9 Oldest Towns in Massachusetts
- Plymouth: 1620. Plymouth was settled by the Plymouth Company in December of 1620 when the Mayflower pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, making it the oldest town in Massachusetts.
- Weymouth: 1622. ...
- Gloucester: 1623. ...
- Hull: 1624. ...
- Boston: 1625. ...
- Salem: 1626. ...
- Lynn: 1629. ...
- Watertown: 1630. ...
- Cambridge: 1630. ...
What group of people first settled in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts Bay Colony, one of the original English settlements in present-day Massachusetts, settled in 1630 by a group of about 1,000 Puritan refugees from England under Gov. John Winthrop and Deputy Gov. Thomas Dudley.
Who was first settled Massachusetts?
Massachusetts Bay Colony was settled in 1630 by a group of Puritans from England under the leadership of Governor John Winthrop. A grant issued by King Charles I empowered the group to create a colony in Massachusetts. While the company was intended to transfer the wealth of the New World to stockholders in England, the settlers themselves transferred the charter to Massachusetts.
What settled the first Massachusetts colony?
Massachusetts Bay Colony, one of the original English settlements in present-day Massachusetts, settled in 1630 by a group of about 1,000 Puritan refugees from England under Gov. John Winthrop and Deputy Gov. Thomas Dudley.
Did the Pilgrims first land in Massachusetts?
The Pilgrims first landed in Plymouth Harbor on Cape Cod in what is now Massachusetts in 1620. Many believe they landed on the specific site of Plymouth Rock, but first-person accounts of the voyage make no mention of the rock itself. The Pilgrims sailed on the Mayflower, which embarked from England to America in September 1620.
What were the first settlements in Massachusetts?
The first settlers in the state now known as Massachusetts were the Pilgrims. They arrived in Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620 after separating from the Anglican church and fleeing England, creating the Mayflower compact as the foundational set of rules for self-government in the New World.
What was the first settlement in Massachusetts Bay Colony?
PlymouthPlymouth was the first settlement in what became the Massachusetts Bay colony. A group of Puritans attempting to escape religious persecution in England founded the Plymouth settlement in 1620. These settlers become known as “Pilgrims”.
Where were most of the first settlements in the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
Newbury, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. Concord, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635, first inland settlement in New England. Dedham, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636. Rowley, Massachusetts, settled by Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1639.
Where was the first colony founded in Massachusetts?
February 6, 1788Massachusetts / Founded
Who were the first settlers in Boston?
One of America's most historically rich cities, the story of our nation is evident on nearly every corner in Boston. Officially founded in 1630 by English Puritans who fled to the new land to pursue religious freedom, Boston is considered by many to be the birthplace of the American Revolution.
What was the name of the first English settlement in New England?
In 1607, 104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. On May 13 they picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, which was named after their King, James I. The settlement became the first permanent English settlement in North America.
Which two colonies were once part of Massachusetts?
There were originally two colonies in Massachusetts, the Plymouth Colony or the Old Colony established by the Pilgrims, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony settled by a group of Puritans in 1630. The two colonies (as well as the colony in Maine) were merged by charter in 1691.
What did the Puritans name their first settlement?
PlymouthPlymouth was the first colonial settlement in New England.
Which two colonies broke off from the Massachusetts Bay colony?
The Puritans form of government would go on to influence the forms of government in Connecticut colony, Rhode Island Colony, and the Province of New Hampshire since those three colonies were offshoots of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Is Massachusetts the oldest state?
Massachusetts. 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 "Bay State" or as the "Old Colony State." The Pilgrims established their settlement at Plymouth in 1620, arriving on the Mayflower.
How did the Massachusetts colony start?
When was the Massachusetts Bay Colony founded? In 1629 King Charles I of England granted the Massachusetts Bay Company a charter to trade in and colonize the part of New England that lay approximately between the Charles and Merrimack Rivers, and settlement began in 1630.
Who were the first European settlers in Massachusetts?
the PilgrimsThe first settlers in Massachusetts were the Pilgrims who established Plymouth Colony in 1620 and developed friendly relations with the Wampanoag people. This was the second permanent English colony in America following Jamestown Colony.
What was the first settlement in New Hampshire?
Odiorne PointNew Hampshire's first permanent European settlement began in 1623. In the wake of native populations, largely decimated by European diseases, English traders and fishermen settled at Odiorne Point in present-day Rye, and on Dover Point.
When was Massachusetts settled?
July 4, 1776Massachusetts / Date settled
Why did they settle in Massachusetts Bay?
What was the purpose of the Massachusetts Bay Colony? The Puritans who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony intended to set up a society that would accord with what they believed to be God's wishes. Those whose religious beliefs did not conform to the Puritans' teachings were expelled.
What is Massachusetts Bay Colony known for?
The Massachusetts Bay Colony became the first English chartered colony whose board of governors did not reside in England. This independence helped the settlers to maintain their Puritan religious practices without interference from the king, Archbishop Laud, or the Anglican Church.
When was the Massachusetts Bay Colony founded, and how long did it last?
In 1629 King Charles I of England granted the Massachusetts Bay Company a charter to trade in and colonize the part of New England that lay approxi...
What was the purpose of the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
The Puritans who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony intended to set up a society that would accord with what they believed to be God’s wishes. On...
What is the importance of the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
By moving the Massachusetts Bay Company’s General Court from England to America, the Puritans converted it from an instrument of the company to a l...
Which colony was a part of the Massachusetts Bay?
A new charter was issued in 1691 that joined the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Plymouth Colony, and the Maine Colony as the Province of Massachusetts Bay and placed it under a royal governor. Charles I. Learn more about Charles I.
When was Massachusetts Bay colony established?
See Article History. Massachusetts Bay Colony, one of the original English settlements in present-day Massachusetts, settled in 1630 by a group of about 1,000 Puritan refugees from England under Gov. John Winthrop and Deputy Gov. Thomas Dudley.
What was the purpose of the Massachusetts Bay Company?
Thomas Dudley. In 1629 the Massachusetts Bay Company had obtained from King Charles I a charter empowering the company to trade and colonize in New England between the Charles and Merrimack rivers. The grant was similar to that of the Virginia Company in 1609, the patentees being joint proprietors with rights of ownership and government. The intention of the crown was evidently to create merely a commercial company with what, in modern parlance, would be called stockholders, officers, and directors. By a shrewd and legally questionable move, however, the patentees decided to transfer the management and the charter itself to Massachusetts. By this move, they not only paved the way for local management, but they established the assumption that the charter for a commercial company was in reality a political constitution for a new government with only indefinable dependence upon the imperial one in England. Among the communities that the Puritans established were Boston, Charlestown, Dorchester, Medford, Watertown, Roxbury, and Lynn.
What was the name of the river that the Massachusetts Bay Company landed on?
In 1629 the Massachusetts Bay Company had obtained from King Charles I a charter empowering the company to trade and colonize in New England between the Charles and Merrimack rivers.
What colony was merged with Maine in 1691?
The charter of 1691 merged the Plymouth colony and Maine into the Massachusetts Bay Colony. See also Plymouth. This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeff Wallenfeldt, Manager, Geography and History. History at your fingertips.
How many people were in Massachusetts Bay in the 1640s?
By the mid-1640s Massachusetts Bay Colony had grown to more than 20,000 inhabitants. Increasing estrangement between the colony and England resulted in the annulment of the company’s charter in 1684 and the substitution of royal government under a new charter granted in 1691.
When was the first public school in America?
The first public school in North America, the Boston Latin School, was established in Boston in 1635, and Harvard University was founded in ...
When was Boston the capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony?
In 1632, Boston was made the capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. By 1640, hundreds more English Puritans had joined Winthrop and Blackstone in their new colony. By 1750, more than 15,000 colonists lived in Massachusetts.
What was the role of Massachusetts in the American Revolution?
Massachusetts played a key role in the American Revolution. In December 1773, Boston was the site of the famous Boston Tea Party in reaction to the Tea Act that had been passed by the British. Parliament reacted by passing acts to control the colony, including a naval blockade of the harbor.
Why did the Puritans emigrate to the New World?
While they emigrated to the New World to be able to freely practice their religion, they did not espouse freedom of religion for other settlers.
What did Eliot set up in the colony?
Eliot set up "praying towns" in the colony, isolated settlements such as Natick (established 1651), where newly converted people could live separated from both English settlers and independent Indigenous peoples. The settlements were organized and laid out like an English village, and the residents were subject to a legal code that required that traditional practices be replaced by those proscribed in the Bible.
What was the first major political crisis in Massachusetts Bay?
One of those is known as the "Antinomian Crisis" which resulted in the departure of Anne Hutchinson (1591–1643) from Massachusetts Bay.
What was the purpose of the grant issued by King Charles I to the colonists?
A grant issued by King Charles I empowered the group to create a colony in Massachusetts. While the company was intended to transfer the wealth of the New World to stockholders in England, the settlers themselves transferred the charter to Massachusetts. By so doing, they turned a commercial venture into a political one.
Where did the first shots come from in the Revolutionary War?
On April 19, 1775, Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, were the sites of the first shots fired in the Revolutionary War. After this, the colonists laid siege to Boston, which the British troops held. The siege eventually ended when the British evacuated in March 1776. Signers of the Declaration of Independence from Massachusetts on July 4, 1776, were John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, and Elbridge Gerry. The war continued for seven more years with many Massachusetts volunteers fighting for the Continental Army.
When did the Europeans discover Massachusetts?
The first Europeans to view what would become the Commonwealth of Massachusetts may have been the Norse around the year A.D. 1000, but the historical record is murky. Other early explorers or the area included the following:
Why was Cape Cod named after Bartholomew Gosnold?
Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602 brought his ship, the Concord, into Provincetown harbor; he also named Cape Cod in response to a bountiful catch made in the surrounding waters
Who was the French explorer who explored Canada?
Samuel de Champlain, the famed French explorer of Canada, charted the coastline from Canada to Cape Cod on the second of his 11 voyages from 1604 to 1606
What was the first colonial settlement in New England?
Though more than half of the original settlers died during that grueling first winter, the survivors were able to secure peace treaties with neighboring Native American tribes and build a largely self-sufficient economy within five years. Plymouth was the first colonial settlement in New England.
Where did the pilgrims settle?
The Pilgrims had originally signed a contract with the Virginia Company to settle near the Hudson River, but rough seas and storms prevented the ship from reaching its initial destination. After 66 days, it reached the shores of Cape Cod, anchoring at the site of Provincetown on November 21.
Why was Plymouth named after Jamestown?
The settlers decided the name was appropriate, as the Mayflower had set sail from the port of Plymouth in England.
What was the ideal of Plymouth Colony?
By that time, the ideal of Plymouth Colony—conceived in the Mayflower Compact as a self-contained community governed by a common religious affiliation —had given way to the far less lofty influences of trade and commerce. The devout Pilgrims, meanwhile, had fragmented into smaller, more self-serving groups.
How long did it take Plymouth to become self-sufficient?
Though Plymouth would never develop as robust an economy as later settlements—such as Massachusetts Bay Colony—agriculture, fishing and trading made the colony self-sufficient within five years after it was founded. Many other European settlers followed in the Pilgrims’ footsteps to New England.
Where did the Mayflower land?
Two months later, the three-masted merchant ship landed on the shores of Cape Cod, in present-day Massachusetts . In late December, the Mayflower anchored at Plymouth Rock, where the pilgrims formed the first permanent settlement of Europeans in New England.
Where did the Separatists settle?
The Separatists had sought religious freedom before, fleeing England in 1607 and 1608 to settle in the Netherlands, first in Amsterdam and later in the town of Leiden, where they remained for the next decade.
