European settlement of the Massachusetts colony began in 1620, with the landing at Plymouth of the Pilgrims, looking for freedom from religious persecution. They found the winter difficult, but they stayed. The English settlers found some friendly Native Americans in the Massachusetts area. The Wampanoag, in particular, were friendly to the Pilgrims. (Out of this friendship came the First Thanksgiving.) The Plymouth colony thrived and expanded, becoming the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Salem was the first capital, then was replaced by Boston in 1632, after a huge infusion of English settlers arrived. The colony thrived as an agricultural colony, although several important merchants set up shop in the following years. Most people lived in villages,

with the farm fields just outside of town. The typical village layout was privately owned houses surrounding a common--a large open area that was owned by all members of the village. In this common was a meetinghouse, where religious and town meetings took place. Interest in education was keen, and Harvard, the first American university, was founded in 1636. The first private academies could be found in Massachusetts as well. This promotion of education extended all the way to very young children, as a 1647 law required towns of more than 50 people to have an elementary school, which children were required to attend.

Massachusetts, it could be argued, was the most revolutionary of the 13 Colonies, with Boston its most revolutionary city. Many of the famous Acts (which were really taxes) passed by the British government and designed to keep the American colonists in line were aimed primarily at Massachusetts. Among these were the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, the Tea Act, and the Intolerable Acts. Among the famous revolutionaries from Massachusetts were Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere. Boston was the scene for both the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. The latter resulted in the Intolerable Acts, one of which closed the port of Boston until further notice. Revolutionaries from all over America responded by calling the First Continental Congress, which issued a call for action. The result was the Revolutionary War, w

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 983
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)