The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the United States Commonwealth of Massachusetts:

Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

– U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 in the New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

 region of the northeastern

Northeastern United States

The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...

 United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

 and Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

 and New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

 to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately two thirds of the state's population lives in Greater Boston, most of which is either urban or suburban. In the late 18th century, Boston became known as the "Cradle of Liberty" for the agitation there that led to the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

 and the independence

Independence

Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....

 of the United States from Great Britain

Kingdom of Great Britain

The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...

. Massachusetts is also home to Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

, the oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S., founded in 1636.

General reference

• Names
  • Common name: Massachusetts
    Massachusetts
    The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
    
    
    • Pronunciation: ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsɨts
  • Official name: Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  • Abbreviations and name codes
    • Postal symbol: MA
    • ISO 3166-2 code: US-MA
    • Internet
      Internet
      The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
      
       second-level domain
      Second-level domain
      In the Domain Name System hierarchy, a second-level domain is a domain that is directly below a top-level domain . For example, in example.com, example is the second-level domain of the .com TLD....
      
      : .ma.us
  • Nicknames
    • Baked Bean
      Baked beans
      Baked beans is a dish containing beans, sometimes baked but, despite the name, usually stewed, in a sauce. Most commercial canned baked beans are made from haricot beans, also known as navy beans – a variety of Phaseolus vulgaris – in a sauce. In Ireland and the United Kingdom, a tomato...
      
       State
    • The Bay State
    • Old Colony State
    • Pilgrim State
    • The Spirit of America (currently used on license plates
      Vehicle registration plates of Massachusetts
      The first license plates in the United States appeared in 1903 when the state of Massachusetts began requiring motor vehicles to display them.-Passenger plates 1967 to present:...
      
      )
    • Taxachusetts (colloquial)
• Adjectival: Massachusetts
  Massachusetts
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
  
  
• Demonyms
  • Bay Stater
  • Massachusettsan
  • Massachusite

Geography of Massachusetts

Main article: Geography of Massachusetts

• Massachusetts is: a U.S. state
  U.S. state
  A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
  
  , a federal state of the United States of America
• Location:
  • Northern hemisphere
    Northern Hemisphere
    The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
    
    
  • Western hemisphere
    Western Hemisphere
    The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
    
    
    • Americas
      Americas
      The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
      
      
      • North America
        North America
        North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
        
        
        • Anglo America
        • Northern America
          Northern America
          Northern America is the northernmost region of the Americas, and is part of the North American continent. It lies directly north of the region of Middle America; the land border between the two regions coincides with the border between the United States and Mexico...
          
          
          • United States of America
            • Contiguous United States
              Contiguous United States
              The contiguous United States are the 48 U.S. states on the continent of North America that are south of Canada and north of Mexico, plus the District of Columbia....
              
              
              • Eastern United States
                Eastern United States
                The Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...
                
                
                • East Coast of the United States
                  East Coast of the United States
                  The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
                  
                  
                  • Northeastern United States
                    • New England
                      New England
                      New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
                      
                      
                  • Northeast megalopolis
                    Northeast megalopolis
                    The Northeast megalopolis or Boston–Washington megalopolis is the heavily urbanized area of the United States stretching from the the northern suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts to the southern suburbs of Washington, D.C. On a map, the region appears almost as a perfectly straight line. As of 2000,...
                    
                    
• Population of Massachusetts: 6,547,629 (2010 U.S. Census)
• Area of Massachusetts: 10555 square miles (27,337.3 km²)
• Atlas of Massachusetts

Places in Massachusetts

• Historic places in Massachusetts
  • National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Massachusetts
    • Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
• National Natural Landmarks in Massachusetts
• National parks in Massachusetts
• State parks in Massachusetts

Environment of Massachusetts

• Climate of Massachusetts
  Climate of Massachusetts
  The climate of Massachusetts isa humid continental climate, with warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Massachusetts is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Most of its population of 6.4 million live in the Boston metropolitan area. The eastern half of...
  
  
• Geology of Massachusetts
  Geology of Massachusetts
  The geology of Massachusetts is the result of a process that began over a billion years ago. Massachusetts currently lies at an edge of a continent, and in the geological past has been the location of many continental collisions and collisions with other microcontinents and volcanic arcs, with...
  
  
• Protected areas in Massachusetts
  • State forests of Massachusetts
• Superfund sites in Massachusetts
• Wildlife of Massachusetts
  • Fauna of Massachusetts
    • Birds of Massachusetts
    • Mammals of Massachusetts
• Natural Resource Protection Zoning
  Natural Resource Protection Zoning
  In recent years, communities in Massachusetts have adopted Resource Protection Zoning as a tool to protect natural resources and open space...
  
  

Natural geographic features of Massachusetts

• Islands of Massachusetts
• Mountains of Massachusetts
• Rivers of Massachusetts

Regions of Massachusetts

• Central Massachusetts
  Central Massachusetts
  Central Massachusetts is the geographically central region of Massachusetts. Though definitions vary, most include all of Worcester County and the northwest corner of Middlesex County. Worcester, the largest city in the area and the seat of Worcester County, is often considered the cultural capital...
  
   includes Worcester County and far northwestern Middlesex County
  • Blackstone Valley
    Blackstone Valley
    The Blackstone Valley or Blackstone River Valley is a region of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution...
    
    
  • Montachusett-North County
    North County (Massachusetts)
    The Montachusett Region is a region comprising several cities and towns in the north-central area of Massachusetts surrounding Fitchburg...
    
    
  • South County
    South County (Massachusetts)
    South County is a region comprising several towns in the south-central area of Massachusetts. As it has no legal standing in state government, definitions of the region vary....
    
    
• Eastern Massachusetts includes Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, most of Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth and Suffolk Counties
  • Central Eastern Massachusetts:
    • Greater Boston
      Greater Boston
      Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
      
      
    • MetroWest
      MetroWest
      MetroWest is a cluster of cities and towns lying west of Boston and east of Worcester, in the US state of Massachusetts. The name was coined in the 1980s by a local newspaper....
      
      
  • Northern Eastern Massachusetts:
    • Cape Ann
      Cape Ann
      Cape Ann is a rocky cape in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. The cape is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Boston and forms the northern edge of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester, and the towns of Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and...
      
      
    • Merrimack Valley
    • North Shore
      North Shore (Massachusetts)
      The North Shore is a region in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, loosely defined as the coastal area between Boston and New Hampshire. The region is made up both of a rocky coastline, dotted with marshes and wetlands, as well as several beaches and natural harbors. The North Shore is an important...
      
      
  • Southern Eastern Massachusetts:
    • Cape Cod
      Cape Cod
      Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
      
      
    • The Islands
      The Islands (Massachusetts)
      The Islands is the collective name for the set of large islands south of Cape Cod in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Massachusetts: Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and the Elizabeth Islands, and a small number of minor islands...
      
      
    • South Shore
    • Southeastern Massachusetts
      Southeastern Massachusetts
      Southeastern Massachusetts is a term that refers to those portions of Massachusetts which are, by their proximity, economically and culturally linked to Providence, Rhode Island as well as Boston.-Definition:...
      
       (a locally named region that does not encompass the entire southeastern geographical area of the state)
    • South Coast
      South Coast (Massachusetts)
      The South Coast of Massachusetts is the region of southeastern Massachusetts consisting of southern Bristol and Plymouth counties bordering Buzzards Bay, and includes the cities of Fall River, New Bedford, the southeastern tip of East Taunton and nearby towns...
      
      
• Western Massachusetts
  Western Massachusetts
  Western Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley, and some or all of the Swift River Valley. The region is always considered to include Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, and the...
  
   includes Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire Counties
  • The Berkshires
    The Berkshires
    The Berkshires , is a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.Also referred to as the Berkshire Hills, Berkshire Mountains, and Berkshire Plateau, the region enjoys a vibrant tourism industry based on music, arts, and recreation.-Definition:The term...
    
    
  • Pioneer Valley
    Pioneer Valley
    The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial name for the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts's portion of the Connecticut River Valley. The Pioneer Valley consists of three counties in Massachusetts which collectively feature much of New England's most fertile farmland...
    
    
  • Quabbin Valley
    Quabbin Valley
    The Quabbin Valley is a region of Massachusetts, United States. The region consists of areas drained by the Quabbin Reservoir and accompanying river systems in Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester counties. The area is sometimes known as the Swift River Valley region, a reference to the...
    
    

Administrative divisions of Massachusetts

• The 14 Counties of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  • Barnstable County
    Barnstable County, Massachusetts
    Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, consisting of Cape Cod and associated islands. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,902...
    
    
  • Berkshire County
    Berkshire County, Massachusetts
    Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...
    
    
  • Bristol County
    Bristol County, Massachusetts
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families residing in the county. The population density was 962 people per square mile . There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile...
    
    
  • Dukes County
    Dukes County, Massachusetts
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 14,987 people, 6,421 households, and 3,788 families residing in the county. The population density was 144 people per square mile . There were 14,836 housing units at an average density of 143 per square mile...
    
    
  • Essex County
    Essex County, Massachusetts
    -National protected areas:* Parker River National Wildlife Refuge* Salem Maritime National Historic Site* Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site* Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
    
    
  • Franklin County
    Franklin County, Massachusetts
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 71,535 people, 29,466 households, and 18,416 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 31,939 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
    
    
  • Hampden County
    Hampden County, Massachusetts
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile...
    
    
  • Hampshire County
    Hampshire County, Massachusetts
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 152,251 people, 55,991 households, and 33,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 288 people per square mile . There were 58,644 housing units at an average density of 111 per square mile...
    
    
  • Middlesex County
    Middlesex County, Massachusetts
    -National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
    
    
  • Nantucket County
  • Norfolk County
    Norfolk County, Massachusetts
    -National protected areas:* Adams National Historical Park* Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area * Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site* John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site-Demographics:...
    
    
  • Plymouth County
    Plymouth County, Massachusetts
    Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2010, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton...
    
    
  • Suffolk County
    Suffolk County, Massachusetts
    Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
    
    
  • Worcester County
    Worcester County, Massachusetts
    -Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
    
    
• Municipalities in Massachusetts
  • Cities in Massachusetts
    • State capital of Massachusetts: Boston
      Boston
      Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
      
      
    • City nicknames in Massachusetts
  • Towns in Massachusetts
  • Unincorporated communities in Massachusetts: There is no unincorporated territory in Massachusetts
• Census-designated places in Massachusetts

Government and politics of Massachusetts

Main article: Government of Massachusetts

Government of Massachusetts

The form of Massachusetts government is provided by the Constitution of the Commonwealth. The legislative power is exercised by the bicameral General Court, which is composed of the Senate and House of Representatives...

 and Politics of Massachusetts

Politics of Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is often categorized politically as socially progressive and liberal. The two main political parties are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The commonwealth, especially Boston, is known for having a passion for politics.-History:In the early 19th...

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  : U.S. state government
  State governments of the United States
  State governments in the United States are those republics formed by citizens in the jurisdiction thereof as provided by the United States Constitution; with the original 13 States forming the first Articles of Confederation, and later the aforementioned Constitution. Within the U.S...
  
  
• United States congressional delegations from Massachusetts
  United States Congressional Delegations from Massachusetts
  These are complete tables of congressional delegations from Massachusetts to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Eleven of the twelve members of the current delegation are Democrats and one is a Republican.-United States Senate:...
  
  
• Massachusetts State Capitol

• Elections in Massachusetts
  Elections in Massachusetts
  Elections in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are administered by the individual municipalities.- Election law :There is some oversight by the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.-List of elections:...
  
  
  • Electoral reform in Massachusetts
    Electoral reform in Massachusetts
    Electoral reform in Massachusetts refers to efforts to change the voting laws in the Bay state....
    
    
• Political party strength in Massachusetts
  Political party strength in Massachusetts
  The following table indicates the party of elected officials in Massachusetts:*Governor*Lieutenant Governor*Secretary of the Commonwealth*Attorney General*Treasurer and Receiver-General*AuditorThe table also indicates the historical party composition in the:...
  
  

Executive branch of the government of Massachusetts

• Governor of Massachusetts
  Governor of Massachusetts
  The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
  
  
  • Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
    Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
    The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts...
    
    
  • Secretary of State of Massachusetts
  • State Treasurer of Massachusetts
• State departments
  • Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Legislative branch of the government of Massachusetts

• Massachusetts General Court
  Massachusetts General Court
  The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
  
   (bicameral)
  • Upper house
    Upper house
    An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
    
    : Massachusetts Senate
    Massachusetts Senate
    The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
    
    
  • Lower house
    Lower house
    A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
    
    : Massachusetts House of Representatives
    Massachusetts House of Representatives
    The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
    
    

Judicial branch of the government of Massachusetts

• Supreme Court of Massachusetts

Law and order in Massachusetts

Law of Massachusetts

• Capital punishment in Massachusetts
• Constitution of Massachusetts
• Crime in Massachusetts
  Crime in Massachusetts
  -Statistics:In 2008 there were 185,133 crimes reported in Massachusetts including 167 murders a full list can be found -Capital punishment laws:Capital punishment is illegal in this state...
  
  
• Gun laws in Massachusetts
• Law enforcement in Massachusetts
  • Law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts
    • Massachusetts State Police
      Massachusetts State Police
      The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
      
      
• Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts
  Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts
  Same-sex marriage in the U.S. state of Massachusetts began on May 17, 2004, as a result of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that it was unconstitutional under the Massachusetts constitution to allow only heterosexual couples to marry...
  
  

Military in Massachusetts

• Massachusetts Air National Guard
  Massachusetts Air National Guard
  The Massachusetts Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is, along with the Massachusetts Army National Guard, an element of the Massachusetts National Guard...
  
  
• Massachusetts Army National Guard

History of Massachusetts, by period

• Prehistory of Massachusetts
  • History of Massachusetts#Early settlement (Indigenous peoples)
• English
  England
  England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
  
   Newe-Plymouth Colony, November 23, 1620 – June 3, 1686
  • Mayflower Compact
    Mayflower Compact
    The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the colonists, later together known to history as the Pilgrims, who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower...
    
     signed on November 21, 1620
• English
  England
  England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
  
   Newe-England Colony, September 6, 1628 – March 4, 1629
• English
  England
  England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
  
   Governour and Company of the Mattachusetts Bay in Newe-England, March 4, 1629 – June 3, 1686
  • Pequot War
    Pequot War
    The Pequot War was an armed conflict between 1634–1638 between the Pequot tribe against an alliance of the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Saybrook colonies who were aided by their Native American allies . Hundreds were killed; hundreds more were captured and sold into slavery to the West Indies. ...
    
    , July 20, 1636 – May 26, 1637
  • History of slavery in Massachusetts
    History of slavery in Massachusetts
    Massachusetts was the first colony in New England with slave ownership, although Vermont, in its constitution, was the first state to abolish it.-History:...
    
    
  • King Philip's War
    King Philip's War
    King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
    
    , June 8, 1675 – August 12, 1676
• English
  England
  England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
  
   Dominion of New-England in America, June 3, 1686 – May 18, 1689
• English
  England
  England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
  
   Colony of New-Plymouth and Colony of Massachusetts Bay, May 18, 1689 – October 7, 1691
• English Province of Massachusetts Bay
  Province of Massachusetts Bay
  The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...
  
  , October 7, 1691 – May 1, 1707
  • Queen Anne's War
    Queen Anne's War
    Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
    
    , 1702–1713
    • Raid on Deerfield, 1704
    • Treaty of Utrecht
      Treaty of Utrecht
      The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...
      
      , 1713
• British Province of Massachusetts Bay
  Province of Massachusetts Bay
  The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...
  
  , May 1, 1707, to July 4, 1776
  • King George's War
    King George's War
    King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
    
    , 1740–1748
    • Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
      Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
      The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 ended the War of the Austrian Succession following a congress assembled at the Imperial Free City of Aachen—Aix-la-Chapelle in French—in the west of the Holy Roman Empire, on 24 April 1748...
      
      
  • French and Indian War
    French and Indian War
    The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
    
    , 1754–1763
    • Treaty of Paris of 1763
      Treaty of Paris (1763)
      The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
      
      
  • History of Massachusetts#Revolutionary Massachusetts: 1760s–1780s (Prelude to War)
    • Boston massacre
      Boston Massacre
      The Boston Massacre, called the Boston Riot by the British, was an incident on March 5, 1770, in which British Army soldiers killed five civilian men. British troops had been stationed in Boston, capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, since 1768 in order to protect and support...
      
      , March 5, 1770
    • Boston Tea Party
      Boston Tea Party
      The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
      
      , December 16, 1773
    • Parliament
      Parliament of the United Kingdom
      The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
      
       passes the Massachusetts Government Act
      Massachusetts Government Act
      The Massachusetts Government Act was passed by the Parliament of Great Britain and became a law on May 20, 1774. The act is one of the Intolerable Acts , designed to suppress dissent and restore order in the Province of Massachusetts Bay...
      
      , May 20, 1774
    • Massachusetts Provincial Congress
      Massachusetts Provincial Congress
      The Massachusetts Provincial Congress was a provisional government created in the Province of Massachusetts Bay early in the American Revolution....
      
       organized, October 7, 1774
• American Revolutionary War
  American Revolutionary War
  The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
  
  , April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783
  • Boston campaign
    Boston campaign
    The Boston campaign was the opening campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The campaign was primarily concerned with the formation of American colonial irregular militia units, and their transformation into a unified Continental Army...
    
    , September 1, 1774 – March 17, 1776
    • Battles of Lexington and Concord
      Battles of Lexington and Concord
      The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
      
      , April 19, 1775
    • Battle of Bunker Hill
      Battle of Bunker Hill
      The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
      
      , June 17, 1775
  • United States Declaration of Independence
    United States Declaration of Independence
    The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
    
    , July 4, 1776
  • Treaty of Paris
    Treaty of Paris (1783)
    The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
    
    , September 3, 1783
• History of Massachusetts#Revolutionary Massachusetts: 1760s–1780s: "State of Massachusetts Bay", July 4, 1776 – October 25, 1780
  • • Ninth state to ratify the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, signed July 9, 1778
• History of Massachusetts#Federalist Era: 1780–1815: "Commonwealth of Massachusetts," since October 25, 1780
  • Western territorial claims
    State cessions
    The state cessions are those areas of the United States that the separate states ceded to the federal government in the late 18th and early 19th century...
    
     ceded 1785
  • Sixth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States of America, February 6, 1788
  • Separation of the State of Maine, 1820
  • American Civil War
    American Civil War
    The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
    
    , April 12, 1861 – May 13, 1865
    • Massachusetts in the American Civil War

History of Massachusetts, by region

• by city
  • History of Acton, Massachusetts
    History of Acton, Massachusetts
    Acton, Massachusetts is a small town west of Boston in an area that has records of human habitation which stretch back 7000 years. Acton citizens had a significant role in the battle of Battle of Lexington and Concord, the prelude to the American Revolution...
    
    
  • History of Dedham, Massachusetts
  • History of Fall River, Massachusetts
    History of Fall River, Massachusetts
    For much of its history, the city of Fall River, Massachusetts has been defined by the rise and fall of its cotton textile industry. From its beginnings as a rural outpost of the Plymouth Colony, the city grew to become the largest textile producing center in the United States during the 19th...
    
    
  • History of Lowell, Massachusetts
    History of Lowell, Massachusetts
    The History of Lowell is closely tied to its location along the Pawtucket Falls of the Merrimack River, from being an important fishing ground for the Pennacook tribe to providing water power for the factories that formed the basis of the city's economy for a century...
    
    
  • History of Marshfield, Massachusetts
    History of Marshfield, Massachusetts
    - Native Americans of Wampanoag and Massachusetts Tribes :Native Americans lived in Marshfield for thousands of years before the white settlers came. These people included members of the Wampanoag Tribe of the Algonquin nation and members of the Massachusetts Tribe. Evidence of Native American...
    
    
  • History of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts
    History of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts
    Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts is small Victorian city and summer colony in northeastern Martha's Vineyard, which is located off the coast of Cape Cod.-History:The first English that came to Oak Bluffs came in 1642...
    
    
  • History of Uxbridge, Massachusetts
    History of Uxbridge, Massachusetts
    The history of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, founded in 1727, may be divided into its prehistory, its colonial history and its modern industrial history...
    
    
• by county
• History of Berkshire County, Massachusetts
• History of Bristol County, Massachusetts
• History of Essex County, Massachusetts
• History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts
• History of Nantucket, Massachusetts
• History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts
• History of Suffolk County, Massachusetts

History of Massachusetts, by subject

• History of education in Massachusetts
  • History of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    History of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    The history of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology can be traced back to the 1861 incorporation of the "Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston Society of Natural History" led primarily by William Barton Rogers.-Vision and mission:...
    
    
• History of marriage in Massachusetts
• History of slavery in Massachusetts
  History of slavery in Massachusetts
  Massachusetts was the first colony in New England with slave ownership, although Vermont, in its constitution, was the first state to abolish it.-History:...
  
  

Culture of Massachusetts

Main article: Culture of Massachusetts

• Cuisine of Massachusetts
• Museums in Massachusetts
• Religion in Massachusetts
  • Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
    Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
    Episcopal Diocese of MassachusettsThe Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts is one of the nine original dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America....
    
    
  • Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts
    Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts
    The Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the five western counties of Massachusetts. Formed from a division of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, it was officially recognized at the organizing convention of...
    
    
  • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
    Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
    The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It comprises several counties of the state of Massachusetts...
    
    
    • Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
      Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
      The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States, comprising the entire state of Vermont...
      
      
    • Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River
      Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River
      The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It is led by the prelature of a bishop administering the diocese from the mother church St...
      
      
    • Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester
      Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester
      The Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the region of New England in the United States comprising the entire state of New Hampshire...
      
      
    • Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
      Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
      The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the entire state of Maine...
      
      
    • Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
      Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
      The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden in the state of Massachusetts. It is led by...
      
      
    • Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester
      Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester
      The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. The geographic boundaries of the diocese are the same as those of Worcester County, Massachusetts, the geographically largest county of the...
      
      

• Scouting in Massachusetts
  Scouting in Massachusetts
  Scouting in Massachusetts includes both Girl Scout and Boy Scout organizations. Both were founded in the 1910s in Massachusetts. With a vigorous history, both organizations actively serve thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.-Moby Dick Council:Moby Dick...
  
  
• State symbols of Massachusetts
  • Flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  • Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Sports in Massachusetts

Main article: Sports in Massachusetts

Sports in Massachusetts

Sports in Massachusetts have a long history with both amateur athletics and professional teams. Most of the major professional teams have won multiple championships in their respective leagues. Massachusetts teams have won 6 Stanley Cups , 17 NBA Championships , 3 Super Bowls , and 8 World Series...

• Professional sports teams in Massachusetts

Economy and infrastructure of Massachusetts

Main article: Economy of Massachusetts

• Communications in Massachusetts
  • Newspapers in Massachusetts
  • Radio stations in Massachusetts
  • Television stations in Massachusetts
• Energy in Massachusetts
• Health care in Massachusetts
  • Hospitals in Massachusetts
• Transportation in Massachusetts
  • Airports in Massachusetts
  • Rail transport in Massachusetts
  • Roads in Massachusetts
    • U.S. Highways in Massachusetts
    • Interstate Highways in Massachusetts
    • State highways in Massachusetts
• Water in Massachusetts

Education in Massachusetts

Main article: Education in Massachusetts

• Schools in Massachusetts
  • School districts in Massachusetts
    • High schools in Massachusetts
  • Private schools in Massachusetts
  • Colleges and universities in Massachusetts
    • University of Massachusetts
      University of Massachusetts
      This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
      
      
    • Massachusetts State University

See also

• Outline of geography
  Outline of geography
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
  
  
  • Outline of North America
    • Outline of the United States
• Index of Massachusetts-related articles

External links