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Massachusetts
Bay Colony The Governor
and Company of Massachusetts Bay in New England
was chartered in 1629, and given the right to
govern a tract of land extending from three miles
south of the Charles River to a point three miles
north of the Merrimac, west to the Pacific Ocean. |
The Mayflower
Compact was the first
agreement for self-government ever put in force
in America. It was drawn up because the Puritans
(Pilgrims) wanted to avoid the failures of
earlier colonies by establishing a government
prior to settlement. It was signed aboard the Mayflower
on November 11, 1620 (old style). |
Facts and
Figures Total Area 35,387
sq mi (39th). Population 1,274,923
(40th). Capital Augusta. Admitted to
Union March 15, 1820 (23rd). |
Increase
Mather was a leader in the Puritan
church who doubted the effectiveness and fairness
of the Salem Witch Trials while never publicly
denouncing the trials themselves, nor the people
who conducted them. |
Hartford
is the capital of Connecticut. Founded in 1637,
the city was the birthplace of the American
insurance industry, and is home to the oldest
continuously-operating newspaper in the country. |