CHAPTER 1 THE BAY STATE No No sports fans have had more to cheer for in recent years than those in Massachusetts The Boston area is home to four professional sports teams Since 2001 each team has won at least one championship The New England Patriots lead the pack having won their fifth Super Bowl in 2017 But the state’s sports scene is bigger than its pro teams It reflects the long diverse history of Massachusetts Competitive teams like the Red Sox make it easy to be a sports fan in Boston 5
Before Massachusetts was a state native tribes such as the Mohicans the Mashpee and the Nipmuc had long lived in the area In fact the name Massachusetts comes from the Massachusett tribe Several tribes were living in the region when the Pilgrims arrived from England in 1620 The Pilgrims were the first European settlers in the area They had faced persecution for their religious beliefs at home So they boarded a ship called the Mayflower and headed to America in search of freedom The Pilgrims found life in the New World difficult at first A harsh winter took the lives THINK ABOUT IT Why do you think the Pilgrims and the native people clashed 6
For a time the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower had peaceful relations with the native people of nearly half the settlers who arrived on the Mayflower Native tribes taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn and other crops The Pilgrims were able to survive and then thrive after gaining these skills However the native tribes and settlers often clashed Over the years the settlers drove the tribes out of their homes 7
