When the Puritans came to the New World, they brought with them their strict ways, their religious views, and their distaste for Christmas. Although Christmas was widely celebrated in Europe as a Christian holiday marking the birth of Jesus Christ, Puritans saw it as a false holiday with stronger ties…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Boston, Massachusetts has a rich maritime history that includes pirates and privateers. In fact, Boston had a reputation for being a pirate hot spot in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Massachusetts Bay Colony did not take kindly to pirates though and declared piracy a capital offense on October 15,…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Metacom, also known as Metacomet, Pometacom and King Philip, was a tribal leader of the Pokanoket tribe and the Wampanoag nation. Metacom is most known for leading the Wampanoag and their allies in the fight against the English during King Philip's War. Where Did Metacom Live? Metacom's home village was…| History of Massachusetts Blog
King Philip's War was a war between the English colonists and the Native Americans in New England in the late 17th century. It was a brief but deadly war with a timeline that spans only a few years. The following is a timeline of King Philip's War: 1662: In July,…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The primary sources of King Philip's War offer a firsthand account of the events of this complicated war between the English colonists and the Native Americans of New England in the late 17th century. These sources include official government reports, first hand military accounts of the battles, books written by…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Plymouth Colony was a British colony in Massachusetts in the 17th century and was the first permanent colony in Massachusetts and the first colony in New England. The following are some facts about Plymouth Colony: Who Founded Plymouth Colony? Plymouth Colony was founded by the Plymouth Company during the Great…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The New England colonies were a series of English colonies established in New England in the 17th century. They were a part of the original 13 colonies of North America. What Were the Original New England Colonies? There were originally seven colonies in New England in the 17th century: Plymouth…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Weymouth is the second oldest town in Massachusetts. It was first inhabited by natives from the Massachusetts tribe before being settled by English colonists and then abandoned in the early 1620s. It was eventually absorbed into the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The following is a timeline of the history of Weymouth:…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The New England Confederation was a military alliance between the New England colonies of Plymouth, Connecticut, New Haven, and Massachusetts Bay in the 17th century. The alliance was formed in 1643 to provide joint military support against attacks by Native Americans, the French, and the Dutch. What Inspired the New…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The Glorious Revolution in England occurred when Mary and William of Orange took over the throne from James II in 1688. News of the Glorious Revolution had a significant and profound effect on the colonies in North America, particularly the Massachusetts Bay Colony. When colonists learned of Mary and William's…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Giles Corey was a successful farmer from Salem Village who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Born in Northampton, England, in 1621, Corey immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony shortly after marrying his first wife, Margaret. Giles Corey's Early Life: Corey first lived in Salem…| History of Massachusetts Blog
John Proctor was a successful farmer and the first male to be named a witch during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Proctor was born in Assington, England on October 9, 1631. He immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony with his parents, John Proctor, Sr, and Martha Harper Proctor, sometime…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Salisbury is a historic town that was first frequented by paleo-indians and Native-Americans for thousands of years and eventually settled by English colonists in the 17th century. The beach and salt marsh itself was used primarily as hunting and fishing grounds by the Native Americans and then as pastureland for…| Salisbury Beach Mass
Salisbury is a historic Massachusetts town in Essex county near the New Hampshire border. It is the northernmost town in Massachusetts and was settled by Massachusetts Bay colonists in the early 17th century. Before the colonists settled there, Salisbury was the home of the Pennacook tribe of Native Americans. It…| History of Massachusetts Blog
William Stoughton was a colonial magistrate for the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Chief Magistrate of Court of Oyer and Terminer during the Salem Witch Trials. Early Life: William Stoughton was born in 1631 to Israel and Elizabeth (Knight) Stoughton. It is not known if Stoughton was born in England…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The Dominion of New England was a merging of British colonies in New England in the 17th century. The Dominion was formed in 1686 and merged the colonies of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island together into one large colony. In 1688, the Dominion was expanded to include New…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The Salem Witch Trials judges were several men who served as judges during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. On May 27, 1692, Sir William Phips appointed nine of the colony's magistrates to serve as judges on the newly created Court of Oyer and Terminer. The court was created specifically…| History of Massachusetts Blog
King Philip's War, also known as Metacom's War or the First Indian War, was an armed conflict between English colonists and the American Indians of New England in the 17th century. It was the Native American's last major effort to drive the English colonists out of New England. The war…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a royal colony in Massachusetts in the 17th and 18th century. The province was originally a charter colony called the Massachusetts Bay Colony until 1684, when its charter was revoked due to repeated violations of its terms, and it was converted into a royal…| History of Massachusetts Blog
King William's War, also known as the Second Indian War and the First French and Indian War, was an armed conflict between England and France in North America in the 17th century. The war was a battle over control of North America, particularly over the fur trade in North America.…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Salutary neglect was an unofficial British policy in the colonies that greatly affected Massachusetts in the 18th century. The policy was an intentional lack of enforcement by the British government of British trade laws in the American colonies. The phrase salutary neglect itself comes from a speech given by Edmund…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Rebecca Nurse was a 71-year-old grandmother and wife of a local artisan when she was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Nurse was also the sister of accused witches Mary Easty and Sarah Cloyce and the daughter of suspected witch Joanna Blessing Towne. Born in Yarmouth, England in…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Reverend Samuel Parris was the minister at Salem Village during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Samuel Parris was born in London, England, in 1653. In the late 1650s, his father, Thomas Parris, moved his entire family to a sugar plantation that he had purchased in Barbados. Samuel Parris' Early…| History of Massachusetts Blog
George Burroughs was a minister who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. George Burroughs Childhood and Early Life: Burroughs was born in Suffolk, England in 1652 and migrated to the settlement of Roxbury in the Massachusetts Bay Colony with his mother when he was a…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Salem is a historic town in Massachusetts. The area was home to native people for thousands of years before being settled by the Massachusetts Bay colonists in the 17th century. Salem is most famous for the being the site of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 but also has a…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The American Revolution began in Massachusetts. At the time, Massachusetts was a part of a royal colony called the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The province consisted of the former colonies of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony, and the territories of Maine and Nova Scotia as well as the islands…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Marblehead is a historic town in Massachusetts. It was first inhabited by the Naumkeag tribe before being settled as a fishing village by the Massachusetts Bay colonists in the 17th century. The following is a timeline of the history of Marblehead: 1629: The area is settled as a part of…| History of Massachusetts Blog
