech teacher in Scotland.

Bell calls himself a teacher of

the deaf. He has trained teachers at the Boston School for Deaf Mutes. He has also trained teachers at schools for the deaf in nearby Connecticut.

Bell’s telephone is not the only communications invention to come from our state. The inventor Samuel Morse, who was born in Charlestown, helped to develop the electric telegraph. It is used today to send messages in a pattern of dots and dashes known as Morse code. Perhaps one day, Bell’s telephone will be even more popular than Morse’s telegraph.

Bell got funding for his telephone experiments from a lawyer in Boston. He also received money from a Salem businessman. The man’s deaf son is Bell’s student.

The professor has filed a patent for the telephone. This will give him the full rights to his invention so that no one else can copy it. It looks like he was able to beat rival inventor Elisha Gray of Ohio.

Experts think that Bell’s financial backers will want to promote his invention by quickly starting up telephone companies.

Union Victory Ends Slavery, But Fight Goes On And On

THE 15th AMENDMENT has been ratified, giving all men the right to vote. So writes our politics editor, February 3, 1870.

The Union won the Civil War five years ago. The defeated Con-

federate states are now under U.S. military control. Millions of newly freed people have been promised basic rights.

Southern states have been forced to agree to three new

Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. If they don’t, they won’t be allowed back into the Union. The 13th Amendment ended slavery. The 14th gave all people equal protection under the law.

And finally, with the 15th, all adult males have the right to vote. They have this right whatever their “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

This is a big win for activists both Black and white. Charles Sumner is a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. He is well known for giving an anti-slavery speech before the war. In response, a pro-slavery congressman assaulted him.

Charles Sumner, a U.S. senator and anti-slavery campaigner.

Right: Bell and Watson with an early model telephone.

Watch a video about the life and achievements of the inventor Alexander Graham Bell.

Tragically, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln did not live to see any of these amendments made law. He was shot while spending an evening at the theater. The assassin was John Wilkes Booth, who supported the South in the war.

Not all of the state’s abolitionists agree what their next steps should be. The battle to free enslaved people is won. William Lloyd Garrison wants to end the

American Anti-Slavery Society he helped start. For others, the struggle goes on. Women are still not allowed to vote.

In Massachusetts, schools separated by race were banned in 1855. But many are still only white or African American. And Frederick Douglass has warned of a “malignant spirit” in the South that will try to go back to the way things were. There is much work to be done.

BARTON FOUNDS AMERICAN RED CROSS

CLARA BARTON, a former Civil War nurse from North Oxford, has founded the American Red Cross. So writes our war reporter, May 21, 1881.

At the start of the Civil War, Barton, pictured right, cared for a Massachusetts militia regiment. She then began collecting medical supplies, food, and clothes to aid Union soldiers.

But sometimes there were no supplies to be had. At the Battle of Antietam, she had to use corn husks in place of bandages. Barton became known as the “Angel of the Battlefield.”

After the Civil War, Barton was in charge of the Missing Soldiers Office. It helped families looking for those killed or missing in action.

She is a strong supporter of women’s right to vote and civil rights for all. She has met leading civil rights campaigners Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass.

On a trip to Europe, Barton met with leaders of the Red Cross in the ciy of Geneva in Switzerland. She also helped the wounded during the Franco-Prussian War between France and Germany.

Clara

The U.S. will join more than a dozen European countries in agreeing to honor the Red Cross flag. It is a symbol that the people holding the flag are not on either

side during a war. When soldiers see it, they know not to attack.

The Red Cross is only there to take care of people who have been wounded in battle.

PARTNER AD

Barton is a strong supporter of women’s and civil rights.

TAKE AIM FOR THE BASKET!

SPRINGFIELD TEACHER CREATES POPULAR NEW BALL GAME

By our sports reporter December 31, 1891

A NEW GAME has become popular in Springfield. Gym teacher James Naismith, pictured right, invented it so that kids can stay active in the winter. Naismith calls it “Basket Ball.”

The object of the game is to throw a large ball into peach baskets suspended from a balcony in a gym. Students at the International YMCA Training School are loving the indoor sport.

Naismith was asked to make up a game that was not too rough. He thought a big soft ball was safest for indoor play. He wanted to reduce body contact by placing the goal high above the players’ heads.

Naismith described how the first game went in a handwritten report: “When Mr. Stubbins brought up the peach baskets to the gym, I secured them on the

inside of the railing of the gallery… I then put up the 13 rules on the bulletin board just behind the instructor’s platform, secured a soccer ball, and awaited the arrival of the class. The class did not show much enthusiasm, but followed my lead.”

Naismith divided the class into two teams of nine each and showed them the rules. The first game did not go well. The students began tackling, kicking, and punching, and it ended in a free-for-all. Naismith has now made new rules for the game, including not allowing tackling.

Though Naismith’s new game was invented to be played indoors in the winter, the sport looks likely to become a yearround pastime. It has already taken off at other YMCAs.

AMERICA’S first subway system was built in Boston, in 1897. It was called the “Big Dig” because it was so deep underground. It was designed to ease traffic jams around the city. Passengers rode in a trolley along a “subway” passage just over half a mile. Even though it wasn’t a very long ride, the subway marked a new era in mass transit in the U.S.

James Naismith, inventor of the new game of Basket Ball.

DEAF-BLIND STUDENT EARNS COLLEGE DEGREE

By our education editor June

29, 1904

HELEN KELLER yesterday became one of the first deafblind people to earn a college degree. Keller lost her sight and hearing from a childhood illness. She graduated from Radcliffe women’s college in Cambridge.

Two years ago, Keller’s autobiography, The Story of My Life , was published. In the book, she describes how her teacher and friend, Anne Sullivan, taught her finger spelling and how to read and write. Sullivan was born in Agawam and has experienced periods of blindness herself.

Keller dedicated the book to Alexander Graham Bell, “who has taught the deaf to speak and enabled the listening ear to hear speech from the Atlantic to the Rockies.” Bell was involved with the Perkins school for the Blind, which both Keller and Sullivan attended.

When Sullivan first met Keller, she was a little girl trapped in her own dark, silent world. She used finger spelling with her hand in

Read more about the inspiring life of Helen Keller and her remarkable teacher Anne Sullivan.

the little girl’s. At first, Helen didn’t understand. But then came the day when Sullivan ran cool water over one of Keller’s hands, spelling out the word “w-a-t-e-r” on her other hand. Of that moment, Keller later said: “The mystery of language was revealed to me.”

In addition to Perkins, Keller went to the Horace Mann School for the Deaf, where she learned to speak. Her first spoken sentence was: “It is warm.”

Her achievement follows Perkins’ earlier success with Laura Bridgman. She was the first deaf and blind person to be given the “key of language.”

Keller was born in Alabama. She said she will always be grateful for the support she received in Boston, which she called the “City of Kind Hearts.”

Yankee Division Soldiers Return Home As Heroes

our defense correspondent April 26, 1919

By

SOLDIERS of the U.S. Army’s 26th Division came home to a hero’s welcome yesterday. They were part of the American Expeditionary Forces that defeated Germany in the World War.

The division’s nickname is the “Yankee Division.” It was made up mostly of National Guard troops from New England. It was one of the first American units to go into combat.

The division spent more than 200 days in combat. More than 1,500 soldiers were killed in action.

Privates George Dilboy (circled) and Michael J. Perkins died in the war. They will be issued the

Medal of Honor for going “above and beyond the call of duty.” Dilboy, a Greek-American, was singled out by commander General John Pershing for his “super-human heroism.”

Eight soldiers, sailors, and marines connected to the state were given the Medal of Honor. It is the highest U.S. military decoration.

The 26th Division had a mascot named Sergeant Stubby. He was half Boston Terrier and the most decorated dog of the war. He was famous for saving soldiers from surprise gas attacks.

The bravery of its armed forces has made the U.S a world power. But people wonder if it was worth losing so many soldiers in the war.

The Yankee Division of National Guard Troops from New England

Left to right: Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan.

A GREAT DAY FOR

ACTIVISTS CELEBRATE AS WOMEN FINALLY WIN THE RIGHT TO VOTE AFTER LONG STRUGGLE

By our politics editor June 26, 1919

MASSACHUSETTS has become the eighth U.S. state to approve the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment gives women the right to vote.

This historic event follows years of work by suffragists, including Susan B. Anthony of Adams, pictured below. She brought her high level of skills and energy to the cause and became president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

In 1878, she proposed a change to an amendment of the U.S. Constitution that would have given women the right to vote. But Anthony died in 1906, so she has not lived to the success of her efforts. But the 19th Amendment has come to be known as the

“Susan B. Anthony Amendment” in her honor.

Other suffragists in the state, such as Lucy Stone, have also passed away before their dream was realized.

The amendment follows women’s role on the home front during the World War. With so many men away fighting, many women worked outside of the home for the first time. They did important jobs in factories and on farms. They even drove ambulances and built weapons for the war effort. Such patriotic service helped win wider public support for giving women the right to vote at last.

Susan B. Anthony, a woman’s suffragist.

Anna Howard Shaw is the perfect example of changing times. She is a doctor and activist. She was the chair of the Women’s Committee of the Council of National Defense.

The amendment’s passage was not easy. President Woodrow Wilson even weighed in with a U.S. Senate speech. “Give justice to women,” he said.

For generations, many men— and even some women—thought that if women were allowed to take part in politics, they would neglect their homes and children. Suffragists pointed out that women are citizens and should be allowed a voice in their government.

The “Susan B. Anthony Amendment” still needs to be ratified by 28 more states before it can become law. This is almost certain to happen within the next year or two.

Read the text of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution which gave women the right to vote.

FOR DEMOCRACY

Before the colonists came, Indigenous women were often leaders in their tribes. Colonial governments did not like this. They took away Native women’s rights. It was part of the effort to wipe out their cultures and take away Native land.

Campaigners celebrate the passing of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which guaranteed women the right to vote in national elections.

Police Strike, Seeking Better Work Conditions

MASSACHUSETTS governor Calvin Coolidge is disgusted with the actions of Boston police officers. They went on strike for better wages, writes our labor reporter, September 15, 1919.

“There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, anytime,” said Coolidge.

The strike began about a week ago. Three-quarters of the city’s police refused to go to work. They were striking in order to seek better wages and working conditions. They also wanted to have a union.

But Police Commissioner Edwin Upton Curtis suspended them. Then Coolidge called in the National Guard after two nights of rioting and looting.

Amid a public outcry, the officers have ended the strike. But the city says it will hire new officers to replace them. And the new officers will make more money than the old ones.

The decade is ending as it began: with a rash of strikes. Newspapers have not been kind to the police strikers. That is very different from the way they wrote about the “Bread and Roses” Strike of 1912. Then, textile workers in Lawrence went on strike. They were protesting against pay cuts for women workers.

The plight of strikers’ children sent away to stay with families attracted national attention.

First Lady Helen Taft took a keen interest. And investigations showed the shocking working conditions of immigrant workers. The dispute united workers of different origins through nine cold winter weeks. It finally ended when mill owners agreed to raise workers’ pay.

TRIBAL NATIONS STAND PROUD

By our arts editor August 12, 1935

THE TRIBAL NATIONS of southern New England are finding new pride in their old traditional ways. The pride persists despite ongoing pressure from white people to make Native people act more white.

who people are. Traditional governance with chiefs, medicine people, and councils persists. Mashpee and Herring Pond started an annual powwow in 1921. They held it at Herring Pond the first few years. Then they moved it to Mashpee. Now

in its 14th year, the powwow is attended by many tribes from all over New England.

Nipmuc people started their powwow at Hassanamisco in 1924. The land there was never ceded to the U.S. Along with dancing, singing, drumming,

and traditional foods, powwows maintain strong community and kinship ties.

Learn more about the origins of labor unions, why they formed and what they aimed to achieve.

In 1869, the Nipmuc were declared no longer a tribe. Then, in 1870, the state ended the Indian District status of Gay Head and Mashpee. It turned them into towns even though the people objected. The Herring Pond tribe became part of the town of Plymouth.

Laws, however, cannot change

CALVIN COOLIDGE

was Governor of Massachusetts. After that, he was Vice President to President Warren G. Harding. President Harding died suddenly in 1923. This made Coolidge the 30th U.S. president. He led the country during the boom years of the “Roaring Twenties” and

during the Prohibition era. His nickname was “Silent Cal.” In 1924, he signed an act giving citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S. His presidency ended on the eve of the Great Depression. It was a hard time for the state and the country. Many people lost their jobs when factories closed.

The Gay Headers developed The Legends of Maushop. It is a play based on oral histories handed down the generations. It tells about a giant who created the Cape and Islands. Community members reenact these ancient stories in Maushop’s old home. It is on top of Gay Head’s beautifully colored clay cliffs.

Watch a series of videos about the different spiritual beliefs and practices of Native American peoples.

The ancient Legends of Maushop tell of a giant who created the Cape and Islands and lived on Gay Head’s cliffs.

THE BRAINS BEHIND THE BOMB

By our chief reporter August 16, 1945

JAPAN SURRENDERED yesterday. World War II is over, and the U.S. and its allies have won. The final attack was with two atomic bombs dropped in Japan. It has been revealed that scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard were involved in the invention of the atom bomb. The secret project to invent it was called the “Manhattan Project.”

Vannevar Bush (third from left in the photgraph below) went to MIT after World War I. He started the project to make nuclear weapons for the U.S. government. James Bryant Conant (third from right in the photograph below) was Harvard University president. He was an adviser to the Manhattan Project and to U.S. President Harry Truman. J. Robert Oppenheimer was called the “father of the atomic bomb.” He was a Harvard graduate. Leslie R. Groves attended MIT. He was an army officer in charge of the production and security of the bomb.

In 1941, Japan dropped regular bombs on the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This brought the U.S. into World War II. After years of fighting, the Allied Powers (the US, the UK, France, the Soviet Union, China, and several others) beat the Axis

A cat hat-trick for Dr. Seuss!

A CLEVER new children’s books is being hailed as a classic. So writes our culture editor, April 1, 1957.

The Cat in the Hat was written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. His

real name is Theodor Geisel, and he is from Springfield. The story is just 236 words long and took Geisel a year and a half to write. The tale is about a silly cat in a striped hat and bow tie who tries

to entertain two kids left home on a rainy day. A lot of crazy things happen along the way. The first edition was published on March 1. People spread the word

powers (Germany, Japan, Italy, and others).

Britain and Canada also helped the U.S. with the Manhattan Project. The location of the project was kept a secret. But we now know it was in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The people of Massachusetts have fought fiercely in yet another war. National Guard troops, who make up a large part of the 26th “Yankee” Infantry Division, fought in France before going to Germany and freeing

MANY PEOPLE don’t know that the Indigenous people of Massachusetts have fought in every war that America has been in. During the colonial, Revolutionary, and Civil wars, people fought for a variety of reasons. Native people also fought in World Wars I and II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

the people being held in the Gusen concentration camp.

About 20 men connected to the Massachusetts received Medals of Honor. More than half never came back from combat. Among them was Holyoke-born Raymond O. Beaudoin. He was an Army officer who sacrificed his life to save his men in Germany. Quincy-born U.S. Marine William R. Caddy fell on a grenade to protect others at the Battle of Iwo Jima. Frederick C. Murphy was an Army medic from Boston. He braved a German minefield to treat U.S. soldiers and was killed in an explosion.

During the war, women often filled the skilled jobs of men who had gone off to fight. More than 8,000 women worked at the Charlestown Navy Yard during the war; 1,000 women worked in Lowell making parachutes.

about how good the book was. There is a department store called Bullock’s in Los Angeles that sold its first 100 copies in one day.

“Hooray for Dr. Seuss!” read a headline in the Chicago Tribune newspaper after stores in the city could barely

keep up with demand. The Cat in the Hat’s foolish content is different from the usual “Dick and Jane” primers traditionally used to teach schoolchildren to read. LIFE magazine’s John Hersey described Dr. Seuss’s infectious and engaging story as a “gift to the art of reading.”

Above: the Massachusetts National Guard; below: members of the Manhattan Project.

JFK DEATH SHOCKS THE WORLD

THE LEGACY OF POPULAR SON OF MASSACHUSETTS SET TO LIVE FOREVER

By our chief reporter November 22, 1963

JOHN F. KENNEDY, 35th U.S. president, was fatally shot earlier today. He was riding in an opentop car in downtown Dallas, Texas. The gunman was hiding in a nearby building. The President was rushed to the hospital, where he died. He was 46. First

Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who was seated next to her husband, was not hit.

The nation is reeling with horror at the news. Everyone on the streets seems to wear a look of shock and disbelief. Kennedy was one of the youngest presidents ever. He was also the first Catholic to hold the office in U.S. history.

Brookline-born “JFK” served

as a naval officer in World War II. When he returned, he wrote a book about his experience. He went on to represent the state in Congress and the Senate before the being elected president.

At his inaugural address, President Kennedy urged: “… ask not what your country can do for

President Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy.

you—ask what you can do for your country.”

In May 1961, he set the goal of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth before the end of the decade.

The world teetered on the brink of nuclear war when the Soviets began constructing missile sites in Cuba. Nuclear missiles placed there could reach U.S. cities. Kennedy told the Soviets to remove their bombs. After a tense standoff, Kennedy got his way.

One of his most popular ideas has been the Peace Corps. This U.S. program sends Americans to developing countries to teach in schools and help fight poverty and disease.

JFK was the son of businessman Joseph P. Kennedy, who worked hard to help his son gain political office. With Kennedy gone, Lyndon B. Johnson is now president. The police, meanwhile, have launched a huge manhunt to find the assassin.

Find out more about the life, achievements and legacy of John F. Kennedy, the 35th U.S. president.

PRESIDENT John F. Kennedy hired his brother Robert F. Kennedy to be U.S. attorney general. Some felt he did not have enough experience for the job. “RFK” changed their minds. He enforced civil rights laws, challenged segregation, and fought organized crime. In 1968, less than five years after his brother’s death, RFK was tragically shot and killed. He was 42 years old.

President Kennedy riding in a convertible in Dallas, Texas, moments before he was fatally shot.

BOBBI GIBB became the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon yesterday. So writes our sports correspondent, April 20, 1966.

The 23-year-old Bostonian finished the 26-mile race in three hours, 21 minutes and 40 seconds. That was faster than twothirds of the men in the race.

Gibb had to work very hard just to make it to the starting line. First, she applied for an official

Bobbi Gibb Runs Into The Record Books

place. But she got a letter from the race director telling her women were “not physiologically able to run a marathon.” So he couldn’t take the chance of her hurting herself.

Under the Amateur Athletics Union’s rules, women’s races are limited to 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers). The longest women’s race in the Olympics is 800 meters.

But Gibb was determined to compete. She dressed in a

hooded sweatshirt and her brother’s Bermuda shorts over a black swimsuit. Then she hid in a bush near the starting line. After half the runners had passed, she jumped out and joined the race. Her fellow runners had a positive

3 h 21m 40 s

reaction. That made Gibb comfortable revealing her identity by taking off the sweatshirt.

Spectators shouted their support. By the time Gibb reached the finish line, governor John Volpe was there to shake her hand. Now, a spokesman for the New England Amateur Athletic Union says he will ask for a rule change so that any woman can follow Gibb’s example and run in the Boston Marathon.

FRANK JAMES SPEAKS OUT

FRANK “WAMSUTTA”

JAMES, an Aquinnah Wampanoag, spoke out yesterday to mark the 350th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims. So writes our chief reporter, November 27, 1970.

James addressed a group of supporters gathered on Cole’s Hill near Plymouth Rock. Close by were a replica of the Mayflower and a statue of the 17th century Wampanoag leader Massasoit. James had been asked to write his speech for a 350th anniversary celebration of the supposedly friendly relationship between the early English settlers and the Wampanoag.

When the event organizers read James’s speech, they didn’t like that it was critical of the colonists’ treatment of the Wampanoag. So James was asked to deliver a revised version of the speech, but he refused.

Our reporter was on Cole’s Hill to hear James deliver his original speech on what his supporters are now calling a “National Day of Mourning.”

“I speak to you as a man—a Wampanoag Man. I am a proud man, proud of my ancestry, my accomplishments.

“It is with mixed emotion that I stand here. This is a time of celebration for you—celebrating an anniversary of a beginning for the white man in America. It is

with a heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my people.

“Even before the Pilgrims landed, it was common practice for explorers to capture Indians, take them to Europe, and sell

them as slaves for 220 shillings apiece. The Pilgrims had hardly explored the shores of Cape Cod for four days before they had robbed the graves of my ancestors and stolen their corn and beans.

“Massasoit, the great sachem [leader] of the Wampanoag, knew these facts, yet he and his people welcomed and befriended the settlers of the Plymouth Plantation. This action by Massasoit was perhaps

IN 1976, Governor Dukakis gave state recognition to three tribes. They are the Wampanoag at Gay Head, the Mashpee Wampanoag, and the Nipmuc tribe based in Grafton. The Commission on Indian Affairs represents these tribes in their dealings with the state.

our biggest mistake. We, the Wampanoag, welcomed you, the white man, with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end; that before 50 years were to pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a free people.

“And so down through the years there is record after record of Indian lands taken and, in token, reservations set up for him upon which to live. The Indian, having been stripped of his power, could only stand by and watch while the white man took his land and used it for his personal gain.

“History wants us to believe that the Indian was a savage, illiterate, uncivilized animal. Let us remember, the Indian is and was just as human as the white man. The Indian feels pain, gets hurt, and becomes defensive, has dreams, bears tragedy and failure ... He, too, is often misunderstood.”

The time it took Bobbi Gibb to run the Boston Marathon.

WAMPANOAG LEADER DECLARES “NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING” DURING POWERFUL SPEECH

Frank “Wamsutta” James delivers his speech on Cole’s Hill, marking a “National Day of Mourning.”

SCHOOLS BECOME BATTLEGROUND FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

COURT RULING FINDS DISCRIMINATION IN SCHOOLS AS

RACIAL TENSIONS RISE

SCHOOL buses carrying African American students have been vandalized by white protesters following a court ruling by U.S. Judge W. Arthur Garrity Jr. So writes our civil rights correspondent, September 14, 1974.

U.S. Judge W. Arthur Garrity Jr., has ruled for Black students to be bused to schools in predominantly white areas and vice versa. This was put into place after a pattern of racial discrimination against Black students was found in Boston schools. This ruling has sparked protests in many areas.

Civil rights in America have progressed since World War II. Racial segregation has ended within the U.S. armed forces. Laws enacted in the 1960s have made equal rights law for all. However, there are signs that equality won’t be easy in schools. Many parents are keeping their children home from school.

HISTORIC AD

State troopers have stepped in to protect students from violent protests against the mixing of Black and white students in schools.

See a series of historic photographs highlighting the issue of racial segregation in the United States.

TEACHER DIES IN CHALLENGER CATASTROPHE

By our space correspondent January 29, 1986

A TEACHER from Massachusetts died yesterday aboard the Challenger space shuttle. It exploded off the coast of Florida at 11.39 a.m. EST. That was just 73 seconds after take-off. Investigators are trying to figure out what caused the disaster. It may have been due to cold weather at the launch. The high level of public interest was partly because high school teacher Christa McAuliffe was on board. She would have been the first teacher in space. McAuliffe was born in Boston and grew up in Framingham. She was selected to be an astronaut by NASA from more than 11,000 applicants.

later moved to Texas, where he made his fortune in the oil industry. Bush was the fifth “son of Massachusetts” to become president of the U.S., 40 T he M assachuse TT s c hronicles

joining John Adams, who followed first president George Washington, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge, and John F. Kennedy.

HISTORIC

Expert To Revive Native Language

A NEW PROJECT to reclaim the Wampanoag language begins today. The language has not been spoken fluently for several generations. So writes our community editor, July 16, 1993.

The project’s founder is Jessie Little Doe Baird. Wôpanâak was originally an oral language. But it became the first Native language

to use an alphabet and written documents. It is one of 40 languages of the Algonquian family. Wôpanâak is also one of only two Native languages left in the state. The other is the Nipmuc language. Before European settlers arrived, there were also the Pocumtuk and Mahican languages.

AD

MASSACHUSETTS is home to four Indigenous nations. They are the Wampanoag, Nipmuc, Pocumtuk, and Mahican. As European colonies grew, lands were stolen and the Indigenous ways of life were disrupted. The largest groups left are the Aquinnah Wampanoag (Martha’s Vineyard), Mashpee Wampanoag (Cape Cod), Herring Pond Wampanoag (south Plymouth); and the Nipmuc nation (central Massachusetts). These historic tribes live where they always

have. They trace direct kinship from pre-contact ancestors. They maintain traditional governments. Mashpee and Aquinnah are now federally recognized tribes. They have direct relationships with the U.S. government. Herring Pond and Nipmuc are state recognized. Being recognized by the U.S. or by the state makes it possible for tribes to keep intact communities after the end of colonial processes.

THE WÔPANÂAK Language Reclamation

Project (WLRP) has a school where children speak Wôpanâak all day, called Mukayuhsak Weekuw. It also offers elders and elementary after-school classes. Students at Mashpee High School can take three levels of Wôpanâak. And there are also community classes.

Paintings Worth Millions Stolen from Museum

In the early hours of yesterday morning, thirteen valuable works of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston. The stolen art includes works by the famous painters Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet, and experts estimate their combined value to be more than $200 million. This makes the museum robbery the largest art theft in recorded history. So writes our culture editor, March 19, 1990.

Find out more about the project to revive the Indigenous Wôpanâak language as a spoken language.

The daring robbery was carried out by two men who gained entry to the museum at night by pretending to be Boston police officers. Once inside, they overpowered and then tied up the museum’s security guards before stealing the artworks.

The case remains unsolved and the museum is offering a $10 million reward for information that leads to the recovery of the paintings. So far, however, the identity of the two robbers and the whereabouts of the stolen artworks remains a mystery.

The courtyard of the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum.

How Jessie Little Doe Beard revived a lost oral language.

BOSTON STAYS

STAYS STRONG

CAN DEFEAT THE HEART OF THIS CITY”

THE PEOPLE of Boston have shown great courage, resilience, and community spirit this week.

They have been patient as the police hunted the suspected bombers of the Boston Marathon. Just five days ago, at 2:50 p.m., two bombs exploded on Boylston Street. This was just as crowds of watchers cheered runners coming to the finish line of the popular marathon route.

The blasts killed three people and injured at least 264. The three victims are Martin Richard, an eight-year-old from Dorchester; Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old from Arlington; and Lingzi Lu, a 23-year-old student.

The city has been in a state of high alert since the manhunt for the bombers began. The main suspects, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, have since claimed a fourth victim. MIT police officer Sean Collier, 27, was shot dead as the brothers tried to steal his gun.

Last night, Dzhokhar, 19, was discovered by a Watertown resident and taken into custody. Tamerlan, 26, was fatally shot during a gunfight with police. The brothers, both from Cambridge, are legal immigrants to the United States and of Chechen descent.

According to the FBI, the suspects are “not connected to any known terrorist groups.”

Despite the fear and violence of recent days, the reaction to the Marathon bombing has shown Boston at its best. There was the bravery of the emergency ser -

vices who rushed to the aid of the victims. There were the many acts of kindness shown to strangers by ordinary Bostonians. The city has emerged from the crisis stronger and more united.

This spirit has been captured in the popular slogan “Boston Strong.” And it was invoked in a moving speech delivered by Mayor Tom Menino. “Nothing can defeat the heart of this city,” said the Mayor at a service of remembrance. “Nothing will take us down, because we take care of one another.”

The Boston Marathon bombing was a tragedy. But it inspired people to acts of charity and kindness. A new park opened near the Boston Children’s Museum in 2019. It is called Martin’s Park. It was built in honor of eight-year-old victim Martin Richard. “One Boston Day” is on April 15. People from across the state perform “random acts of kindness and goodwill” to celebrate the spirit of community shown by ordinary people after the bombing.

By our special reports team April 20, 2013

“NOTHING

Banners and messages of kindness have been placed near the site of the bombing.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Turns 80

PEOPLE IN WHITMAN will celebrate the 80th birthday of the chocolate chip cookie next month. So writes our food editor, September 28, 2018.

Ruth Graves Wakefield invented the yummy treat to go with ice cream. She is the chef and owner of the Toll House Inn. Her recipe for “Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookies” first appeared in her cookbook Tried and True . Some say it was invented by accident when a mixer caused chocolate to fall into some dough. “We had been serving a thin butterscotch nut cookie with ice cream,” she recalls. “Everybody seemed to love it, but I was trying to give them something different.”

Wakefield’s cookie proved such a hit it soon featured on the radio, on the popular Betty Crocker cooking show.

In 1939, Wakefield gave Nestlé the right to use her recipe and the Toll House name. The price was $1. Wakefield was reportedly given free chocolate for life.

The cookie’s reputation spread during World War II. Troops stationed overseas received packages from home. They shared their cookies with soldiers from other parts of the United States.

Wakefield was soon receiving letters from around the world asking for her recipe: the chocolate chip cookie had gone global.

Ruth Graves Wakefield, who created the Toll House Cookie.

CENTURY OF SPORTS LEGENDS

By our sports editor February 4, 2019

THE NEW ENGLAND Patriots won the Super Bowl yesterday, beating the Los Angeles Rams to claim their sixth title. That ties the record for most Super Bowl wins. Quarterback Tom Brady has led the team to each of their six championships, and the Patriots’ triumph continues a very successful century in Massachusetts sports history.

In baseball, the Boston Red Sox were first called the Boston Americans. They beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the very first World Series in 1903, and won a further four championships between then and 1918. However, it would take another 86 years before the Red Sox would win the World Series again, to

finally end the ‘Curse of the Bambino.’ Fans say the team had been cursed for the sale of Babe Ruth, who many think was the best to ever play the game. And so the Red Sox’s long-awaited triumph in 2004, pictured above, was a great moment for the team and all their fans. The Red Sox have won three more titles since then. Although he never won a World Series, Ted Williams, who played for the Red Sox between 1939 and 1960, was still known as one of baseball’s greatest hitters.

The Boston Celtics basketball team has won 17 championships

TOM BRADY won a recordbreaking seventh Super Bowl in 2020, playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after winning six with the Patriots.

—more than any other NBA team. Bill Russell is a Celtics’ legend who won 11 NBA championships with the team. Other great Celtics players include John Havlicek and Bob Cousy in the 1960s and Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale in the 1980s.

The Boston Bruins are one of North America’s ‘Original Six’ ice hockey teams. They have won six Stanley Cup championships. Bobby Orr is a Bruins’ legend, famous for scoring a winning shot with a ‘flying goal.’

Massachusetts has excelled beyond team sports. Rocky Marciano from Brockton was the undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion in the 1950s. And gymnast Aly Raisman was born in Needham. She won two gold medals at the Olympics in 2012 and one in 2016.

Left: the New England Patriots win their sixth Super Bowl. Above: the Red Sox celebrate their sixth World Series championship.

Boston Celtics’ star center Bill Russell.

State Works Together To Combat New Virus

By our health correspondent, March 10, 2020

A STATE OF EMERGENCY has been declared today for Massachusetts as the number of Covid-19 cases in the state more than doubled.

The first confirmed case in the state was reported last month after a student from the University of Massachusetts Boston returned from Wuhan, China, where the virus was first identified. Massachusetts was the fifth state in the U.S. to report a case of Covid-19.

If the number of cases suddenly rises, the healthcare system could be overwhelmed with too many patients becoming sick at the same time.

In an effort to slow the spread of the virus, Governor Charlie Baker today announced travel restrictions on thousands of state employees, and urged other large employers to do the same.

Baker warned people with long-term health conditions and adults over 60 who are at greatest risk of serious illness from Covid19 to avoid large gatherings.

He welcomed the decision to cancel Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day

parade. There are also doubts whether the Boston Marathon will go ahead next month.

Meanwhile, nursing homes in Massachusetts and elsewhere are drawing up plans to begin screening visitors and restricting entry to care workers.

State rules on school attendance are also being eased so that officials will be free to close schools if necessary.

One emerging problem is the lack of testing facilities. The state public health laboratory is the only place in Massachusetts equipped to test for Covid-19.

Though it expects to increase its capacity from about 50 to 200 tests a day, federal approval is urgently needed for private labs to start testing.

Experts are saying that if the number of cases surges, it may be just a matter of weeks before the state has no option but to issue stay-at-home orders and impose a shutdown of schools, businesses and places of worship in an effort to control the virus.

Despite the uncertainties, one thing is for sure: Massachusetts will rise to the challenge, as it has done many times before in the face of adversity.

By our culture editor, August 11, 2020

MAYFLOWER II returned home to Plymouth yesterday, after $11 million worth of renovations. The reproduction of the original Mayflower , celebrated

for transporting the Pilgrims to New England in 1620, has been in Connecticut for three years.

The Mayflower II docked in Plymouth Harbor, not far from Plimoth Patuxet, one of America’s oldest living history museums, which live-streamed its

journey with multiple cameras. The ship’s arrival in Plymouth caused a great celebration. “I just had to be here,” said one spectator. “I had to see her come in. There’s a lot of pride involved in that.”

Mayflower II has been a major

tourism and educational attraction since it arrived in Plymouth as a gift from England in 1957. It was sailed from Devon in southwest England, where the ship was built, in April of that year, recreating the Pilgrims’ voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

The reproduction was financed by private donations in England and by Plimoth Patuxet, and is said to represent the alliance between Britain and the U.S. during World War II.

The ship is considered a faithful “generic reproduction,” with solid oak timbers and tarred hemp rigging. It is 106 ft long by 25 ft wide, has three masts, a bowsprit and six sails. It has been listed on the U.S. National

Register of Historic Places.

After years of exposure to the natural elements, Mayflower II needed to be restored. The Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut began work in 2014, with extensive restoration work starting in 2016, using shipwrights and craftspeople from the museum and Plimoth Patuxet.

Mayflower II has been declared a triumph of renovation. About 75 percent of the ship is brand new. The shipwrights tore apart the vessel, reducing it to a “skeleton” before building it back up. Aspokesperson from Plimoth Patuxet said: “It really reflected the traditional shipbuilding method that would have been used in the 17th century.”

Healey Is First Elected Female Governor

By our politics editor, November 9, 2022

MAURA HEALEY yesterday became the first elected female governor of Massachusetts. She is also one of the first lesbian women to take office as governor of any U.S. state.

Healey, a member of the Democratic Party, has been Massachusetts Attorney General since 2014, being the first openly lesbian woman and first openly LGBTQ person elected attorney general of a state.

Her election as governor yesterday was secured after the defeat of her Republican opponent, former state Representative Geoff Diehl.

Campaigning for more affordable housing, green jobs and better public transportation, Healey won more than 60 per cent of the vote, never once trailing in the polls.

Her historic victory will be an inspiration to young people in the LGBTQ community, many of whom already feel encouraged by her success.

“Kids need to understand and believe that they are loved, they are seen and that they can be whoever they are,” said Healey.

Massachusetts To Play Key Role In America250 Celebrations

By our culture editor, January 1, 2023

AMERICA begins preparations for the U.S. Semiquincentennial to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 – and Massachusetts, as one of the original 13 states, will be at the forefront of these great celebrations.

The U.S Semiquincentennial Commission has been established by Congress to inspire Americans to participate in the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

Organisers are hoping “America250” will be the largest and most inclusive anniversary observance in U.S. history, with festivities leading up to the anniversary itself on July 4, 2026.

They say it will offer a once-ina-lifetime opportunity for Americans “to remember our past,

celebrate the present, and look forward to a promising future.”

The unique heritage of Massachusetts captures the “spirit of America.” The Mayflower voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony recently marked their 400th anniversary. The annual Patriots’ Day commemorates the Battles of Lexing-

ton and Concord, early conflicts of the Revolutionary War.

The story of Massachusetts is the story of America. Its history includes not only Native Americans, Puritans and presidents, but also pioneers of industry, leaders of anti-slavery and women’s rights movements.

Governor Healey was elected with 60 percent of the vote.

A historical actor on board Mayflower II dressed in a 17th-century style.

A TIMELINE GUIDE TO THE HISTORY OF MASSACHUSETTS

ABOUT 12,000 YEARS AGO

WHAT IS NOW

Massachusetts is part of an ancient land that Wampanoag, Nipmuc, Pocumtuck, and Mahican (now Stockbridge-Munsee) have lived on for thousands and thousands of years. Each of these tribal nations carries their own histories and oral traditions that tell how long people have lived on this land.

1614

JOHN SMITH, an early leader of an English settlement in Virginia, sails from Maine to Cape Cod, exploring the coastline. He names the region “New England,” praises its climate and promotes it as an ideal location for colonization. European fishermen had visited the region for decades, but did not settle there.

1620

THE PILGRIMS establish Plymouth Colony on the site of Patuxet village, which had been ravaged by disease and abandoned. There is a harbor and a plentiful supply of clean spring water. In the midst of winter, they build homes for shelter. Samoset, a Native man who speaks some English, will visit the settlement and bid them welcome.

HOW TO USE THE TIMELINE

Leaf through the pages and travel on an amazing journey to discover key events in the history of Massachusetts, from earliest times to the present day. Each color represents a theme in the story. A selection of important moments in U.S. history helps show the bigger picture and highlights the influence that Massachusetts has had on the nation and beyond. A series of QR codes transport you to a wealth of further information, including articles, videos, maps, images and more. Use the key below to see which type of content will be waiting for you when you activate a QR code. More detailed definitions of words or phrases highlighted in red can be found in the Glossary on page 68.

ABOUT 5,000 YEARS AGO

INDIGENOUS people lived in what is now the Boston area, around Boston Harbor, the islands, and the Charles River, for many thousands of years. The land was very different then, with many waterways, swamps and forests that provided everything the people needed to live.

1616–1618

AN EPIDEMIC of huge proportions struck four Indigenous nations along what became the New England coast. It was introduced in Maine by European fishermen, and spread south into Wampanoag country. It later became known as the “Great Dying.”

Video

Discover more of the story with a short video bringing history to life.

Articles

Find out more about major events by reading an in-depth article.

Images

Explore historic paintings and photographs

Maps See how history unfolded with maps and charts explaining key events.

Primary Sources

Discover original artefacts and historical documents

1620

SICK and weary after weeks at sea, the Mayflower Pilgrims land in New England, north of their intended destination. Off the coast of what is now Provincetown, they sign a compact, agreeing to a self-governing body to create “just and equal” laws. The Mayflower Compact is an early example of democracy in America.

Geography

Science & Industry Biography

Society & Conflict Arts & Culture

Human Rights

1621

DESPITE many hardships, Plymouth Colony survives, led by its first governor William Bradford. About 50 Pilgrims celebrate with a feast, and about 90 Native people join them. The Pilgrims hunt fowl, including turkeys, while Native people bring deer. The celebratory feast is said to have inspired today’s annual national Thanksgiving.

1623

PLYMOUTH COLONY is credited as being the first place in America to establish trial by jury. Its legislature, the General Court, rules that all criminal cases, as well as matters of trespass and debt, should be tried by 12 “honest men” in the form of a jury. It is a milestone in American legal history.

1630

A large group of Puritans leave England for New England. John Winthrop says the Massachusetts Bay Colony will be like a “City upon a Hill” with “the eyes of all people” upon them. The Puritans believe they are heading for a “Promised Land,” and Winthrop will be an influential governor.

1636

A COLLEGE is founded by the Massachusetts Bay Colony across the Charles River from Boston. It will be named for John Harvard, a minister who donates his library and much of his fortune to help found the college. The town around Harvard is named “Cambridge” after the English university. Harvard will become a world-famous center of learning.

1621

THE FIRST winter in what would become Plymouth Colony claims the lives of many Pilgrims. Tisquantum, or Squanto, a Patuxet Wampanoag man, translates for the survivors and shows them how to grow corn and fertilize with fish. He had been kidnapped in 1614 and had spent five years in England, where he learned English.

1621

MASSASOIT, sachem of the Pokanoket Wampanoag, was the leader chosen to negotiate with the Pilgrims. The two groups formed an alliance of mutual protection in March 1621. It was common practice for sachems to make such agreements. But Massasoit was wary of the English due to the earlier kidnappings and enslavements.

1620

A group of religious Separatists and other migrants from England(the Pilgrims) set sail for North America. These passengers had seven years to repay the company that had paid for their trip over here. Colonies are established to make money for their investors.

1633

THE TOWNSPEOPLE of Dorchester gather each week for what are thought to be the very first Town Hall meetings in the colonies. The practice quickly spreads to other parts of Massachusetts and New England, and becomes a foundation of early American democracy.

1637

PURITAN leaders in the state become intolerant of other religious groups and banish those whose beliefs differ from their own. Anne Hutchinson defends her right, as a Christian woman, to preach in Boston. She is expelled and will settle in what is today Rhode Island, whose principal founder, Roger Williams, had also been expelled.

1630

THE PURITANS arrive in Massachusetts Bay and search for a place to settle. They select the hilly Shawmut Peninsula which is almost surrounded by water. The name of “Boston” is said to have been chosen by Isaac Johnson, a colonist who lived in the English town of Boston.

COLONIAL AMERICA

1639

Printer Stephen Daye prints the Oath of a Freeman

All members of the Massachusetts Bay Company have to take it to show they are loyal to the colony. His Whole Booke of Psalmes is said to be the first book published in the North American colonies.

1651

PURITANS establish “Praying Towns.” They want to convert Native peoples to Christianity and to make them act like white people. Wampanoags help John Eliot translate the Bible into their language. It is the first complete Bible printed in America.

1660

Boston Puritans hang Quakers when they refuse to leave the state.

1675–1676

KING PHILIP’S WAR

Metacom (King Philip) fights to protect his people and their lands. Indigenous and colonial towns are destroyed. Metacom is killed. His head is displayed on a pike in Plymouth for 25 years. Many Native families are enslaved.

1691

The Massachusetts Charter from Britain combines Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony, Maine, and what are now the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in Canada into one colony. It also takes away the right of the colony to govern itself.

PREACHER Jonathan Edwards of Northampton helps to lead the religions movement called the Great Awakening. He seeks to convert others to their Evangelical form of Christianity. Edwards reports that young people are now waking up to God.

IN BRITAIN’S global empire are 13 North American colonies. American colonists help Britain defeat France in the Seven Years’ War. In 1763, Britain wins the war and gains Canadian territories. Britain then angers many colonists by taxing them to pay for the war. 1670s 1660s 1690s

1722

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN begins writing articles for his brother James’s newspaper under the name Silence Dogood. He is 16 years old at the time. He will go on to be a printer, inventor, and Founding Father

1764

THE BRITISH government taxes its American colonies to help pay for the Seven Years War. Part of this war is fought in North America and known as the French and Indian War. Lawyer James Otis Jr. objects to being taxed without having a say in the matter.

1644

BOSTON MERCHANTS enter the slave trade. They buy enslaved people from Africa and sell them to sugar plantations in the Caribbean. They then load up their ships with sugar. They bring the sugar to Boston to have made into rum. They bring the rum to Europe to sell.

1692

Twenty women and men who deny they are witches are executed for witchcraft in Salem. Others who confess that they are witches are spared.

1768

British troops parade through the city streets. This angers many Bostonians. They see the British soldiers as a threat to their freedom.

1770s

1773

IN PROTEST against British rule, patriots dump hundreds of chests full of British tea into Boston Harbor. The “Boston Tea Party” is a direct challenge to Britain and its taxes.

1775

THE BRITISH win the Revolutionary War’s first major conflict. But the Battle of Bunker Hill is costly. The conflict shows the need for the colonies to form a united army.

1775

On April 18, Paul Revere and other scouts race from Boston to Lexington to warn Patriots that the redcoats are on their way. British troops stop Revere before he reaches Concord, but others get through. The Patriots are ready to face the British.

1765

Boston-born Samuel Adams is said to be a founder of the Sons of Liberty patriot group. He calls on the colonists to unite against British rule.

1773

PHILLIS WHEATLEY, an enslaved woman, is the first African American female poet to be published in Britain and the U.S. colonies. Born in Africa and purchased as a servant, she was educated by the Wheatley family. She later gains her freedom.

1775

THE BRITISH declare Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion. They see armed colonists as traitors. So they order General Thomas Gage to stop them collecting arms. Patriots set up Minutemen companies of about 50 men each. War appears likely.

1770

BRITISH soldiers kill five colonists and injure others in the Boston Massacre. Earlier, a mob had dared the soldiers to shoot. Crispus Attucks, a man of color, is among the dead. Support for revolution grows.

1775

THE FIRST shots of the war are fired at Lexington. The conflict claims eight colonists’ lives. Later, at Concord, the Patriots ambush the British. Some 73 redcoats and 49 patriots are killed.

1775

newly created Continental Army Washington calls his troops “an exceedingly nasty and dirty people.” He needs to turn the men into a strong fighting force.

John Adams suggests George Washington to command the

1776

DELEGATES to the Continental Congress sign the Declaration of Independence. This is an act of treason under British law.

Massachusetts signers include John Adams, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock.

1780

MASSACHUSETTS creates a constitution. It says that all men are born “free and equal.” But it does not give women the right to vote. And it does not say that slavery is illegal. Drafted by John Adams, it is now the world’s oldest written constitution still in use.

1780s

1776

ABIGAIL ADAMS, wife of John Adams, and their children are inoculated against smallpox.

AMERICAN REVOLUTION

THE 13 COLONIES unite against Britain, declaring independence in 1776. With French and Spanish help, the colonies defeat the British. The Revolutionary War ends in 1783, and the United States of America is established. The Articles of Confederation create a system of government where most of the governing is done by the states.

1786

FARMERS are struggling to cope with tax and debt. Daniel Shays leads an angry march on an armory, where weapons are kept, in Springfield. Shays’ Rebellion show weaknesses in the new national government.

1790

THE COLUMBIA, built in Massachusetts, becomes the first U.S. vessel to travel around the world. Much later, the Command-Service Module of Apollo 11 and a NASA space shuttle will be named for the ship.

1790s

1781

Slavery is abolished in the state after a series of court cases. In two of them, Elizabeth Freeman (pictured) and Quock Walker win their freedom. In time, the Commonwealth will play a key role in the movement to end slavery in all of the U.S.

1788

MASSACHUSETTS approves the U.S. Constitution—the second try at a body of laws to govern the newly independent United States. In that way, it becomes the 6th U.S. state. Elbridge Gerry refuses to sign as it does not yet include a Bill of Rights

1776

A BRITISH fleet leaves Boston Harbor with thousands of troops aboard. George Washington’s army has taken Boston from the redcoats.

1795

SPRINGFIELD Armory makes the first musket made in the U.S. Springfield muskets and rifles will become famous all over the world.

1797

JOHN ADAMS is elected to be the 2nd U.S. president. The Massachusetts lawyer and his family will be the first to live in the White House.

1798

THE MASSACHUSETTS State House is completed in Boston. It was designed by Charles Bulfinch and built on land once owned by John Hancock. A time capsule created by Samuel Adams and Paul Revere is buried in the building.

U.S. EXPANSION

During the 1800s, the U.S. expands. First, in 1803, it buys the Louisiana Territory from France. In 1819, the U.S. gets Florida from Spain. Between 1845 and 1848, the US takes over the areas that will become the states of Texas, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Washington and Oregon. In 1867, it buys Alaska from Russia. And in 1898 it takes over Hawaii.

1814

FACTORIES are springing up across the state. They make tools and paper and wool and cotton fabric. Francis Cabot Lowell’s mill in Waltham is the first in the United States to turn raw cotton into finished cloth, all under one roof. The city of Lowell is named for him.

1825

JOHN

John Adams, becomes the sixth U.S. president. He was chosen by the U.S. House of Representatives after all four candidates failed to win a majority of the votes.

1797

THE CONSTITUTION, a 44-gun warship, is launched in Boston. The U.S. Congress orders the ship and several others to be part of a new national navy. It will protect American ships from pirates. During the War of 1812, the Constitution will earn the nickname “Old Ironsides” after defeating a British warship.

1812

WAR BREAKS out between the U.S. and Britain over sea rights. Massachusetts strongly opposes the war. The British block shipping in and out coastal towns including Boston. The War of 1812 lasts until 1815, ending in stalemate as both sides sign the Treaty of Ghent.

1803

MASSACHUSETTS is a pioneer of the U.S.’s Industrial Revolution. The Middlesex Canal is built to connect the Merrimack River to Boston. It is one of the first of its kind. Other canals follow. So do early railroads. The Chain Bridge at Newburyport will be the first suspension bridge in the U.S.

1827

EDGAR ALLAN POE’s first book of poetry is published without his name on it. The book is credited only to a “Bostonian.” The poet and master storyteller was orphaned as a child and served for a time in the U.S. Army at Fort Independence in Boston Harbor.

1816

HENRY HALL, of Dennis, begins farming and selling cranberries after discovering they grow better when sand is spread over them. Others adopt Hall’s technique, and “Cranberry Fever” grips Cape Cod as the industry booms. Cranberries have been growing wild for a very long time.

QUINCY ADAMS, a diplomat and son of Founding Father

1833

MASHPEE Wampanoag leaders protest the way the state runs their reservation and the theft of wood from their forests. The Mashpee Revolt is led by Mashpee preacher William Apess. It results in some elememts of self-rule for Indigenous people.

1844

ABOLITIONISTS are drawn to Massachusetts because most citizens agree with them. Sojourner Truth, who was born into slavery, settles in Northampton. Boston’s Beacon Hill becomes a center for free African Americans and people who have escaped from slavery.

1845

JOHN CHAPMAN, better known as folk hero “Johnny Appleseed,” dies. Born and raised in Leominster, he left Massachusetts for the Midwest. Settlers were starting farms there. He became a legend after preaching and planting apple trees wherever he went.

1850

THE FIRST annual National Women’s Rights Convention is held in Worcester. Lucy Stone, of West Brookfield, is one of the main organizers. She is the first woman from the state to earn a college degree. The gathering includes speeches on women’s rights.

1830s 1840s 1850s

1837

EDUCATION secretary

Horace Mann starts teacher training colleges. One of these is Bridgewater Normal School (1840), which later becomes Bridgewater State University.

1845

THOUSANDS of Irish people move to the state. They are starving because their potato crop failed. Some Irish had come to Massachusetts earlier to build canals and railroads or to work in factories. But they have never before come in such numbers. Many settle in cities such as Boston.

1831

ABOLITIONIST William Lloyd Garrison publishes The Liberator This Boston newspaper calls for freeing all slaves in the U.S. Garrison, a white man born in Newburyport, is a founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society. It inspires many African Americans to make their voices heard.

1846

Dr. WILLIAM G.T. MORTON from Charlton uses ether gas to make a patient unconscious during surgery. Morton patents the process. That makes other doctors angry. They say he is not the first to use ether so he shouldn’t be able to control its use, and get rich as a result.

1845

FREDERICK DOUGLASS gains a national fame after writing his first autobiography. In it he describes his earlier life as an enslaved man. Living for a time in New Bedford and Lynn, he is inspired by The Liberator newspaper and will become a national abolitionist leader.

1854

HENRY DAVID THOREAU spends two years living beside Walden Pond, near Concord. The land is owned by his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson. Thoreau describes his simple life in a book, Walden; or, Life in the Woods, inspiring an early environmental movement.

1861

JULIA WARD HOWE, from Boston, writes the song “Battle Hymn of the Republic” after meeting President Abraham Lincoln. She co-founds the American Woman Suffrage Association to fight for women’s right to vote.

1863

THE 54th and 55th Massachusetts Volunteers are some of the first African Americans to be soldiers in the U.S. They fight for the North during the Civil War. Men of the 54th are praised for their bravery when they storm Fort Wagner in South Carolina.

1860s 1870s

1861

THE Massachusetts Institute of Technology is founded to be a leader in science research. It will become one of the world’s top universities. Much later Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, will teach there.

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

ONE of the bloodiest wars in U.S. history starts in 1861. Eleven Southern states have just broken away from the Union. They fear President Abraham Lincoln will ban slavery. Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. It says that slaves in rebel states are free. The war ends two years later. The North wins, and the 11 states rejoin the union. Slavery is ended.

1851

The life aboard a whaling ship is shown in Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick; or, The Whale Many people in the state work in the whaling industry.

1868

LOUISA MAY ALCOTT pens the famous novel Little Women. It is the story of teenage sisters growing up in rural Massachusetts.

1872

THE GREAT Fire of Boston burns hundreds of buildings in downtown Boston. The fire ruins the city’s wool trade and wrecks shoe and paper businesses. At least 20,000 workers lose their jobs. The city creates new rules to keep fires like this from happening again.

1876

ALEXANDER Graham Bell invents the first telephone. He is a Boston University professor who works with deaf people. A call from Salem to Boston is one of the earliest over a long distance.

1870

THE MASHPEE and Aquinnah Wampanoag communities become citizens of Massachusetts when their reservations are turned into towns. Individuals are given the right to own and sell their land. This individual ownership leads to further loss of the tribes’ common lands.

1878

SUFFRAGIST Susan B. Anthony, born in Adams, proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This change would give women the right to vote. It is known as the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment.” It is passed decades later, in 1920, as the 19th Amendment.

1880s

1886

WORKING with engineer George Westinghouse, physicist William Stanley Jr. shows off his Alternating Current (AC) electrical system, which allows electrical power to be distributed over wide areas.

1890s

1881

THE BOSTON Symphony Orchestra (BSO) gives its first concert. Later, it will become one of America’s “Big Five” symphony orchestras. Lawrence-born Leonard Bernstein will be among many world-class conductors to make recordings with the “BSO.”

1891

TO KEEP students active in winter, gym teacher James Naismith invents basketball in Springfield. Students throw a large ball into peach baskets hung from a balcony. The game will become one of the world’s most popular sports.

1900s

1890

THE POEMS of Emily Dickinson, of Amherst, are published after her death. They show she is a major talent. She lived mostly in private, not going out much. Now she is famous.

1904

HELEN KELLER is one of the first deaf-blind people to earn a college degree. She went to college at Radcliffe Women’s College. (Today it is part of Harvard University.) Her autobiography was published in 1903. It tells the story of how she learns to read, write, and speak.

PROHIBITION

IN 1919, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution bans the sale of alcohol in the United States. The idea is that less drinking will mean less crime and fewer people living in poverty. Federal agents try to enforce the law. But people are unwilling to give up alcohol. Some make their own. Others buy it illegally. Organized crime gangs make lots of money from illegal sales. Prohibition will end in 1933.

1881

CLARA BARTON, born in North Oxford, founds the American Red Cross. A nurse in the Civil War, she collected medical supplies for Union soldiers. Under her leadership, the Red Cross responds when people are in crisis.

1909

“JIM CROW” laws passed by southern states keep the races separate. Civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois co-founds the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which works for equal rights for people of all races.

1910s WORLD WAR I

In 1917, the U.S. decides it can no longer be neutral in the war in Europe. It declares war on the German Empire. The 26th “Yankee” Division is formed largely from the Massachusetts National Guard. It is among the first to be sent to France to fight. Germany is defeated. The U.S. emerges as a world power.

1903

THE BOSTON Americans baseball team—later renamed the Red Sox—defeats the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series. The Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston are mobbed by fans after the Americans’ victory.

1918

A German submarine attacks ships off the coast of Orleans. It is the only enemy attack on U.S. land during World War I. The sub fires at the tugboat Perth Amboy Several barges it is towing sink. Aircraft fire back. Enemy shells land in a marsh and on a beach. No one is killed.

1919

A GIANT tank filled with more than two million gallons of molasses explodes. A 50-foot-high “tidal wave” of the syrupy substance swamps a Boston neighborhood. Some 21 people die and dozens more are injured.

1923

President Warren G. Harding dies suddenly. His Vice President, Calvin Coolidge, becomes the 30th President. Before being Vice President, he was Governor of Massachusetts. He will sign into law an act granting citizenship to all U.S.-born Native Americans.

THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND THE NEW DEAL

IN 1929, the U.S. Stock market crashes. In the 1930s, droughts ruin farms in the Midwest. It is a terrible time of lost jobs and homelessness known as the Great Depression. President Franklin D. Roosevelt launches the “New Deal” in 1933. The program creates jobs and gives help to those hardest hit. It also builds the first U.S. social safety net. It will help the poor and jobless.

1957

SPRINGFIELD-BORN Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel publishes The Cat in the Hat, one of more than 60 books that he will write and illustrate. His stories will become among the most popular children’s books of all time.

1920s 1940s 1950s 1960s

1919

BABE RUTH hits his 29th home run this season. That sets a new U.S. record. George Herman Ruth, Jr., is the star player’s full name. The Red Sox will sell Ruth to the New York Yankees in 2020. He will lead his new team to four World Series wins.

WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE

IN 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives women the right to vote in national elections. Women worked in “men’s jobs” through World War I. They did everything, including making weapons and driving ambulances. Their efforts convinced people that they deserve the vote.

Massachusetts is the 8th U.S. state to approve the amendment.

1912

1926

WORCESTER-BORN Robert H. Goddard develops a liquid-fueled rocket that kicks off the Space Age. His rocket launches high into the sky over Auburn. He will inspire an age of space flight and also new weapons of war. Goddard is a Clark University physicist.

THE STATE passes a law to create a 54-hour work week. Factory owners push workers to speed up and reduce pay. Polish textile workers in Lawrence stop work in protest. Workers from across the city join them in the “Bread and Roses” strike. Mill owners end the dispute by raising workers’ pay.

WORLD WAR II

THE U.S. enters World War II in 1941, after Japan bombs the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii. Some 16 million soldiers serve in the American armed forces. About 400,000 are killed in action. In 1945, the Allies (including the U.S.) win the war. Germany and Japan surrender.

1960

JOHN F. KENNEDY is elected 35th President. He is the first Catholic to hold the office. JFK is a World War II hero who was a Massachusetts Congressman and then a Senator. He will be assassinated while in office in 1963, aged 46.

1942

THE MASSACHUSETTS National Guard forms a large part of the U.S. Army’s 26th “Yankee” Infantry Division to fight in WWII. Twenty-two Masssachusetts men will receive the Medal of Honor. The conflict also comes close to home. A Nazi submarine sinks ships off Provincetown, killing 93.

1961

PRESIDENT Kennedy hires his brother Robert F. Kennedy to be U.S. attorney general, in charge of enforcing federal law. In 1968, “RFK” will run for president and be assassinated, as his brother was.

1962

EDWARD M. KENNEDY, known as “Ted,” is elected U.S. senator from Massachusetts. He is the younger brother of JFK and RFK. He will become one of America’s most respected senators.

1966

ROBERTA LOUISE “BOBBI” GIBB breaks the rules to become the first woman to run the entire Boston Marathon. The marathon is a men’s race, and women are not allowed to run in it. Later, the rules will be changed to allow women to run.

CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

THE STRUGGLE for equal rights for people of all races is inspired by Rosa Parks in 1955 after she refuses to give up her bus seat for a white person. Martin Luther King Jr., who received a doctoral degree from Boston University, later makes his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C., imagining a world in which all people are treated equally. He is assassinated in 1968.

1970

FRANK “WAMSUTTA” JAMES of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe makes a speech Plymouth on Thanksgiving Day to tell the truth about the way the Pilgrims treated Indigenous people. It sparks a trend to observe a National Day of Mourning on this day.

1970s 1980s

1966

THE BOSTON Celtics basketball team defeats the Los Angeles Lakers. This gives them their eighth NBA title in a row. The Celtics will go on to win a total of 17 championships. That’s more than any other team in the NBA.

1966

EDWARD BROOKE becomes the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote. He represents Massachusetts. He champions building houses for low-income people and increasing the minimum amount workers can be paid.

1986

THE SPACE SHUTTLE Challenger explodes after take-off. The blast kills all seven astronauts aboard. One of them is Boston-born Christa McAuliffe. She was to have been the first teacher in space.

1974

The state orders public schools to end segregation. A federal judge in Boston orders the city to bus some African-American and white children into each others’ neighborhoods to go to school. Many students attend schools with kids of other races for the first time. Some parents are angry and riot.

THE COLD WAR

AFTER WWII, the three biggest powers in the world are the United States, the Soviet Union and China. The United States joins with a group of other countries to stop the Soviet Union taking over Europe. China sides with the Soviet Union. Both sides have enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world. Everyone is afraid. But in the end neither side uses nuclear weapons. The Cold War ends with the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.

1970

THE BOSTON BRUINS hockey team defeats the St. Louis Blues to win their fourth Stanley Cup championship. Bobby Orr scores the winning shot with a “flying goal.” The Bruins are one of the “Original Six” hockey teams. They will win even more Stanley Cups.

WAR ON TERROR

ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, hijackers use airliners to crash into buildings in New York, killing themselves and many others. They also try to crash into the White House, but those passengers make the plane crash in the Pennsylvania countryside instead. Thousands are killed or injured. Some 150 of them were on the two planes that had taken off from Boston’s Logan Airport. Responding to the slaughter, President George W. Bush declares a “war on terror.”

2001

JANE SWIFT, who grew up in North Adams, serves as acting Governor of Massachusetts. She is the first woman to hold the office. She is also the first governor to have a baby while in office. She leads education reforms.

2010

A CENSUS counts 37,000 Native Americans living in Massachusetts.

Wampanoag and Nipmuc people are among survivors of European colonization. They continue to maintain their cultural traditions and work to raise awareness of historical injustices.

2019

THE New England Patriots football team defeats the Los Angeles Rams. With this win, they match the National Football League (NFL) record for the most Super Bowl titles. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady becomes the only player in history to win six Super Bowls.

2010s 2020s 2000s

2004

THE MASSACHUSETTS Supreme Judicial Court rules that same-sex marriage is legal in the state. The judges say that not allowing it violates the Massachusetts Constitution, which says all people are equal. The state is the first in the nation to allow same-sex marriage. Thousands of couples marry.

2013

ON APRIL 15, two homemade bombs claim lives and injure many others at the Boston Marathon. Citizens adopt the slogan “Boston Strong.” An annual “One Boston Day” will be launched for people to donate food, give blood, or perform other acts of kindness for victims, their families, and others in need.

1988

GEORGE H. W. BUSH is elected 41st U.S. President. The World War II Navy pilot was born in Milton. He later moved to Texas. During his presidency, the Soviet Union collapses and the U.S. joins a group of countries to stop Iraq taking over Kuwait.

2023

Maura Healey becomes Massachusetts’ first woman to be elected governor and one of the first LGBTQ governors in US history. Healey went to both Harvard and Northeastern Universities.

2026

WITH a diverse population of nearly seven million “Bay Staters,” Massachusetts is a leader in higher education, technology, and health care. This decade includes a series of 400th anniversaries—from the founding of Plymouth in 2020 to the founding of Boston in 2030.

2020

A new census finds that the population of Massachusetts has passed 7 million people for the first time. Around 708,000 people live in the state capital Boston and, remarkably, more than 80 percent of the population of Massachusetts lives within the Greater Boston area.

MASSACHUSETTS STATE FACTFILE

THE MASSACHUSETTS COMPROMISE

When it came time to vote on approving (or ratifying) the U.S. Constitution, Massachusetts was divided. The Federalists liked the plan. They thought it did a good job of creating one country out of 13 colonies.

However, the Anti-Federalists were worried. They thought that the document gave too much power to a central government. They also thought it didn’t do enough to protect the rights of individual people.

So, the two sides compromised. They ratified the Constitution. That made the state part of the new United States of America. But they also said they wanted a Bill of Rights to be added to it. Other states thought this compromise was a good idea. They asked for it, too. And that’s how the U.S. came to have a Bill of Rights.

If you would like to find out more about how the state of Massachusetts was first created, you can visit the Commonwealth Museum and State Archive in Boston. The museum contains a number of fascinating historical documents, including an original copy of the Declaration of Independence.

THE SAMUEL ADAMS AND PAUL REVERE TIME CAPSULE

A CORNERSTONE of the Massachusetts State House contains a time capsule. It is the oldest known in the United States. A time capsule is a set of objects that have been hidden. The idea is that people of a later time will find and open it. Then they will learn about what life

was like when it was buried. This time capsule was made by Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. It includes newspaper pages from their time and several coins, along with a piece of silver engraved with words saying that Adams and Revere buried it on July 4th, 1795.

ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts has three main branches of state government.

EXECUTIVE

The governor is head of the executive branch. They see that the laws are obeyed. They also have the power to call out the state military, the Massachusetts’s National Guard. The governor is elected for a four-year term. They work with an elected Council who has the right to approve (or not) many of their decisions.

LEGISLATIVE

State laws are made by the state legislature, which is called the General Court. The Court meets in the capital city of Boston. It is made up of 160 members of the state’s House of Representatives and 40 members of the Senate. They all serve two-year terms.

JUDICIAL

The state court system makes sure state laws are applied well. The top court is called the Supreme Judicial Court. The lower courts handle both criminal cases and civil lawsuits. The governor appoints the judges.

FLAGS OF MASSACHUSETTS

RED ENSIGN

This colonial flag was flown by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1600s. There were several versions of this flag. The one pictured above has a white square in the upper left corner. On another version, the white square contained a red Cross of Saint George—patron saint of England. On a third version, the cross was replaced by the British Flag. That version was flown in the 1700s.

PINE TREE

Some think the Patriots at the battle of Bunker Hill flew a pine tree flag. That was in 1775, at the start of the Revolutionary War. The ships of George Washington’s Continental Army also flew a pine tree flag. So did the Massachusetts Navy. The motto “An Appeal to Heaven” claimed that the colonists had the right to rebel against British rule.

GRAND UNION

This flag was made in 1775. It is considered the first U.S. national flag. The 13 red and white stripes stand for the 13 British colonies that rebelled. In the upper left corner is the British flag of that period. It showed that the colonies hoped they could get Britain to change the way it governed them so they wouldn’t have to be independent.

AMERICAN

In 1777, the Second Continental Congress was in charge of the 13 colonies that were fighting against British colonial rule. They decided that the United States flag would therefore have “13 stripes, alternate red and white.” And it would also have “13 stars, white in a blue field”. Today, the U.S. flag has a total of 50 stars, one to represent each of the 50 states.

THE STATE NAME

Massachusetts is one of the few U.S. states to be called a “Commonwealth.” At the time the state was founded, it was a word often used to describe a whole group of people who make up a state or nation.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Cities, towns and villages have control over local issues. The people elect their local officials.

U.S. GOVERNMENT

As in Massachusetts, the powers of the federal government are placed in three branches. The President is head of the executive branch. The U.S. Congress makes up the legislative branch. The judicial branch is the federal court system headed by the Supreme Court. Congress has two branches. The U.S. House of Representatives has 435 voting members (including nine from Massachusetts). The U.S. Senate has 100 members, two from each of the 50 states.

MASSACHUSETTS

The Massachusetts state coat of arms shows a blue shield, a white star, and a Native American man holding a bow and arrow. The arrow is pointing down to signify peace. At the top, an arm holds a sword with the blade up. This is a reminder that independence was won through revolution. This flag was adopted in in 1908.

A silver plaque that was stored for 220 years in a time capsule.

PLACES TO VISIT

1

For more interesting things to see and do, visit the official website for visitors to Massachusetts.

A golden dome tops the state capitol building in Boston. Built in 1798, it houses the governor’s offices and the General Court. The General Court makes the state’s laws. Hanging inside is the “Sacred Cod.” It is a symbol of the fishing industry. Fishing has been important to the state since its founding.

The Freedom Trail

This Boston museum includes a Treasures Gallery. In it you can see the royal charter of Massachusetts Bay Colony. It also houses one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence and Paul Revere’s 1770 copperplate used to print his famous image of the Boston Massacre.

2

5

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

This 2.5-mile heritage route includes: Boston Common, where British soldiers once camped; the resting places of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere; the Old State House; Paul Revere’s House; the Bunker Hill Monument; and the historic warship USS Constitution, among other sites.

3

Boston African American National Historic Site

This museum honors the legacy of JFK, the 35th U.S. president. Here you can tour a replica of the Oval Office, the president’s office inside the White House. Nearby is the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Inside, there is a life-size copy of the U.S. Senate chamber for you to explore.

6

Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum

7

The New England Holocaust Memorial

The Berkshires

Explore the 1800s free African American community on Beacon Hill, a center of the national drive to end slavery. Along the Black Heritage Trail, visit the nation’s oldest standing African American church and the bronze memorial to Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers.

Travel back in time and be a part of the Boston Tea Party, which helped launch the American Revolution. Board a full-scale copy of an 18th-century ship and throw tea overboard into Boston Harbor. You can also see the Robinson Tea Chest, the only known surviving chest from the Boston Tea Party itself.

This Boston memorial recalls the six million Jews killed by the Nazis and those who survived their death camps. It is made up of six 50-foot-tall glass towers that glow from the inside. These towers of light make us remember the terrible history of the Holocaust but also offer hope for a better future.

This mountainous region in western Massachusetts is famous for arts and recreation. Visit the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, and Tanglewood Music Center, where the Boston Symphony Orchestra plays.

Commonwealth Museum and Massachusetts Archive

11

Springfield Armory National Historic Site highlights the nation’s first building used to store weapons. The Basketball Hall of Fame tells the story of James Naismith, who invented the game. The Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden celebrates local writer Theodor Geisel.

The Wampanoag Indian Museum in Aquinnah is housed in a historic Wampanoag family home. Its mission is to “preserve, interpret and document the Aquinnah Wampanoag’s self-defined history, culture and contributions, past, present, and future.”

At State Pier, board Mayflower II. It’s a full-scale replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims across the Atlantic Ocean to Plymouth in 1620. Also on the waterfront is the famous Plymouth Rock—although it is a myth that it is the place where the Pilgrims first stepped off the Mayflower.

12

15

This museum tells the story of Plymouth Colony and also the story of the Wampanoag people, who lived in the area long before English settlers arrived. It includes a collection of artifacts from the Pilgrims, including Governor William Bradford’s Bible and military adviser Myles Standish’s sword.

Plimoth Patuxet Museums

This fun and fascinating museum is home to the largest collection of pirate artifacts recovered from a single shipwreck anywhere in the world. The Whydah was a fully rigged galley that launched in 1715 but was then captured by the infamous Captain Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy.

Worcester

13

16

Plimoth Patuxet Museums focus on life in the early 17th century, of the Pilgrims’ settlement in the homeland of the Indigenous Wampanoag people. There is also a replica of the Mayflower on the Plymouth waterfront, and the Plimoth Grist Mill on Jenney Pond that continues to grind corn 400 years later.

17 SAMPLE EDITION

Lexington and Concord

14

On April 19, 1775, colonial militia battled British redcoats, launching the Revolutionary War. View the Minuteman Statue in Lexington and Buckman Tavern, where the militia gathered. In Concord, visit the North Bridge where “the shot heard round the world” was fired.

Worcester has a fine art museum and the EcoTarium for science and nature. Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg lies south of the city. This 45-letter place-name belongs to one of the state’s largest lakes. Old Sturbridge Village recreates local life in the 1830s.

Mashpee Wampanoag Museum

Pilgrim Hall Museum

Whydah Pirate Museum

HALL OF FAME

Meet some of the important and inspiring people who have shaped the history of Massachusetts.

Massasoit (?–1661)

Wampanoag leader who forged an alliance between his people and the people of Plymouth Colony.

John Winthrop (1588–1649)

Lawyer who brought Puritans to the Massachusetts Bay Colony and became the colony’s governor.

John Harvard (1607–1638)

English clergyman who helped to fund Harvard College. Harvard is now one of the world’s top universities.

(?–1621)

A Pilgrim said to be the first signer of the Mayflower Compact. Carver was also the first governor of the Plymouth Colony.

Tisquantum (?–1622)

Wampanoag man who learned to speak English after being kidnapped and brought to England. Became the Pilgrims’ guide and interpreter.

Samuel Whittemore (1696–1793)

At the age 78, this farmer from Charlestown was the oldest soldier in the Revolutionary War that we know of.

Samuel Adams (1722–1803)

A leader of the American Revolution and signer of the Declaration of Independence. He later became governor of Massachusetts.

A hero of the American Revolution. He is famous for his “midnight ride” to warn colonists that the British redcoats were coming.

John Adams (1735–1826)

Second U.S. president. He signed the Declaration of Independence and was the author of the Massachusetts Constitution.

President of the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Hancock was the first governor of Massachusetts.

John Hancock (1737–1793)

Caleb Cheeshateaumuck (c.1644–1666)

Born on Martha’s Vineyard, this Wampanoag man became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. He died of tuberculosis less than a year later.

William Blackstone (1595–1675)

Blackstone was likely the first European to settle in what would later become the city of Boston.

John Carver

Paul Revere (1735–1818)

Abigail Adams (1744–1818)

Early advocate of women’s rights. Also wife of John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams—both U.S. presidents.

Henry Knox (1750–1806)

A military officer who was important in the Siege of Boston. He got the cannons that assured George Washington’s victory.

Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784)

The first African American female poet to be published in America or Britain. She was born in West Africa and was formerly enslaved.

Deborah Sampson (1760–1827)

A Plympton-born woman who dressed as a man to serve in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

John Quincy Adams (1767–1848)

U.S. Senator from Massachusetts who went on to become the sixth U.S. president. Son of John and Abigail Adams.

Francis Cabot Lowell (1775–1817)

A pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, especially the textile industry in Massachusetts. The city of Lowell is named for him.

Sarah Josepha Hale (1788–1879)

Author of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” She also campaigned for Thanksgiving to be made a national holiday.

Lucretia Mott (1793–1880)

A Quaker from Nantucket, she fought against slavery and helped organize the women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York.

Sojourner Truth (c. 1797–1883)

This abolitionist won a court case against a white man, getting back her young son, who had been sold south to Alabama illegally.

Charles Goodyear (1800–1860)

Inventor working in Woburn who created waterproof, moldable rubber. This invention made tires and rubber boots possible.

George Peabody (1795–1869)

A rich businessman, he gave money to educational projects in the U.S. In the UK, he gave money to provide housing for the poor.

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864)

Salem-born writer of novels and short stories. His most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter, takes place in Puritan New England.

Dorcas Honorable (c. 1770–1855)

Nantucket Wampanoag who was enslaved by a sea captain. The mark on her right cheek is a slave brand.

Robert Gould Shaw (1837–1863)

White Civil War military officer who led African American soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts regiment. A bronze memorial to the 54th Massachusetts is on Boston Common.

Emily

Dickinson

(1830–1886)

World-famous writer and poet from Amherst. Her brilliant poetry was revealed only after her death.

William Harvey Carney (1840–1908)

Soldier of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Civil War.

Emily Greene Balch (1867–1961)

Boston-born economist. She won the Nobel Peace Prize as a leader of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963)

Influential civil rights activist and author. He cofounded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

John Hays Hammond, Jr. (1888–1965)

Inventor and friend of Alexander Graham Bell. He pioneered electronic remote control and built a castle in Gloucester.

George Belain (c.1893–1918)

This Aquinnah Wampanoag soldier died in combat at the age of 25 in World War I in France. He was the greatgrandson of a whaler.

Anne Sullivan (1866–1936)

Agawam-born teacher who taught deaf-blind Helen Keller despite having periods of blindness herself.

Frances Perkins (1880–1965)

Boston-born U.S. Secretary of Labor. She was the first woman to serve in a U.S. president’s cabinet, his group of senior advisers.

“Tip” O’Neill (1912–1994)

Cambridge-born politician. He was one of the longestserving Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives.

John F. Kennedy (1917–1963)

U.S. Senator and Congressman from Massachusetts, he became the 35th U.S. president. He was assassinated in 1963.

George Dilboy (1896–1918)

Greek-American soldier in the 26th “Yankee” Division. He was awarded a Medal of Honor for his heroism in World War I.

Ted Williams (1918–2002)

Considered one of baseball’s greats, Williams played for the Boston Red Sox for 19 years.

Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922) Boston professor who invented the first practical telephone. The invention transformed communications around the world.

Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)

Mayor of Northampton, governor of Massachusetts, U.S. vice president, and 30th U.S. president.

Lawrence-born

Robert F. Kennedy (1925–1968)

Brookline-born politician, U.S. Attorney General, and civil rights supporter. He was assassinated, like his younger brother JFK.

Edward M. Kennedy (1932–2009)

The youngest brother of JFK and RFK represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate for almost 47 years.

An Wang (1920–1990)

Chinese-American inventor and philanthropist who established a Massachusetts computer company called Wang Industries.

Rocky Marciano (1923–1969)

Born and raised in Brockton, he was the undefeated world heavyweight boxing champion during the 1950s.

Frank “Wamsutta” James (1923–2001)

Wampanoag elder who in 1970 declared Thanksgiving a “National Day of Mourning” after his speech was censored.

Nelson Merced (1947–)

The first Hispanic to serve in the Massachusetts state legislature, he campaigned for Boston schools.

Deval Patrick (1956–)

The only African-American to serve as Governor of Massachusetts—from 2007 to 2015. He attended Harvard Law School.

George H. W. Bush (1924–2018)

Milton-born oil man and World War II soldier. He became the 41st president of the United States.

Michael Dukakis (1933–)

Greek-American Governor of Massachusetts, the longestserving in history, who ran for US President in 1988.

One of the greatest basketball players, he won an Olympic gold medal and 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics.

Stephanie Wilson (1966–)

The Boston-born and Harvard-educated astronaut flew on three Space Shuttle missions, spending 42 days in space.

Tom Brady (1977–)

New England Patriots quarterback who won six Super Bowls, the most of any player in football history.

Aly Raisman (1994–)

The Needham-born gymnast who won two Olympic gold medals in London in 2012 and one in Rio in 2016.

Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990)

musical conductor and composer. He composed the music for West Side Story, one of America’s greatest musicals.

Bill Russell (1934–)

GLOSSARY

Here are definitions for concepts found in The Massachusetts Chronicles, including words marked in red on the timeline

Abolition movement Campaign to end slavery

Amendment

An article added to the U.S. Constitution to change existing laws

Assassinated Killed for political or religious reasons

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution

Busing

Transporting students to schools within or outside their local school districts in order to reduce racial segregation

Charter

By which a city, colony, or other body is founded, or its rights and privileges defined

Colonization

When a group of people create a settlement, i.e., living near each other in a foreign place, and governing it

Compact Agreement between one or more parties

Constitution

Basic principles of law governing a nation or state

Continental Army

Formed by the Second Continental Congress, it led the colonies’ military revolt against British rule

Continental Congress

Convention of delegates from 13 colonies that governed the U.S. during the American Revolution

Declaration of Independence Declaration by the Second Continental Congress that the 13 American colonies were now independent from Britain

Emancipate

To free a slave or other disadvantaged person

Evangelical

According to the teaching of the Gospel in the Bible

Founding Fathers

A group of politicians, philosophers, and writers who led the American Revolution

Fowl

Poultry or game birds kept for their eggs and meat

French and Indian War Battle between Britain and France over territory in North America, where they were fighting for supremacy, 1754–1763

Indentured servants

Workers who are bound to an employer for a fixed time, before gaining their freedom

Indigenous Native to a particular place

Industrial Revolution

A period of great technological advancement and social change, many of them driven by the growth of factories and new engines powered by steam

Integration

Effort to create equal opportunities for people of all races by ending racial segregation (see below)

Martyrs

People killed because of their religious or other beliefs

Massachusetts Bay Company Trading company given a charter by the English Crown to colonize an area of New England. It was taken over by Puritans seeking to establish a religious community

Militia

Nonprofessional soldiers who are citizens of a state or nation

Minutemen (Minute Men)

Colonial fighting men in the American Revolution, who were ready for service at any time

Patent

Government license protecting an original invention from being copied by others

Patriots American colonists who fought for independence from British rule

Pike

A weapon comprising a long wooden shaft with a pointed iron or steel head

Privateers

Armed ships owned by individuals but authorized by governments for use in war

Puritans

English Protestants who sought

to “purify” or reform the Church of England from within, simplifying forms of worship and religious practice

Quakers

Members of a Christian movement who reject conventional forms of worship and historically advocate pacifism

Reconstruction Period when U.S. government controlled defeated Confederate states and ended slavery

Redcoats

British soldiers in America during the Revolutionary War

Sachem

Among some Native peoples, a leader or chief

Segregation Separation of people due to their race or nationality

Separatists

English Protestants who left the Church of England because they felt it could not be reformed enough for them to remain within it. Many of the first English people to come to Plymouth were Separatists

Spectral evidence

Evidence based on dreams and “visions”

State capitol

The main state government building, not to be confused with the state capital, the seat of state government

Suffragist

Campaigner for women’s right to vote

Transcendentalist

Someone who believes godliness can be found in all nature and humanity

Trespass

To enter someone’s land or property without permission

Tyranny

Cruel and unfair government in which all power is in the hands of one ruler

Union

Federal union of states during the Civil War

“War of the Currents” Events relating to competing electric power systems— alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC)—and their adoption in the U.S.

Weirs

Enclosures or fences set in a waterway to catch fish, a technique mastered by Native American peoples

FURTHER READING

Pages 1–8 The Common Pot. By

Page 2–3 The Voyage of Archangell: James Rosier’s Account of the Weymouth Voyage of 1605, A True Relation

By James Rosier

Page 2 A Briefe Narration of the Originall Undertakings of the Advancement of Plantations Into the Parts of America: Especially Shewing the Beginning, Progress and Continuance of that of New-England. By Sir Ferdinando Gorges

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

DOWN: 1) Boston. 2) Turkey. 4) Hat. 6) Swift. 7) LBJ. 9) JFK. 10) Abigail.

Page 3 John Smith’s Map of New England, 1616. By Captain John Smith

Pages 4–5 Mourt’s Relation (A Relation or Journal of the Beginning and Proceedings of the English Plantation Settled at Plimoth in New England). By Edward Winslow and William Bradford

Pages 4–5 Of Plymouth Plantation. By William Bradford

Page 6 A Model of Christian Charity. By John Winthrop

11) Massacre. 12) Metacom. 13) Graham Bell. 15) Nantucket. 19) Boston Strong. 21) Aly Raisman. 24)

PRIMARY SOURCES

Page 8 On Witchcraft. By Cotton Mather

Page 13 The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams. Edited by Lester J. Cappon

Page 14 A Discourse Delivered on the Death of Capt. Paul Cuffee. By Reverend Peter Williams

Page 16-17 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an

Whales. 27) Edward. 28) Paul. 30) Brady. ACROSS: 1) BSO. 3) Mashpee. 5)

American Slave. By Frederick Douglass

Page 17 Keetsahnak: Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters. Edited by Kim Anderson et al

Page 21 The Invention of “Basket Ball”. By James Naismith

Page 21 The Story of My Life. By Helen Keller

Page 24 The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. Written and

Basketball. 8) Suffragettes. 14) Thanksgiving. 16) Gibb. 18) Shot. 20) Larry. 22) Moby Dick. 23) Eli Whitney.

illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel

Page 25 Profiles in Courage. By John F. Kennedy

Page 24 Wind in the Fire. By Bobbi Gibb

Page 26 The Suppressed Speech of Wamsutta (Frank) James, Wampanoag. By Wamsutta (Frank) James

Page 27 Ruth Wakefield’s Toll House Tried and True Recipes By Ruth Graves Wakefield

25) Cranberry. 26) Salem. 29) The Liberator. 31) Grinch. 32) Lexington. 33) Harvard.

PARTNER AD

Our Beloved Kin Lisa Brooks

The Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War Nathaniel Philbrick

The Common Pot Lisa Brooks

A Short History of Boston Robert J. Allison Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer

Boston in the American Revolution, A Town Versus an Empire Brooke Barbier

Sacred Instructions Sherri Mitchell Hidden History of Boston Dina Vargo

An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Boston History for Kids Richard Panchyk

North America, A Fold-Out Graphic History Sarah Albee

Lisa Brooks

CELEBRATING 400 YEARS OF MASSACHUSETTS

Michele Pecoraro Executive Director, Plymouth 400

Frederick W. Clark Jr. President, Bridgewater State University

Charles D. Baker Governor of Massachusetts (2015-2023)

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORY

Dr. Gary Maestas Superintendent, Plymouth Public Schools

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Linda Coombs

Linda is a member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe on Martha’s Vineyard, and has lived in Mashpee for more than 40 years. Both of her grandchildren are enrolled with the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, as was their father and grandfather. Linda has worked for 45 years as a museum educator, spending 11 years in total at the Boston Children’s Museum, 30 years in the Wampanoag Indigenous Program of Plimoth Plantation, and nine years at the Aquinnah Cultural Center, a small house museum representing Aquinnah Wampanoag history. She has been an interpreter, an artisan, a researcher; led workshops and teacher institutes; and written children’s stories and articles on various aspects of Wampanoag history and culture.

Mark Skipworth

Mark studied Modern History at St. John’s, Oxford University, and was a senior newspaper editor at The Sunday Times in London. At the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph in London he was Executive Editor and later Deputy Editor. As a reporter, he won a number of prestigious media awards for campaigns and investigations. Mark has a passion for history and has chaired numerous events at literary festivals in Britain and internationally. He has written several nonfiction works, including two other U.S. state histories: The Illinois Chronicles and The Texas Chronicles.

SUPPORT

A NEW APPROACH TO STATE HISTORY FOR AMERICA250!

The State Chronicles consists of an updated, fresh and fully inclusive suite of engaging educational resources for the teaching and learning of state history as part of the America250 commemorations, culminating in 2026.

State Chronicles (in digital, book and newspaper formats) are being created for each of the first 13 States. Thanks to a generous philanthropic donation,

these resources will be offered as free digital downloads to the schools, educators and students of all the first 13 states. Printed hardback books, newspaper editions and giant laminated timelines are available to purchase

The State Chronicles is a collaborative partnership between the America250 Foundation, The Bridgwater State University Foundation, The Bill of Rights Institute and What on Earth Publishing Inc.

For more details scan this QR code or contact info@statechronicles.com

The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission was established by Congress to inspire Americans to participate in a multi-year commemoration leading up to 2026, which will mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The Commission and its supporting nonprofit, the America250 Foundation, are working to build the America250 commemoration as the largest and most inclusive anniversary observance in our nation’s history, providing an opportunity to reflect on our past and present, and to collectively shape our future.

www.america250.org

THE CHRONICLES CROSSWORD

PUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF MASSACHUSETTS TO THE TEST WITH OUR HISTORY-PACKED WORD PUZZLE

ACROSS

1) This Massachusetts gymnast won gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games (3, 7).

3) The state capital (6).

5) The oldest university in the United States (7).

7) A Wampanoag tribal leader also known as “King Philip” (7).

9) The title of the Abolitionist newspaper founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1831 (3, 9).

10) A food that is traditionally eaten at Thanksgiving (6).

12) The first name of the inventor of the cotton gin, which cleans cotton of its seeds (3).

15) The last name of the silversmith whose “Midnight Ride” warned colonists about advancing British troops (6).

16) What was “heard around the world” during the first battle of the American Revolution (4).

18) A popular slogan used to describe the unity shown by communities in Massachusetts after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 (6, 6).

21) The Massachusetts town where men and women were tried for witchcraft in 1692 (5).

22) The abbreviated name of Massachusetts’s most famous symphony orchestra (3).

25) The title of Herman Melville’s classic novel (4, 4).

26) The red fruit used to make the state beverage (9).

27) One of the two towns that witnessed the first battles of the American Revolution (9).

29) These aquatic mammals can be spotted swimming off

the coast of Cape Cod (6).

30) An item of clothing warn by the central character in one of Dr. Seuss’s children’s stories (3).

31) The initials of the 36th U.S. president, who was sworn into office following the assassination of the 35th U.S. president (3).

DOWN

2) A campaigner for the right of women to vote in political elections (10).

3) The surname of the former New England Patriot who has won more Super Bowls than any

other player in NFL history (5).

4) The first name of the Boston Celtics basketball player who played in the No.33 jersey (5).

6) The first name of the First Lady of the United States who helped to promote the use of the first vaccines (7).

7) The first name of the Quaker who was hanged in 1660 for refusing to leave Massachusetts Bay because of her religious beliefs (4).

8) The initials of the 35th U.S. president, who was born in Brookline and assassinated in Dallas, Texas, in 1963 (3).

9) A national celebration held in November each year (12).

11) The first name of the brother of John F. Kennedy who also became one of the longestserving U.S. senators (6).

13) A character created by the Springfield-born children’s writer Theodore Geisel who “stole Christmas” (6).

14) One of the two federally recognized tribes of the Indigenous Wampanoag people (7).

17) The middle and last names of the Scottish-born inventor of the telephone (6, 3).

18) This exciting ball game was invented by James Naismith in 1891 (10).

19) An island off Cape Cod that was a major center of the whaling industry (9).

20) A confrontation between an angry mob and British soldiers in 1770 became known as the “Boston ––––––––” (8).

23) The last name of the first woman to become governor of Massachusetts (6).

24) Colonists protested against British taxes at the “Boston Tea ––––-”(5).

28) The surname of the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon (4). ANSWERS: p69.

“The freedom that protects all our other freedoms is free speech, which is part of the First Amendment.“