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Plymouth Colony is found!
Plymouth Colony was the first colonial settlement in New England. The settlers were a group of about 100 Puritan Separatist Pilgrims, who sailed on the Mayflower and settled on what is now called Cape Cod, Massachusetts. They named the first town after their port of departure, Plymouth. -
The First Thanksgiving!
The modern day Thanksgiving feast takes place on the third Thursday of November, the first Thanksgiving did not. This feast most likely happened sometime between September and November of 1621. Nobody knows the exact date but we do know it lasted for a couple days. The 53 pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving were the only colonists to survive the long journey on the mayflower and the first winter in the New World. Disease and starvation struck down half of the original 102 colonists. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony is founded!
Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded by John Winthrop. The migration of Puritans from England began once the Massachusetts Bay Company received a royal charter from King Charles I. This caused congregations to pick up their possessions and leave for the New World away from the persecution of England. By 1640 Massachusetts Bay Colony had grown to more than 20,000 people. -
Boston is the Capital!
The Puritans landed on the Shawmut Peninsula so named by the Native Americans who were living there. The Puritans called it Trimountaine until the town was renamed after Boston, Lincolnshire, England. John Winthrop, the governor, had named Boston the state capital. -
Roger Williams Banned from Massachusetts Bay!
Roger Williams was banned from Massachusetts Bay Colony by the General Court of Massachusetts. Roger Williams was banned because he had spoken out against the right of civil authorities to punish religious disagreements and to steal the Indian land. -
Dominion of New England is formed
Massachusetts and the other northern colonies were formed into the Dominion of New England. The dominion was ruled by Sir Edmund Andros, who angered the colonists by ending their representative assemblies and only allowing town meets to be once a year. -
Increase Mather sailed to get relief for Massachusetts!
Increase Mather sailed to England to get relief for Massachusetts. The English government had canceled the charter of Massachusetts and sent a royal governor a new one. After four years, Increase Mather came home with a new charter that hoped would satisfy the colonists. The new charter was called the Magna Carta for New England. -
James Otis Jr. Marched through the streets of Boston!
James Otis Jr. was a young massachusetts lawyer who marched through the streets of Boston. He was very angry because his father had been denied of the post of chief justice of the Massachusetts colony by the royal governor. In February 1761 he spoke in court with great emotion for 5 hours. Making this speech the first public speech demanding english liberties for the colonies. He planted a seed of freedom. -
Proclamation of 1763 law is passed
The proclamation stated that colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian mountains. -
the Sugar Act was passed by Parliament
The Sugar Act placed taxes on sugar, molasses, and any other products shipped to the colonies. It also called for strict enforcement of the act and harsh punishments of smugglers. James Otis said that parliament have no right to tax the colonies because no colonists were in Parliament. He said “NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!” -
Stamp Act is Passed
The Stamp Act it said that the law required all legal and commercial documents carry an official stamp showing that it had been paid for. -
Quartering Act was passed by Parliament
The Quartering Act required colonists to house British soldiers and provide them with supplies. General Thomas Gage put most of the soldiers in New York. -
Declaratory Act passed by Parli
Parliament had supreme authority to govern the colonies. They said they could pass whatever lass they wanted. -
Boston Massacre
A group of youths and dockworkers, one of them was Crispus Attucks, stated to trade insults in front of the Customs house. A fight broke out, and the soldiers began firing. Four laborers and Crispus Attucks were killed. The Sons of Liberty called it the Boston Massacre. -
Tea Act was passed
The Tea Act gave the British East India Company over American Tea Trade. Which meant when the tea arrived in the colonies the merchants there could only sell the tea. The colonists who had not been paying tax on any smuggled tea would have to pay tax on the regulated tea. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of men disguised as Native Americans boarded three tea ships docked at the Boston Harbor. George Hewes was one of the men on the ship. They destroyed 342 chests of tea. Some colonists thought this was a great idea to show Britain how they opposed “No taxation without representation.” Some colonists also thought that is was a terrible idea. -
Intolerable Acts were passed
Parliament passed these laws to punish the Massachusetts colony and to serve as a warning to the other colonies. Britain called them the Coercive Acts, but they were so harsh the colonies called them the Intolerable Acts. -
Paul Revere's Ride
Paul Revere and William Dawes were charged with spreading news about the British Troops movement. Paul Revere came up with a system of signals to alert the colonists. “ One if by land two if by sea.” If there was one lantern burned in the Old North Church that meant that the British were coming by land, but if there were two that meant they were coming by sea. -
Revolutionary War Began
The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that the troops fired the “shot heard round the world.” -
Declaration of Independence is signed
On July 4th, 1776 congress adopted a document that called for independence. John Hancock was the first to sign it because he was the president of the congress. He wrote in large letters. -
Francis Scott Key created a poem called the “Star Spangled Banner”
Francis Scott Key watched the all-night battle. At dawn he realized that the flag was still flying. He expressed his emotion by creating what is now called our National Anthem. -
John Deere created the steel plow
John Deere was a blacksmith that invented a plow that was very little in weight with a cutting edge of steel. It made the preparation of preparing the ground much less work. -
civil war
The Civil War was also known as “The War Between the States,” was fought between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America, a collection of eleven southern states that left the Union in 1860 and 1861 and formed their own country in order to protect the organization of slavery. -
Slavery is Abolished
The 13th Amendment was adopted into the constitution on December 16th, 1865. Slavery’s legacy and efforts to overcome it remained a central issue in U.S. politics for more than a century. -
Ted Kennedy was born
Ted Kennedy was born in Boston Massachusetts. He was a former US senate. His birthday is also known as the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth. He was elected when he was thirty. He passed away on August 25th, 2009. -
Meghan Trainor is born
Meghan Trainor is a 24 year old singer/songwriter. She was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts. She wrote 3 independent albums before she was eighteen. Most of her works revolve around body images and self confidence. -
Aly Raisman was born
Aly Raisman is an American Olympic gymnast who won two gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics and another gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. SHe started gymnastics around two. She was born in Needham, Massachusetts. She recently came out with a book with her coming out and telling her story about Larry Nassar. -
Acacia Brinley was born
Acacia Brinley is a lead singer in the band Watercolor. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She has helped people who have had suicidal thoughts. -
Big Dig Tunnel problems
On September 16th, water rushed into the Central Artery's northbound tunnel for hours from a small breach in the eastern wall, backing up afternoon rush-hour traffic for miles. Engineers found a leak that poured millions of gallons of water into the tunnel system. -
Boston Bombings
April 15, 2013 marked the 117th marathon of the Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest annual marathon. At approximately 2:49 that afternoon two pressure-cooker bombs exploded within seconds of each other near the finish line along Boylston Street.There was still 5,600 people running. The blasts instantly turned the sunny afternoon into a gruesome scene of bloodshed, destruction and chaos.
