See Massachusetts in American Heritage Dictionary 4
A state of the northeast United States. It was admitted as one of the original Thirteen Colonies in 1788. The first European settlement was made by the Pilgrims of the Mayflower in 1620. Governed by the Massachusetts Bay Company from 1629 until 1684, the colony was a leader in the move for independence from Great Britain and the site of the first battles of the Revolutionary War in 1775. Boston is the capital and the largest city. Population: 6,450,000.