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graphic map and images of Massachusetts

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One of the six New England states, and one of the first 13 states in the Union (it entered in 1788), Massachusetts is known as the "Old Colony State." The Pilgrims established their settlement at Plymouth in 1620, arriving on the Mayflower. They were followed shortly by the Puritans, who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Puritans named their colony after a local Indian tribe whose name means "a large hill place." The birthplace of many of the ideals of the American Revolution, Massachusetts attracted people who believed in self-government. It's appropriate that the state flower is the mayflower, also known as the trailing arbutus.

Paul Revere engraved and printed this depiction of the Boston Massacre in 1770.
Crispus Attucks and the Revolution
Jackson "Station" on the Underground Railroad
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More Stories About Massachusetts
Massachusetts
A Whale of a Celebration
"Feast of the Blessed Sacrament"
Crispus Attucks and the Revolution
"The Boston Massacre"
Jackson "Station" on the Underground Railroad
"The Jackson Homestead -- Station on the Underground Railroad"
Pancakes for 40,000!
"World's Largest Pancake Breakfast"
St. Patrick and the Snakes
"The Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade"
The Indestructible Candy!
"New England Confectionery Company (NECCO)"
What's America's Oldest Ballpark?
"Fenway Lives: Baseball Culture"


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