The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was the 6th state to be admitted into the Union on February 6, 1788. It is located in the New England region, in the northeastern part of the United States. It is surrounded by Vermont and New Hampshire in the north, New York in the west, Rhode Island and Connecticut in the south, and Atlantic Ocean in the east.
Among the six New England states, it has the highest population where the Boston metropolitan area having the most of its population with 6.4 million people. This makes Massachusetts rank 15th in the United States in terms of population and 3rd in GDP per capita.
Massachusetts played a significant role in American history. In North America, Plymouth, Massachusetts, the largest municipality in the state by land area, was the second permanent English settlement. It is one of the many towns established by the English colonists in the 1620s through the 1630s. In the 18th century, Boston was called the “Cradle of Liberty”, for initiating the agitation, leading to the American Revolution and later on the independence of the US from Great Britain. In the late 18th century, Massachusetts was the first state to abolish slavery in the US. It is also recognized for being the center of the temperance movement as well as abolitionist activity in America before the Civil War. Massachusetts is also the first state to legally accept same-sex marriage after passing the law in 2004. In terms of politics, the state also contributed many prominent people which include John Adams and the Kennedy clans to name a few.