Portal:Massachusetts

Topics Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology State Quarter Massachusetts i/ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsᵻts/, officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is the 7th smallest, but the 14th most populous and the 3rd most densely populated of the 50 United States, and has the United States' sixth highest GDP per capita. Massachusetts has played a significant historical, cultural, and commercial role in American history. Plymouth was the site of the colony founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims. Harvard University, founded in 1636, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. The Protestant First Great Awakening originated from the pulpit of Northampton, Massachusetts preacher Jonathan Edwards. In the late 18th century, Boston became known as the "Cradle of Liberty" for the agitation there that led to the American Revolution. In 1786, a populist revolt led directly to the Constitutional Convention. Before the American Civil War, Massachusetts was a center for the temperance, transcendentalist, and abolitionist movements. In the late 19th century, basketball and volleyball were invented in Springfield and Holyoke, respectively. In 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legally recognize same-sex marriage. Originally dependent on fishing, agriculture, and trade, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution. During the 20th century, Massachusetts' economy shifted from manufacturing to services. In the 21st century, Massachusetts is a leader in higher education, health care technology, high technology, and financial services. More about Massachusetts... The Burnside Fountain is a non-functioning drinking fountain at the southeast corner of Worcester Common in Worcester, Massachusetts. It consists of two parts, a pink granite basin, and a bronze statue of a young boy riding a sea turtle. The basin was designed by architect Henry Bacon, who later designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the figure was created by sculptor Charles Y. Harvey. Harvey committed suicide before finishing the sculpture, and Sherry Fry completed the bronze. The Burnside Fountain was commissioned in 1905 by the city of Worcester after Harriet F. Burnside bequeathed USD $5,000 to create a fountain to provide fresh water for people, horses and dogs, in the memory of her father, a prominent lawyer. The fountain was installed in 1912 in Central Square, then moved in 1969 to its current location on Worcester Common. In 1970 the statue was stolen, and was re-installed two years later. An attempted theft occurred in 2004. The bronze is officially named Boy with a Turtle but is known to locals as Turtle Boy. Turtle Boy has become an unofficial mascot for Worcester, much in the same way the Manneken Pis is for Brussels. The Burnside Fountain's popularity is derived mostly from viewers' incorrect interpretation of the statue as being a bestial act between the boy and the turtle. Over its 100 year existence, it has been referenced in stories and songs, as well as having a music contest and a microbrew named after it. For the last few decades the Burnside Fountain has been in disrepair. The Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog surveyed the fountain in September 1994 and listed its condition as "treatment urgent." With the one-hundredth anniversary of the Burnside Fountain coming in 2012, there has been renewed interest in restoring the fountain. Restoration estimates run between USD $40,000 to $60,000, which is more than the city is willing to spend. James Bowdoin II was an American political and intellectual leader from Boston, Massachusetts during the American Revolution. He served in both branches of the Massachusetts General Court from the 1750s to the 1770s. Although he was initially supportive of the royal governors, he opposed British colonial policy and eventually became an influential advocate of independence. He authored a highly political report on the 1770 Boston Massacre that has been described as one of the most influential pieces of writing that shaped public opinion in the colonies. From 1775 to 1777 he served as president of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress' executive council, the de facto head of the Massachusetts government. He was elected president of the constitutional convention that drafted the state's constitution in 1779, and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1780, losing to John Hancock. In 1785, following Hancock's resignation, he was elected governor. His harsh fiscal policy while in office contributed to Shays' Rebellion. In addition to his political activities, Bowdoin was active in scientific pursuits, collaborating with Benjamin Franklin in his pioneering research on electricity. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, and was a founder and first president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Often called just "The Vineyard," the island is the 58th largest island in the United States and the third largest on the East Coast of the United States. Originally inhabited by the Wampanoag, Martha's Vineyard was known in their language as Noepe, or "land amid the streams." In 1642 the first English settlement on the island began at Great Harbor, now in Edgartown, Massachusetts. The Vineyard was also home to one of the earliest known deaf communities in the United States; consequently, a special sign language, Martha's Vineyard Sign Language, developed on the island. Today Martha's Vineyard is primarily known as a summer colony, and is accessible only by boat and air. However, its year-round population has grown considerably since the 1960s. The estimated year-round population is 15,000 residents; however, the summer population can swell to over 100,000 people. About 56% of the Vineyard’s 14,621 homes are seasonally occupied. The island was chosen as the filming location for the 1975 blockbuster film Jaws. The First Church of Christ, Scientist, the Mother Church of Christian Science, with the Prudential Tower in the background, in Back Bay, Boston Location of Massachusetts in the United States Capital: Boston Governor: Charlie Baker (R) Lieutenant Governor: Karyn Polito (R) Secretary of the Commonwealth: William F. Galvin (D) Attorney General: Maura Healey (D) Treasurer: Deb Goldberg (D) Auditor: Suzanne M. Bump (D) U.S. Senators: Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D) Area: Ranked 44th in the US Total: 10,555 sq miles (27,336 km²) Width: 183 miles (295 km) Length: 113 miles (182 km) % Water: 25.7 Latitude: 41° 14′ N to 42° 53′ N Longitude: 69° 56′ W to 73° 30′ W Population: Total: 6,349,097 (13th in U.S.) Population Density: 809.8/sq miles (312.7/km²) (3rd in U.S.) Median income: $ 46,721 (3rd, 2006) Elevation: Highest point: Mount Greylock 3,491 ft (1,064 m) Mean: 500 ft (150 m) Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 ft (0 m) Ratification of Constitution: February 6, 1788 (6th) Atlas of Massachusetts with Greater Boston highlighted ... that George Washington and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow both lived in the same house on Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts? ... that the life of Wenlock Christison, who was condemned to death for being a Quaker while in Massachusetts Bay Colony by Governor John Endicott, was spared by King Charles II? ... that author and anti-globalization advocate Tim Costello started his writing career in the back of his truck while traveling as a long-haul truck driver? ... that a nor'easter in December 1992 washed over 20 whales onshore along Cape Cod, killing seven of them? ... that Harvard All-American Bert Waters was accused of jabbing a finger into a Yale player's eye in the 1893 football game that became known as "The Bloodbath in Hampden Park"? Read more... Featured articles 2 Featured lists 2 Featured pictures 2 North America United States New England Boston Cape Cod and the Islands U.S. Roads Connecticut New Hampshire New York Rhode Island Vermont Mitt Romney U.S. states Massachusetts Massachusetts State Highways Boston Boston Celtics Boston Red Sox Universities Template:/box-header {{Wikipedia:WikiProject Massachusetts/to do}} Template:/box-footer Template:/box-header What are portals? List of portals Featured portals