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Plymouth Colony was founded in 1620, at Plymouth, Massachusetts, by Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower, a ship carrying settlers. The Massachusetts Bay Colony wasn't settled for another 10 years.
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When the Pilgrims first arrived in 1620 it was the local Wamapanoag Indians who taught them how to plant crops. The Indians and the Pilgrims went on to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in the New World together.
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The Massachusetts Colony was an English Colony until it joined in the rebellion against Great Britain in 1776 (once the rebellion was over it became the state of Massachusetts).
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Major towns in the Massachusetts Colony included Boston, Plymouth, Quincy, Lexington, and Salem. When Massachusetts absorbed the New Hampshire Colony for several decades, its major towns also included Concord.
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Major industries in the Massachusetts Colony included fishing, livestock, farming, lumber, and shipbuilding.
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As was common in the New England Colonies, the Massachusetts Colony was dominated by Puritans and there was no tolerance for other religions.
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Natural resources in the Massachusetts Colony included forests (timber), furs, fish, whales, and some farming.
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Although it was difficult to farm because of the rocky terrain, colonists still farmed for beans, corn, squash, pumpkins, wheat, and rye.
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The Massachusetts Colony's landscape included treed mountains, lots of hills, rocky soil and lots of rivers. Massachusetts's coast is jagged.
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The climate in the Massachusetts Colony included long, cold winters and mild summers. Like the other colonies in the New England region, the cooler climate made it difficult for disease to thrive, unlike in the warmer Southern Colonies.
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Salem, Massachusetts is the location where the Salem Witchcraft Trials were held in 1692. They lasted for three months and 19 people were sentenced to hang, while one man who refused to be tried was crushed under heavy stones.
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Well-known battles that took place in the Massachusetts Colony include the Battle of Lexington, and the Battle of Concord.
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Nicknames for Massachusetts include the Bay State, Old Colony State, the Puritan State, and the Baked Bean State.
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The Massachusetts state motto is 'By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty'.
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Between 1675 and 1677 the Indians and the colonists fought a bloody battle called King Philip's War.
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United States presidents that were born in Massachusetts include John Adams, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and George Herbert Walker Bush.
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The Massachusetts Colony became the sixth U.S. state on February 6th, 1788 when it ratified the Constitution.
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