 |
 Important
Dates in Massachusetts |
 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). |
 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. |
 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. |
 John Winthrop
was one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay
Colony, and then went on to serve as Governor of
the colony twelve times. As Governor, he was
conservative and somewhat aristocratic, but just
and magnanimous at the same time. |
 Paul
Revere was one of many Boston
businessmen who protested against British
policies. His depiction of the Boston Massacre
fueled colonial hatred, and he was one of the
band of "Indians" who took part in the
Boston Tea Party. |
 Shay's Rebellion
involved debt-ridden farmers in western and
central Massachusetts, many of whom were
threatened with loss of their properties and
imprisonment. They demanded court reforms and the
issuance of paper money for paying their debts. |
