Massachusetts was founded by Puritans seeking religious freedom in the New World. It started with the establishment of Plymouth Colony in 1620. More colonists followed the Pilgrims and established settlements like Salem. However, most of those became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony, which received its charter in 1629. Over time, Plymouth also became part of Massachusetts. Strict Puritan enforcement of religious ideology led to the banishment of some colonists, including Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson, who founded other colonies.
Essential Facts
- Year Founded — 1629
- Founded By — Massachusetts Bay Company
- General Assembly Established — 1633
- Region — New England Colonies
Primary Documents
Biographies
- Abigail Adams
- John Adams
- Samuel Adams
- Crispus Attucks
- Loammi Baldwin
- Richard Bellingham
- William Bradford
- John Brown (Pittsfield, Massachusetts)
- John Crane
- Thomas Cushing
- William Dawes
- Benjamin Franklin
- Joseph Frye
- Elbridge Gerry
- John Hancock
- William Heath
- Anne Hutchinson
- Thomas Hutchinson
- Henry Knox
- Benjamin Lincoln
- James Otis
- Robert Treat Paine
- John Parker
- Oliver Partridge
- John Paterson
- Samuel Prescott
- William Prescott
- Paul Revere
- Robert Rogers
- Timothy Ruggles
- John Thomas
- Benjamin Tupper
- Artemas Ward
- Joseph Warren
- Mercy Otis Warren
- John Winthrop
- Sylvanus Wood
History
- Massachusetts Bay Colony — Early History and Settlement
- Pilgrim Fathers and Plymouth Colony
- Mayflower Passenger List
Colonial America
- Pequot War (1634–1638)
- New England Confederation (1643–1686)
- King Philip’s War (1675–1678)
- Dominion of New England (1686–1689)
- King William’s War (1688–1697)
- Queen Anne’s War (1702–1713)
- Salem Witch Trials (1692–1693) — History
- Albany Congress (1754)
- French and Indian War (1754–1763)
- Writs of Assistance and the Paxton Case (1761)
Key Concepts
- Agriculture in Colonial America
- Board of Trade
- Mercantilism
- Navigation Acts
- Salutary Neglect
- Transatlantic Slave Trade
- Triangular Trade
- Taxation Without Representation — Overview and History
American Revolution
- Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)
- Proclamation of 1763
- Sugar Act (1764) — Guide
- Stamp Act (1765) — Guide
- Sons of Liberty
- Townshend Acts (1767—1768)
- Boston Non-Importation Agreement of 1768
- Massachusetts Circular Letter (February 11, 1768) — History
- Liberty Affair (June 10, 1768)
- Boston Massacre (1770) — History
- Committees of Correspondence
- Tea Act (1773)
- Boston Tea Party (1773) — History
- Intolerable Acts (1774)
- Mandamus Councillors
- Solemn League and Covenant (June 5, 1774)
- Massachusetts — Delegates to the First Continental Congress (1774)
- Powder Alarm (September 1, 1774)
- First Continental Congress (1774)
- Continental Association (1774)
- Suffolk Resolves (September 9, 1774)
- Salem Gunpowder Raid and Resistance, Leslie’s Retreat (February 26, 1775)
- Massachusetts Minutemen
American Revolutionary War
1775
- New England Army of Observation
- Second Continental Congress (1775—1781)
- Olive Branch Petition (July 8, 1775)
- Battles of Lexington and Concord (April 18–19, 1775) — History and Timeline
- Siege of Boston (1775–1776)
- Burning of Falmouth (October 18, 1775)
