Massachusetts

MASSACHUSETTS (ante). There is reason to believe that portions of south-easterm Massachusetts, including the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, were dis covered by the Norsemen not far from 1000 A.D. , and that various settlements were. rnade in the next 300 years, none of which, however, gained permanence. In 1497 John and Sebastian Cabot again discovered the 3Iassachusetts coast, and the English claimed it on that account. In 1602 Bartholomew' Gosnold and 22 English colonists made a. settlement on the Elizabeth islands, between Buzzard's bay and Vineyard sound, now constituting the township of Gosnold in Dukes co.; but it was in a short time aban doned. There were other expeditions to the coast in subsequent years, but the Ply mouth colony was the first that proved successful. On Sept. 6, 1620 (O. S.), tins colony,. composed of about 100 English, who had sought exemption from religious perse cution in Holland, having embarked from Delft Haven, set sail from Plymouth, Eng- land, in the Mayflower, of 180 tons, to find a home in America. On Nov. 9 they reached, cape Cod, and anchored in the roadstead off Provincetown. An exploring party was sent in search of a suitable place to found a settlement, and the colonists landed at Ply mouth, Dec. 22 (N. S.). Before landing they drew up and subscribed a compact or frame of government for the new settlement, and elected John Carver governor for one year. In four months nearly one-half the colonists died from exposure to the cold and the lack of wholesome food. Shortly after landing they entered into a treaty of peace with the Indian chief Massasoit and his tribe, which remained unbroken for a long time. Through the influence of capt. Miles Standish the disputes with other tribes were soon settled. In the spring of 1621 the Mayflower returned to England, and soon afterwards governor Carver died and was succeeded by William Bradford, with Isaac Allerton as assistant. During the next two years the colonists endured many privations, but in 1623 they were relieved by a bountiful harvest. The plan of property in common, which they adopted at first, was now abandoned. In 1622 a Mr. Weston, of London, who had been con nected with the Plymouth colonists, obtained a patent and founded a new settlement in Wessagussett, now Weymouth. The Plymouth colony failed to obtain a patent, and was forced to carry on its government independently of the royal sanction. This they did, however, with perfect success, upon a plan not unworthy of the democracy of a later time, since the right of the people to govern themselves was fully recognizeil. In 1628 an expedition, organized by an English company, and commanded by Jolin Endicott, lamiPd Saletn. The company had obtained a grant of the territory lying between the Atlantic and Pacific, and extending to a point 3 m. s. of the river Charles and 3 m. n. of the river Merrimac. After persistent efforts a royal patent was obtained for " the company of the Massachusetts bay," and the associates were constituted a body politic, with a governor, deputy, and 18 assistants, to be annually- elected, and a general assem bly of the freemen, with legislative powers, to meet four times in a year, or oftener if necessary-. In 1629 the colony was reinforced, and the governmeht and patent of the company were transferred from London to New England. The old officers resigned, giving place to others chosen from among those who were about to emigrate, John Win throp being elected governor. From this time the colonv grew rapidly, receiving an accession at one time of about 1000 persons, who came over in 17 vessels. Charlestown, Boston, Watertown, Dorchester, Roxbury, -.Mystic, Salem, Saugus (Lynn), and other places were at this period selected as sites for settlements. The colony for a time endured great hardships, losing many of its members by death, while others returned in discouragement to England. But new emigrants came to take the places of the departed, and still the colony grew. A spirit of religious intolerance, which VMS char acteristic of all parties in those times, and which was partly the product of the bitter persecutions from which the colonists had tied, manifested itself in the banishment of Roger Williatns and Anne Hutchinson, and a general persecution of the Quakers. Some disputes between the magistrates and people as to their respective powers, caused no little commotion. At first the colonists were allowed to manage their affairs without the interference of the home government; but at length they were suspected by the crown of a design to make themselves independent, and an attempt was made to annul their charter, a commission for their government being formed with archbishop Laud at its head. An order was issued to the colony to surrender its charter, but the settlers found a way to avoid a compliance, and measures were adopted . to fortify Boston, Charlestown, and Dorchester against a possible assault. The colonists found their best protection, however, in the political agitations of the mother country, which.so absorbed

the attention of the government that it had no time to prosecute its schemes in America. The restoration of the Stuarts created fresh troubles for the colony, but at length, in 1662, the king confirmed the charter and made a. conditional promise of amnesty for past political offenses. He insisted, however, upon his right to interfere in the affairs of the colony, demanded the repeal of all laws derogatory to his authorityyrequired the complete toleration of the church of England, the taking of an oath of allegiance, and the administration of justice in his name. To these demands some of the colonists were disposed to yield for the sake of peace, while others steadily resisted them. Commission ers were sent over from England to investigate the affairs of the colony, but, being unable to accomplish anything, they were finally recalled. In 1643 the colonies of Massachusetts. Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven entered into an alliance for mutual pro tection, which lasted 20 years and was superseded by a still closer confederation. In 1675 king Philip's war broke out, lasting more than a year, and subjecting the colonists. to great loss of life and property. No less than 12 or 13 towns were destroyed by the Indians, 600 houses were burned, one in 20 of the men of the colony were killed on the field, and a debt of $500,000—an enormous sum for that day—was incumd. The trouble.s with the king continued; Massachusetts lost her jurisdiction over New Hamp shire, and retained possession of Maine only by purchase. In 1684 the difficulties with the crown being still unsettled, the charter was declared forfeited. Joseph Dudley was appointed president of Massachusetts, the general court was dissolved, and a royal com mission superseded the government under the charter. In 1686 Dudley was superseded by sir Edmund Andros, whose arbitrary proceedings have left a blot upon his name. In 1689 the men of Boston, aided by others from the country, rose in arms against him, put him and others in prison, reinstated the former magistrates, and restored the general court to its authority. Plymouth joined in the revolt, imprisoning the agent of Andros, and reinstating the former governor. A new charter, uniting the Massachu.setts and Plymouth colonies, was granted in 1692. Under this charter the governor, lieutenant governor, and secretary were appointed by the king. Sir William Phips WaS the first governor, and it was at about thus period that the witchcraft delusion which had long held sway in Europe, broke out in the colony, blotting its history with a record of super stition and blood. It is to the honor of Massachusetts, however, that it so soon awoke from this inherited delusion; long after the evil had been exposed and forsaken here, the courts of European countries were still sentencing " witches" to death. There were fresh troubles with the Indians, which did not terminate till 1725: Massachusetts was deeply involved in the struggles between England and France for ascendency in the new world, which did not finally cease until the union of Canada to. 3ngland and of Louisiana to Spain in 1763. Then followed the controversies with Eng land, which led step by step to the war of the revolution, which ended in the recognition of the United States as an independent nation. In these controversies Massachusetts. bore a leading part, as she did in the war itself, and in laying the foundations of the new republic. The British government imposed the most onerous taxes upon the colonists, and sought to collect them by force, in the face of the most earnest remonstrances. The colonists at length refused to submit to exactions which they regarded as subversive of the fundamental principles of English liberty. They insisted that they could not be justly taxed while they were excluded from representation in parliament, and upon this issue: they were willing, if necessary, to go to war. The commerce of the colony, moreover, was hampered by the most arbitrary and irritating restrictions. The spirit of liberty, -which the colonists had brought with them from their old home, had been developed in their self-governing church and state until, in the hearts of their children. it had grown too stroll°. to be sulxlued, and found expression in every form of indignant remon q stranee—till at last blows were substituted for words. The other colonies were appealed to—and not in vain—for sympathy and support. The first blood in this contest was .shed iu the Boston massacre, a street riot in 1770; next came the destruction of the te,a in Boston harbor in 1773, the opposition t,o the port bill in 1774, the representation of ,the colony in the general congress, the seizure of the arsenal at Charlestown, etc., and finally in April, 1775, the bloody contest at Lexington and Concord, which was the actual opening of war.