Massachusetts is a state in the northeast of the United States of America. It is home to the influential Kennedy family.
According to Acronymmonster, Massachusetts is a US state and is located in the northeast of the country. Its capital is Boston which is also the largest city in Massachusetts. The name has its origin in the Indian Massachusetts language and means at the big hill. The nickname of the state is Bay State.
Massachusetts and the first Europeans in the US state
The first European on the Massachusetts coast was Giovanni da Verrazano in the 16th century. In 1606 the French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived at Cape God, eight years later Captain Thomas Hund took several natives into captivity and sold them to slave owners. Initially, the Nauset tribe wanted nothing to do with the Europeans. But soon they changed their minds and converted to Christianity. The English adventurer John Smith was the first European to sail in this region in 1614. In 1617 most of the Massachusetts fell victim to an epidemic. In 1675 a law was passed that banned Indians from entering Boston. This law was only repealed in 2005.
Massachusetts in colonial times and after the Revolutionary War
English Puritans founded the Plymouth Colony in 1620 and the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629. Boston was launched a year later. In 1691 the Puritans decided to merge the two colonies. Massachusetts was one of the Thirteen Colonies that opposed the English in the War of Independence. In 1780, the state constitution came into force, which is still in force today. The 18th and 19th centuries were characterized by economic growth, to which fishing contributed significantly.
Industrialization in Massachusetts and attitude to slavery
Massachusetts was a state leader during the industrial revolution of the 19th century. A large number of new factories were opened, for example in the areas of paper, tools and textiles. Before the outbreak of the Civil War, Massachusetts was one of the states that was particularly committed to the abolition of slavery. So it’s no surprise that a black regiment was set up there during the war. In the 20th century, industrialization fell in the state. The Kennedy family, originally from Massachusetts, played an important role in politics.
Largest Counties in Massachusetts by Area
According to Countryaah, the biggest counties in Massachusetts are listed as below:
| Ranking | County | Area |
| 1 | Worcester County | 3,919 km2 |
| 2 | Berkshire County | 2,411 km2 |
| 3 | Middlesex County | 2,134 km2 |
| 4 | Franklin County | 1,818 km2 |
| 5 | Plymouth County | 1,712 km2 |
| 6 | Hampden County | 1,601 km2 |
| 7 | Bristol County | 1,440 km2 |
| 8 | Hampshire County | 1,370 km2 |
| 9 | Essex County | 1,290 km2 |
| 10 | Norfolk County | 1,036 km2 |
| 11 | Barnstable County | 1,026 km2 |
| 12 | Dukes County | 269 km2 |
| 13 | Suffolk County | 150 km2 |
| 14 | Nantucket County | 124 km2 |
Longfellow National Historic Site
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an important American poet, novelist and translator who belongs to the great classics of American literature. He was born on February 27, 1807 in the state of Massachusetts and died on March 24, 1882. He wrote many important works, such as Paul Revere’s Ride, A Psalm of Life or Evangeline. His probably most significant work, however, became the epic “Song of Hiawatha”. He is also the author of the first American translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy, and during his lifetime was a member of the literary group known as the Fireside Poets.
In Massachusetts today there is a house – Longfellow House, where the writer worked for some time. It was built in 1759 for the wealthy monarch John Vassall. However, in 1774, on the eve of the American Revolution, he and his family had to quickly leave the house and flee under British protection to Boston. The house was later used by President George Washington and served as his headquarters. Washington resided here for over 9 months, during the Siege of Boston in 1775-1776. During this period, even Benjamin Franklin, Abigail and John Adams and other revolutionary leaders visited him at the house.
In 1791, the house was bought by Andrew Craigie, an apothecary who lived in it during the Revolutionary War and shrewdly ran a business with this real estate. That is, until he went bankrupt. At that time he also modified the side porch and extended the rear of the house.
The writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow himself lived in the house from 1837 until his death in 1882. When he married Frances Appleton in 1843, her father bought the house to give to the newlyweds as a wedding present. Until then, Longfellow had lived in a rented room in this house, and it certainly would not have occurred to him that one day the whole house would be his. Throughout its existence, the house has been a popular meeting place for a variety of prominent personalities, philosophers and writers, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Charles Dickens.
Descendants of Longfellow protected this structure and complete household equipment until 1962, when the house was handed over to the care of the nation. The Longfellow House National Historic Site is today protected by the National Park Service. Numerous collections, extensive archives and historical foundations make this house a unique treasure trove hiding a piece of American history.