Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The First Thanksgiving


Many myths surround the first Thanksgiving. Very little is actually known about the event because only two accounts of the feast were ever written. The first account is William Bradford's journal titled “Of Plymouth Plantation” and the other is a publication written by Edward Winslow titled “Mourt's Relation.”...Click here to read more: http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-first-thanksgiving/

Sunday, August 21, 2011

The Mayflower Compact

When the pilgrims left Plymouth, England in 1620 they had been granted permission from King Charles I to land in northern Virginia and build a colony. During the long 66 day journey on the Mayflower to the New World, the ship drifted off course and eventually landed in what would become modern day Cape Cod...click here to read more: http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-mayflower-compact/

Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem witch trials was a dark time in American history. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria in 1692. Ever since those dark days ended the trials have became synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating...Click here to read more: http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-salem-witch-trials/

Friday, August 12, 2011

The Mayflower

The Mayflower is one of the most important ships in American history. This cargo ship brought some of the first settlers to America and carried them to the safety of the Plymouth plantation. This journey made the Mayflower an icon of European colonization...Click here to read more: http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-mayflower/

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

How Boston Lost Its Hills

Anyone who has visited modern day Boston might be a little confused to hear it was once a small hilly peninsula less than 800 acres wide. The city is now a wide, flat landmass consisting of 89 square miles. It took close to 100 years but settlers managed to forever transform the landscape using nothing but primitive tools...Click here to read more: http://historyofmassachusetts.org/how-boston-lost-its-hills/