| The Colony of Massachusetts |
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Massachusetts has a very interesting history. I'm especially interested in the American Revolution. I got most of the information form the book called The Colony of Massachusetts. It all started three hundred eighty years ago. The pilgrims left to go to Virginia. There were seventy adults and thirty two children. They went on a boat called the Mayflower. They left because the king of England, King James I, said they had to follow his religion.When they landed they had no time to plant crops. So they did not get much food for the winter. Lots of people died. Native Americans came to them and helped them. To celebrate they ate deer, cornbread, vegetables, turkey, lobster and eel. They sang, danced, and played games for THREE days. More and more colonists came. Because they needed land the colonists took over Native American land. For example, in 1636 colonists said the Pequot killed two traders. They took the Pequot's land by force. Metacom, a Wampanoag leader, fought against the colonists in1675. The war ended in 1676. In the war Metacom was captured and killed. One thousand Native Americans were sold as slaves. This war was called King Phillip's War because Metacom was called King Phillip by the English. Between 1692 and 1693 colonists started killing people because they thought they were witches, especially in Salem. Nineteen people were hanged, one was pressed and two dogs were killed. To pay for the French and Indian War Parliament in England taxed the Americans. They taxed things we take for granted. They taxed tea. They taxed paper and newspapers. The even taxed sugar. The Americans REALLY did not like this because they did not get to help decide who was in Parliament. This is called "taxation without representation". Because of this, fifty men dressed up like Native Americans and went on three boats in Boston Harbor. They dumped the tea off the side of the boat. The King of England said that the tea had to be unloaded by a certain date. The "dressed up Indians" dumped the tea into the water to protest the King's taxes. The British closed the harbor as Boston's punishment for going against his orders. People in Boston threw snowballs at the redcoats. One time the Boston people brought knives and guns. The gathered near the British. Someone yelled fire because the fire bells were ringing. The British thought the Boston people were supposed to shoot. The British shot and killed seven people. This is called the Boston Massacre. Lots of people were trained as Minutemen to fight the British. The British marched to Concord to destroy a bunch of ammunition. Paul Revere and a few others rode ahead and told the Minutemen that the British were coming. Minutemen at Lexington intercepted the British and the first shot was fired there. At Concord the Americans had a battle over the North Bridge. The Americans killed many British. This is the start of the American Revolution. Today there is a replica of the Mayflower in Plymouth. There are people dressed up like it was seven years after the Mayflower landed in Plymouth Plantation. In Salem I think there is a museum. In Lexington and Concord they have a National Park called Minutemen National Park. I hope you look up more about Massachusetts. You might even try looking up more colonies. Each colony has a rich and deep history!!! To Mrs.
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