Massachusetts

Massachusetts is a state of the United States of America, part of the New England region. Its U.S. postal abbreviation is MA. It is properly called the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, although there is no legal distinction between states and commonwealths.

Several ships have been named USS Massachusetts in honor of this state.

History

The colony was named after a local Indian tribe whose name means "a large hill place". The Pilgrims established their settlement at Plymouth in 1620, arriving on the Mayflower. They were soon followed by the Puritans, who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Massachusetts was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution.

On February 9, 1775 the British Parliament declared Massachusetts to be in rebellion and sent additional troops to restore order.

An African-American named Crispus Attucks was one of the first Americans killed during the American Revolutionary War, in Boston on March 5, 1770, at an event that has come to be called the Boston Massacre.

On February 6, 1788 Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution.

Law and Government See: Massachusetts Constitution See: List of Massachusetts Governors

The capital of Massachusetts is Boston and the governor of the state is Mitt Romney[?]. Its two U.S. senators are Edward M. Kennedy (Democrat) and John F. Kerry (Democrat).

Geography See: List of Massachusetts counties

Massachusetts is bordered on the north by New Hampshire and Vermont, on the west by New York, on the south by Connecticut and Rhode Island, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. The islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket lie off the southeast coast. Boston is the largest city.

Economy

Massachusetts total gross state product for 1999 was $262 billion, placing it 11^th in the nation. Its Per Capita Personal Income is $37,992 or second in the nation.

Its agricultural outputs are seafood, nursery stock, dairy products, cranberries, and vegetables. Its industrial outputs are machinery, electric equipment, scientific instruments, printing and publishing, and tourism. Other sectors vital to the Massachusetts economy include higher education, health care, and financial services[?].

Demographics All numbers from the 2000 census (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25000)

Population: 6,349,097
White: 84.5%
Black or African American: 5.4%
Asian: 3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.2%
Other Race: 3.8%
Two or more races: 3.7%

Important Cities and Towns Massachusetts cities and towns include Dedham, Lowell, Amherst, Provincetown (the major city of Cape Cod), Springfield, Wellfleet, and Worcester. The largest unincorporated town is Framingham[?].

Education

Colleges and Universities

Famous Politicians from Massachusetts

• John Adams, 2nd president of the US
• John Quincy Adams, 6th president of the US
• Samuel Adams
• Susan B. Anthony
• George Herbert Walker Bush, 41st president of the US
• Benjamin Franklin
• John Hancock
• John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the US
• Oliver Wendell Holmes, justice of the Supreme Court
• Paul Revere

Professional Sports Teams

External links

• http://www.state.ma.us/ - State web site
• http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/massachusetts - Maps of Massachusetts
• http://townstuff.com/ - Information on every Massachusetts city and town