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
For many years Massachusetts was a colony of Great Britain The United States declared its independence in 1776 and Massachusetts played an important role in the American Revolution Massachusetts became a state in 1788 making it the sixth state in the young nation Over the years Massachusetts transformed from rural to urban As it did the mixture of people changed too European immigrants entered through the port of Boston during the 1800s and 1900s The state's economy has changed over the years as well Until the early 1800s the state's economy relied on trade with the British But the United States began to change from an agricultural to an industrial economy During this time known as the Industrial Revolution workers came to Boston from rural areas They
Founded in 1636 Harvard University has become one of the world's great academic institutions sought jobs in textile mills and machinery making In 1790 approximately 378,000 people lived in Massachusetts By 1900 the state's population had risen to more than two million Boston also became a place where thinkers and artists gathered to discuss the world In 1636 Harvard University was founded in what became Cambridge Harvard is the oldest US university
