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Pilgrims Arrive in Massachusetts
The Pilgrims came here because of King James attacking them. Before coming to Massachusetts they settled in Holland, but become unhappy with life there. -
First Thanksgiving
The Pilgrims and Native Americans had a large feast. They gave thanks to God for rain after the two- month drought. -
Slavery
Massachusetts was the first colony to have slavery. Samuel Maverick was supposedly Massachusetts first slave holder. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony Formed
A group of important Puritan businessmen made a venture that they called the Governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay. -
New England Confederation
It was a military alliance with Massachusetts, Plymouth, New Haven, and Connecticut. It was formed to provide military support against the Native Americans, the Dutch, and the French. -
Dominion of Massachusetts
It merged the colonies of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. This connected them all into one large colony. -
Salem Witch Trials
A group of local women are put on trial after being accused of witch-craft. Later, 150 men and women were accused of witch craft and put on trial. -
French and Indian War
France’s expansion into Ohio River Valley constantly brought conflict between them and the claims of the British colonies. It was also known as the Seven Years War. -
Boston Tea Party
The Sons of Liberty and Samuel Adams boarded three ships and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. This ultimately resulted in war. -
Intolerable Acts
A series of laws passed by the British parliament after the Boston Tea Party. There purpose was to punish Massachusetts colonist for throwing the tea in the Boston harbor. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
They kicked off the Revolutionary War. There had been tension between the colonies and British authorities for years. On the night of April 18 hundreds of British soldiers marched from Boston to Concord. Paul Revere and others alerted the colonial militiamen began preparing to fight. A confrontation in the Lexington town green started the fighting and the British were soon retreating under intense fire. -
Massachusetts and Maine Separated
People in Maine companied for statehood for thirty five years. Although no one expected it, their quest for freedom became entangled with slavery. -
John Quincy Adams is Elected President
He was the sixth president and the only president to be the son of a previous president. He was a member of multiply political parties over the years. -
Granite Railroad
It was one of the first railroads in the United States It was built to carry granite from Quincy, Massachusetts to a dock on the Neponset River in Milton. -
Constitutional Amendment Separated Church and State
The first amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that Congress cannot makes laws having to do with religion. -
Typewriter Invented
Charles Thurber created the first practical typewriter. He patented it in 1843. It was slow but had all the essential characteristics of a modern typewriter. -
First Sewing Machine
In 1846 he patented the first practical sewing machine. Walter Hunt and Elias Howe were the men behind the idea -
Alexander Graham Bell Demonstrated First Telephone
The idea first founded in his head in 1874. Two years later he applied for a patent. He was granted it on March 7, 1876. He demonstrated it in Boston. -
First basketball game
It was played at what is now Springfield College. The idea of basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith. -
First subway in America
Over 100 people crowded onto the first train. They traveled 3.5 minutes though a tunnel under downtown Boston. -
Textile Workers Go On Strike
It was a strike of immigrant workers. It was led by the Industrial Workers of the World. -
Boston nightclub fire
The nightclub was named Cocoanut Grove. It killed 492 and injured 166. It is known as the deadliest nightclub fire ever. -
Microwave Oven Invented
It was invented by accident. The first ever microwave was about six feet tall and weighed about 750 pounds. The patent was filed on October 8, 1945. -
First Successful Kidney Transplant
It was performed in Boston. Multiply attempts failed at first. Peter Medawar had been researching the failing transplants. The Peter Bent Brigham Hospital was the first hospital to perform a successful kidney transplant. -
John F. Kennedy Becomes President
was the thirty fifth president of the United States. He held office for three years before being assassinated. -
John F Kennedy Is Assassinated
The man who killed John F. Kennedy was named Lee Harvey Oswald. He shot and killed Kennedy as he was traveling by motorcycle. -
Edward W. Brooke Is Elected To The U.S. Senate
He was the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote. -
Same Sex Marriage Legalized
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that is was unconstitutional to allow only opposite sex couple to marry. -
Sen. Edward Kennedy Died
He was hospitalized after suffering a seizure and he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He later died at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. -
Boston Marathon Bombing
Two bombs were set off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. It killed three people and injured 260 others.
