Massachusetts Information
Massachusetts, nicknamed Bay State, is located in the New England region. The official name is Commonwealth of Massachusetts, named after the original colony before the Declaration of Independence. The state owes its nickname to the Massachusetts Bay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean that lies off the coast of Massachusetts. The capital of Massachusetts is Boston, a city with a very European feel. See all cities in Massachusetts. Unlike other American cities where the roads are generally long and straight, you will find short winding streets in Boston. Boston has winding roads. The city of Boston has a European feel, unlike other cities in America.
Geography
Massachusetts is a state in the New England region and borders New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The state is 300 kilometers from west to east and 175 kilometers from north to south. In addition to numerous smaller islands, Massachusetts also has two larger islands, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island, but the longest is the Cape Cod peninsula. The state has numerous large bays such as Massachusetts Bay, Cape Cod Bay, and Buzzards Bay. Massachusetts is quite densely forested and hilly. Major rivers include the Merrimack River and the Connecticut River.
John F. Kennedy National Historic Site
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in 1917 and became the 35th President of the United States of America from 1961 to 1963. He is informally referred to as Jack Kennedy or JFK. In his time, he became an icon of American liberalism and was the only president in history to subscribe to the Catholic Church. He was also the last Democratic candidate from Northern states to later become President of the United States. Today, he is considered one of America’s greatest presidents. During his three-year reign, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Caribbean Crisis, the Berlin Wall was built, and the first clashes of the Vietnam War took place.
John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts and had 9 other siblings. He graduated from Harvard with honors in 1940 and joined the Army in 1941 as a second lieutenant. He operated with a torpedo boat in the Solomon Islands area, but in 1943 his ship was sunk by a Japanese destroyer. In the process, JFK suffered a serious back injury, and the rest of the crew then waited for several days on the island for rescue. He subsequently received the Order of the Purple Heart for this action. However, he had constant problems with his back and had to undergo several operations.
JFK became involved in politics after the Second World War, in 1947 he became a congressman, in 1953 a senator and in 1961 the president of the USA. John Kennedy’s life was ended on November 22, 1963 by assassination. It happened at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, exactly at 12:35 local time. His alleged killer – Lee Harvey Oswald, who was also shot not long after – was quickly tracked down. This has given rise to a number of theories and uncertainties as to whether Oswald was really his killer, or whether the CIA, the mafia or even the government was responsible for his death. After Kennedy’s death, a kind of cult was created, which contributed to his posthumous popularity.
Today, in Kennedy’s hometown of Brooklyn, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, there is a national historic park that was declared in 1967. Here stands his birthplace, where JFK spent several years of his life. In addition to the house where the Kennedy family moved in 1921, visitors can also see the church and school that John attended. Today, this historic park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an area of 0.09 hectares. Every year, thousands of visitors come here who want to remember President Kennedy, his family and learn about an important part of the history of the United States of America.
History
In the early 1600s, the coasts of Massachusetts were first visited by English explorers. The first settlement was established in 1620. The first settlement to be established was that of the Pilgrim Fathers in Plymouth. Not much later, the second settlement in Salem followed in 1626. In 1629 the great migration of the Puritans to the area began. The first university (Harvard) was founded in 1636.
In the so-called King Philip’s War (1675-1676), the Indians resisted the arrival of the whites in the area. Massachusetts was one of the first of the thirteen states to fight against English taxes during the American Revolution (1775-1778). After the revolution, Massachusetts became one of the most important states of the Northern Union.
Massachusetts joined the United States of America on February 6, 1788. Massachusetts was the first state to heed Abraham Lincoln’s call to defend the Union during the American War (1861-1865).
Economy
Massachusetts is a prosperous one, with an economy centered on services. The main employers are the government, education and the tech industry. Fisheries and fish processing companies are also a major source of income. Tourism also plays a major role in the economy, especially in the smaller seaside resorts on the coast.
A popular weekend destination from Boston is the seaside town of Cape Cod. Because the tax level of Massachusetts is quite high, it has an unfavorable business climate.
| Abbreviation: | MA |
| Nickname: | Bay State |
| Joined the US as the 6th State on: | February 6, 1788 |
| Capital city: | Boston |
| Census: | 6.587.536 |
| Surface: | 27.360 km² |
| Geography: | Bordering Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York |
| Governor: | Charlie Baker |
| state motto: | By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty |
| California official website: | mass.gov |
