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Massachusetts: Difference between revisions
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'''Massachusetts''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Massachusetts.ogg|ˌ|m|æ|s|ə|ˈ|tʃ|uː|s|ɪ|t|s}}, {{IPAc-en|-|z|ɪ|t|s}} {{respell|MASS|ə|CHOO|sits|,_-|zits}}; {{langx|wam-Latn|label=[[Massachusett language|Massachusett]]|[[wikt:Muhsachuweesut|Muhsachuweesut]]}} {{IPA-all|məhswatʃəwiːsət|}}), officially the '''Commonwealth of Massachusetts''',{{efn|Massachusetts is one of [[Commonwealth (U.S. state)|only four U.S. states]] to use the term "Commonwealth" in its official name, along with [[Kentucky]], [[Virginia]], and [[Pennsylvania]].}} is a [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[New England]] region of the [[Northeastern United States]]. It borders the [[Atlantic Ocean]] and [[Gulf of Maine]] to its east, [[Connecticut]] and [[Rhode Island]] to its south, [[New Hampshire]] and [[Vermont]] to its north, and [[New York (state)|New York]] to its west. Massachusetts is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|sixth-smallest state by land area]]. With over seven million residents as of 2020,<ref group="note">Per the [[2020 United States census]], its highest [[United States census|decennial count]] ever.</ref> it is the most populous state in New England, the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|16th-most-populous]] in the country, and the [[List of states and territories of the United States by population density|third-most densely populated]], after [[New Jersey]] and Rhode Island. | '''Massachusetts''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Massachusetts.ogg|ˌ|m|æ|s|ə|ˈ|tʃ|uː|s|ɪ|t|s}}, {{IPAc-en|-|z|ɪ|t|s}} {{respell|MASS|ə|CHOO|sits|,_-|zits}}; {{langx|wam-Latn|label=[[Massachusett language|Massachusett]]|[[wikt:Muhsachuweesut|Muhsachuweesut]]}} {{IPA-all|məhswatʃəwiːsət|}}), officially the '''Commonwealth of Massachusetts''',{{efn|Massachusetts is one of [[Commonwealth (U.S. state)|only four U.S. states]] to use the term "Commonwealth" in its official name, along with [[Kentucky]], [[Virginia]], and [[Pennsylvania]].}} is a [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[New England]] region of the [[Northeastern United States]]. It borders the [[Atlantic Ocean]] and [[Gulf of Maine]] to its east, [[Connecticut]] and [[Rhode Island]] to its south, [[New Hampshire]] and [[Vermont]] to its north, and [[New York (state)|New York]] to its west. Massachusetts is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|sixth-smallest state by land area]]. With over seven million residents as of 2020,<ref group="note">Per the [[2020 United States census]], its highest [[United States census|decennial count]] ever.</ref> it is the most populous state in New England, the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|16th-most-populous]] in the country, and the [[List of states and territories of the United States by population density|third-most densely populated]], after [[New Jersey]] and Rhode Island. | ||
Massachusetts was a site of early [[British colonization of the Americas|English colonization]]. The [[Plymouth Colony]] was founded in 1620 by the [[Pilgrim Fathers|Pilgrims]] of the ''[[Mayflower]]''. In 1630, the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]], taking its name from the Indigenous [[Massachusett|Massachusett people]], also established settlements in Boston and Salem. In 1692, the town of [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]] and surrounding areas experienced one of America's most infamous cases of [[mass hysteria]], the [[Salem witch trials]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The 1692 Salem Witch Trials |url=http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education |publisher=Salem Witch Trials Museum |access-date=April 21, 2015}}</ref> In the late 18th century, Boston became known as the "Cradle of Liberty"<ref>{{cite web |title=Faneuil Hall |url=http://www.celebrateboston.com/sites/faneuil-hall.htm |access-date=April 21, 2015 |publisher=Celebrateboston.com}}</ref> for the agitation there that later led to the [[American Revolution]]. In 1786, [[Shays' Rebellion]], a populist revolt led by disaffected | Massachusetts was a site of early [[British colonization of the Americas|English colonization]]. The [[Plymouth Colony]] was founded in 1620 by the [[Pilgrim Fathers|Pilgrims]] of the ''[[Mayflower]]''. In 1630, the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]], taking its name from the Indigenous [[Massachusett|Massachusett people]], also established settlements in Boston and Salem. In 1692, the town of [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]] and surrounding areas experienced one of America's most infamous cases of [[mass hysteria]], the [[Salem witch trials]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The 1692 Salem Witch Trials |url=http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education |publisher=Salem Witch Trials Museum |access-date=April 21, 2015}}</ref> In the late 18th century, Boston became known as the "Cradle of Liberty"<ref>{{cite web |title=Faneuil Hall |url=http://www.celebrateboston.com/sites/faneuil-hall.htm |access-date=April 21, 2015 |publisher=Celebrateboston.com}}</ref> for the agitation there that later led to the [[American Revolution]]. In 1786, [[Shays' Rebellion]], a populist revolt led by disaffected American Revolutionary War veterans, influenced the [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|United States Constitutional Convention]].<ref name="shay">{{cite web |title=Shays' Rebellion |url=http://www.ushistory.org/us/15a.asp |publisher=ushistory.org |access-date=April 21, 2015}}</ref> Originally dependent on [[Agriculture in Massachusetts|agriculture]], [[fishing]], and [[trade]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Maritime Commerce |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/commerce.htm |access-date=April 21, 2015 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the [[Industrial Revolution]].<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Lowell, Massachusetts |url=http://www.lowell.com/city-of-lowell/lowell-history/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405013026/http://lowell.com/city-of-lowell/lowell-history/ |archive-date=April 5, 2010 |publisher=City of Lowell |access-date=April 21, 2015 }}</ref> Before the American Civil War, the state was a center for the [[abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]], [[temperance movement|temperance]],<ref>{{cite web |title=The Temperance Issue in the Election of 1840: Massachusetts |url=http://www.teachushistory.org/second-great-awakening-age-reform/articles/temperance-issue-election-1840-massachusetts |publisher=Teachushistory.org |access-date=April 21, 2015}}</ref> and [[transcendentalist]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Packer |first1=Barbara |title=The Transcendentalists |publisher=University of Georgia Press; First edition (April 25, 2007) |isbn=978-0-8203-2958-1|year=2007 }}</ref> movements.<ref>{{cite web |title=Images of the Antislavery Movement in Massachusetts |url=http://www.masshist.org/online/abolition/index.php |publisher=Masshist.org |access-date=April 21, 2015}}</ref> During the 20th century, the state's economy [[Massachusetts Miracle|shifted from manufacturing to services]];<ref>{{cite web |title=Staying Power: The Future of Manufacturing in Massachusetts |url=http://masstech.org/sites/mtc/files/documents/Staying_Power.pdf |publisher=The Center for Urban and Regional Policy School of Social Science, Urban Affairs, and Public Policy Northeastern University |access-date=April 21, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071505/http://masstech.org/sites/mtc/files/documents/Staying_Power.pdf }}</ref> and in the 21st century, Massachusetts has become the global leader in [[biotechnology]],<ref name="MassachusettsLargestBiotechHubWorld">{{cite web|url=https://www.epmscientific.com/blog/2023/02/boston-is-now-the-largest-biotech-hub|title=Boston is Now the Largest Biotech Hub in the World|publisher=EPM Scientific|date=February 2023|access-date=January 9, 2024}}</ref> and also excels in [[artificial intelligence]],<ref name="BostonAIHub">{{cite web|url=https://venturefizz.com/stories/boston/why-boston-will-be-star-ai-revolution#:~:text=Boston%20startups%20are%20working%20to,include%20Lightmatter%20and%20Forge.ai.|title=Why Boston Will Be the Star of The AI Revolution|date=October 24, 2017 |publisher=VentureFizz|access-date=November 9, 2023|quote=Boston startups are working to overcome some of the largest technical barriers holding AI back, and they're attracting attention across a wide variety of industries in the process.}}</ref> [[engineering]], [[List of colleges and universities in Massachusetts|higher education]], [[finance]], and [[maritime trade]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Housing and Economic Development: Key Industries |url=http://www.mass.gov/hed/economic/industries/ |publisher=mass.gov |access-date=April 21, 2015 |archive-date=April 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422015358/http://www.mass.gov/hed/economic/industries/ }}</ref> | ||
The state's capital and [[List of municipalities in Massachusetts|most populous city]], as well as its cultural and [[financial center]], is [[Boston]]. Other major cities are [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]], [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] and [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]]. Massachusetts is also home to the [[urban area|urban]] core of [[Greater Boston]], the largest metropolitan area in New England and a region profoundly influential upon American [[History of the United States|history]], [[academia]], and the [[Economy of the United States|research economy]].<ref name="GreaterBoston">{{cite web |last1=Douglas |first1=Craig |title=Greater Boston gains population, remains 10th-largest region in U.S |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2010/03/22/daily22.html?page=all |work=Boston Business Journal |access-date=April 21, 2015}}</ref> Massachusetts has a reputation for social and political [[Progressivism in the United States|progressivism]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Does 'Massachusetts liberal' label still matter? |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07-25-mass-liberal_x.htm |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website=www.usatoday.com}}</ref> becoming the only U.S. state with a [[right to housing|right to shelter]] law, and the first U.S. state, and one of the earliest [[jurisdiction]]s in the world to legally recognize [[same-sex marriage in Massachusetts|same-sex marriage]].<ref name="CNNmarriage">{{cite news |date=November 18, 2003 |title=Massachusetts court strikes down ban on same-sex marriage |publisher=CNN |agency=Reuters |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/11/18/gay.marriage.reut/ |access-date=April 21, 2015}}</ref> [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]] is the [[colonial colleges|oldest institution of higher learning in the United States]],<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Harvard University |url=http://www.harvard.edu/history |publisher=[[Harvard University]] |access-date=April 21, 2015}}</ref> with the largest [[financial endowment]] of any university in the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/29/us/harvards-endowment-remains-biggest-of-all.html|title=Harvard's Endowment Remains Biggest of All |first=Tamar |last=Lewin |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 28, 2015 |access-date=March 6, 2015}}</ref> Both [[Harvard University|Harvard]] and [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], also in Cambridge, are perennially ranked as either the most or among the most highly regarded [[academic institution]]s in the world.<ref name="AcademicRanking2">[https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2016/reputation-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank_label/sort_order/asc/cols/rank_only] ''Times Higher Education''. Retrieved December 3, 2016.</ref> Massachusetts's public-school students place among the top tier in the world in academic performance.<ref name="AcademicRanking3" /> | The state's capital and [[List of municipalities in Massachusetts|most populous city]], as well as its cultural and [[financial center]], is [[Boston]]. Other major cities are [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]], [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] and [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]]. Massachusetts is also home to the [[urban area|urban]] core of [[Greater Boston]], the largest metropolitan area in New England and a region profoundly influential upon American [[History of the United States|history]], [[academia]], and the [[Economy of the United States|research economy]].<ref name="GreaterBoston">{{cite web |last1=Douglas |first1=Craig |title=Greater Boston gains population, remains 10th-largest region in U.S |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2010/03/22/daily22.html?page=all |work=Boston Business Journal |access-date=April 21, 2015}}</ref> Massachusetts has a reputation for social and political [[Progressivism in the United States|progressivism]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Does 'Massachusetts liberal' label still matter? |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07-25-mass-liberal_x.htm |access-date=April 26, 2023 |website=www.usatoday.com}}</ref> becoming the only U.S. state with a [[right to housing|right to shelter]] law, and the first U.S. state, and one of the earliest [[jurisdiction]]s in the world to legally recognize [[same-sex marriage in Massachusetts|same-sex marriage]].<ref name="CNNmarriage">{{cite news |date=November 18, 2003 |title=Massachusetts court strikes down ban on same-sex marriage |publisher=CNN |agency=Reuters |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/11/18/gay.marriage.reut/ |access-date=April 21, 2015}}</ref> [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]] is the [[colonial colleges|oldest institution of higher learning in the United States]],<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Harvard University |url=http://www.harvard.edu/history |publisher=[[Harvard University]] |access-date=April 21, 2015}}</ref> with the largest [[financial endowment]] of any university in the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/29/us/harvards-endowment-remains-biggest-of-all.html|title=Harvard's Endowment Remains Biggest of All |first=Tamar |last=Lewin |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 28, 2015 |access-date=March 6, 2015}}</ref> Both [[Harvard University|Harvard]] and [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], also in Cambridge, are perennially ranked as either the most or among the most highly regarded [[academic institution]]s in the world.<ref name="AcademicRanking2">[https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2016/reputation-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank_label/sort_order/asc/cols/rank_only] ''Times Higher Education''. Retrieved December 3, 2016.</ref> Massachusetts's public-school students place among the top tier in the world in academic performance.<ref name="AcademicRanking3" /> | ||
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The [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] was named after the [[Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands|Indigenous]] population, the [[Massachusett]] or [[wikt:Muhsachuweesut|Muhsachuweesut]], whose name likely derived from a [[Wôpanâak language|Wôpanâak]] word ''muswachasut'', segmented as ''mus(ây)'' "big" + ''wach'' "mountain" + ''-s'' "diminutive" + -''ut'' "locative".<ref>{{cite thesis|url= http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/8740|title= Introduction to Wampanoag Grammar|last= Fermino|first= Jessie Little Doe|year= 2000|publisher= Massachusetts Institute of Technology|hdl= 1721.1/8740|type= Thesis}}</ref> This word has been translated as "near the great hill",<ref>{{cite book| first= William Wallace| last= Tooker| url= https://archive.org/details/jstor-533961| page= [https://archive.org/details/jstor-533961/page/n5 175]| title= Algonquian Names of some Mountains and Hills| publisher= American Folk-lore Society| year= 1904| access-date= June 10, 2015}}</ref> "by the blue hills", "at the little big hill", or "at the range of hills", in reference to the [[Blue Hills Reservation|Blue Hills]]—namely, the [[Great Blue Hill]], located on the boundary of [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]] and [[Canton, Massachusetts|Canton]].<ref>Salwen, Bert, 1978. ''Indians of Southern New England and Long Island: Early Period''. In "Northeast", ed. Bruce G. Trigger. Vol. 15 of "Handbook of North American Indians", ed. William C. Sturtevant, pp. 160–76. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution. Quoted in: Campbell, Lyle. 1997. ''American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 401</ref><ref>Bright, William (2004). ''Native American Place Names of the United States''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, p. 270</ref> ''Massachusett'' has also been represented as ''Moswetuset''. This comes from the name of the [[Moswetuset Hummock]] (meaning "hill shaped like an arrowhead") in [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]], where [[Plymouth Colony]] commander [[Myles Standish]] (a hired English military officer) and [[Squanto]] (a member of the [[Patuxet tribe|Patuxet band]] of the [[Wampanoag|Wamponoag people]], who have since died off due to contagious diseases brought by colonists) met Chief [[Chickatawbut]] in 1621.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://thomascranelibrary.org/htm/436.htm |title= East Squantum Street (Moswetuset Hummock) |year= 1986 |website= Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey |publisher= [[Thomas Crane Public Library]] |access-date= June 24, 2009 |archive-date= June 26, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090626232221/http://thomascranelibrary.org/htm/436.htm }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Neal |first= Daniel |title= The history of New-England |publisher= A. Ward |location= London |year= 1747 |edition= 2 |volume= 2 |page= 216 |chapter= XIV: The Present State of New England |oclc= 8616817 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=u3opAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA216 |access-date= June 24, 2009}}</ref> | The [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] was named after the [[Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands|Indigenous]] population, the [[Massachusett]] or [[wikt:Muhsachuweesut|Muhsachuweesut]], whose name likely derived from a [[Wôpanâak language|Wôpanâak]] word ''muswachasut'', segmented as ''mus(ây)'' "big" + ''wach'' "mountain" + ''-s'' "diminutive" + -''ut'' "locative".<ref>{{cite thesis|url= http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/8740|title= Introduction to Wampanoag Grammar|last= Fermino|first= Jessie Little Doe|year= 2000|publisher= Massachusetts Institute of Technology|hdl= 1721.1/8740|type= Thesis}}</ref> This word has been translated as "near the great hill",<ref>{{cite book| first= William Wallace| last= Tooker| url= https://archive.org/details/jstor-533961| page= [https://archive.org/details/jstor-533961/page/n5 175]| title= Algonquian Names of some Mountains and Hills| publisher= American Folk-lore Society| year= 1904| access-date= June 10, 2015}}</ref> "by the blue hills", "at the little big hill", or "at the range of hills", in reference to the [[Blue Hills Reservation|Blue Hills]]—namely, the [[Great Blue Hill]], located on the boundary of [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]] and [[Canton, Massachusetts|Canton]].<ref>Salwen, Bert, 1978. ''Indians of Southern New England and Long Island: Early Period''. In "Northeast", ed. Bruce G. Trigger. Vol. 15 of "Handbook of North American Indians", ed. William C. Sturtevant, pp. 160–76. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution. Quoted in: Campbell, Lyle. 1997. ''American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 401</ref><ref>Bright, William (2004). ''Native American Place Names of the United States''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, p. 270</ref> ''Massachusett'' has also been represented as ''Moswetuset''. This comes from the name of the [[Moswetuset Hummock]] (meaning "hill shaped like an arrowhead") in [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]], where [[Plymouth Colony]] commander [[Myles Standish]] (a hired English military officer) and [[Squanto]] (a member of the [[Patuxet tribe|Patuxet band]] of the [[Wampanoag|Wamponoag people]], who have since died off due to contagious diseases brought by colonists) met Chief [[Chickatawbut]] in 1621.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://thomascranelibrary.org/htm/436.htm |title= East Squantum Street (Moswetuset Hummock) |year= 1986 |website= Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey |publisher= [[Thomas Crane Public Library]] |access-date= June 24, 2009 |archive-date= June 26, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090626232221/http://thomascranelibrary.org/htm/436.htm }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Neal |first= Daniel |title= The history of New-England |publisher= A. Ward |location= London |year= 1747 |edition= 2 |volume= 2 |page= 216 |chapter= XIV: The Present State of New England |oclc= 8616817 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=u3opAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA216 |access-date= June 24, 2009}}</ref> | ||
Although the designation "Commonwealth" forms part of the state's official name, it has no practical implications in modern times,<ref>{{cite web |title= Why is Massachusetts a Commonwealth? |url= http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/legal-and-legislative-resources/why-is-massachusetts-a-commonwealth.html |publisher= Commonwealth of Massachusetts |access-date= April 21, 2015 | quote = The term 'Commonwealth' does not describe or provide for any specific political status or legal relationship when used by a state. Those [U.S. states] that do use it are equal to those that do not. Legally, Massachusetts is a commonwealth because the term is contained in the Constitution.}}</ref> and Massachusetts has the same position and powers within the United States as other states.<ref>{{cite web |title= Kentucky as a Commonwealth |publisher= Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives |access-date= May 22, 2010 |url= http://kdla.ky.gov/resources/kycommonwealth.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110131061313/http://kdla.ky.gov/resources/kycommonwealth.htm |archive-date= January 31, 2011}}</ref> [[John Adams]] may have chosen the word in 1779 for the second draft of what became the 1780 [[Massachusetts Constitution]]; unlike the word "state", the word "[[commonwealth]]" had the connotation of a [[republic]] at the time. This was in contrast to the [[monarchy]] the former colonies were fighting against during the | Although the designation "Commonwealth" forms part of the state's official name, it has no practical implications in modern times,<ref>{{cite web |title= Why is Massachusetts a Commonwealth? |url= http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/legal-and-legislative-resources/why-is-massachusetts-a-commonwealth.html |publisher= Commonwealth of Massachusetts |access-date= April 21, 2015 | quote = The term 'Commonwealth' does not describe or provide for any specific political status or legal relationship when used by a state. Those [U.S. states] that do use it are equal to those that do not. Legally, Massachusetts is a commonwealth because the term is contained in the Constitution.}}</ref> and Massachusetts has the same position and powers within the United States as other states.<ref>{{cite web |title= Kentucky as a Commonwealth |publisher= Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives |access-date= May 22, 2010 |url= http://kdla.ky.gov/resources/kycommonwealth.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110131061313/http://kdla.ky.gov/resources/kycommonwealth.htm |archive-date= January 31, 2011}}</ref> [[John Adams]] may have chosen the word in 1779 for the second draft of what became the 1780 [[Massachusetts Constitution]]; unlike the word "state", the word "[[commonwealth]]" had the connotation of a [[republic]] at the time. This was in contrast to the [[monarchy]] the former colonies were fighting against during the American Revolutionary War. The name "State of Massachusetts Bay" appeared in the first draft, which was ultimately rejected. It was also chosen to include the "Cape Islands" in reference to [[Martha's Vineyard]] and [[Nantucket]]—from 1780 to 1844, they were seen as additional and separate entities confined within the Commonwealth.<ref> | ||
{{Cite news | {{Cite news | ||
|url= https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/01/23/why-call-massachusetts-commonwealth-blame-john-adams/8n9gWNMBkFr55xi91HkcnI/story.html |url-access=subscription | |url= https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/01/23/why-call-massachusetts-commonwealth-blame-john-adams/8n9gWNMBkFr55xi91HkcnI/story.html |url-access=subscription | ||
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[[File:Official Presidential portrait of John Adams (by John Trumbull, circa 1792).jpg|thumb|[[John Adams]], 2nd President of the United States (1797–1801)]] | [[File:Official Presidential portrait of John Adams (by John Trumbull, circa 1792).jpg|thumb|[[John Adams]], 2nd President of the United States (1797–1801)]] | ||
The [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]], fought in Massachusetts in 1775, initiated the | The [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]], fought in Massachusetts in 1775, initiated the American Revolutionary War.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|pp=95–96}} [[George Washington]], later the first president of the future country, took over what would become the [[Continental Army]] after the battle. His first victory was the [[siege of Boston]] in the winter of 1775–76, after which the British were forced to evacuate the city.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|pp=96–97}} The event is still celebrated in [[Suffolk County, Massachusetts|Suffolk County]] only every March 17 as [[Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)|Evacuation Day]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Legal Holidays |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cishol/holidx.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040627003406/https://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cishol/holidx.htm |archive-date=June 27, 2004 |access-date=May 22, 2010 |publisher=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]]}}</ref> | ||
On the coast, Salem became a center for [[privateer]]ing. Although the documentation is incomplete, about 1,700 [[letter of marque|letters of marque]], issued on a per-voyage basis, were granted during the American Revolution. Nearly 800 vessels were commissioned as privateers, which were credited with capturing or destroying about 600 British ships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/revwar/about_the_revolution/privateers.html |title=John Fraylor. Salem Maritime National Historic Park |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=September 3, 2012}}</ref> | On the coast, Salem became a center for [[privateer]]ing. Although the documentation is incomplete, about 1,700 [[letter of marque|letters of marque]], issued on a per-voyage basis, were granted during the American Revolution. Nearly 800 vessels were commissioned as privateers, which were credited with capturing or destroying about 600 British ships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/revwar/about_the_revolution/privateers.html |title=John Fraylor. Salem Maritime National Historic Park |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=September 3, 2012}}</ref> | ||