107-458: Bristol County may refer to: Places [ edit ] Bristol County, Massachusetts , United States Bristol County, Rhode Island , United States Bristol , a ceremonial county in England Other uses [ edit ] USS Bristol County (LST-1198) , a US Navy Newport class tank landing ship [REDACTED] Topics referred to by
214-653: A British raid . John Adams was a leader in the independence movement and he helped secure a unanimous vote for independence and on July 4, 1776, the United States Declaration of Independence was adopted in Philadelphia . It was signed first by Massachusetts resident John Hancock , president of the Continental Congress . Soon afterward the Declaration of Independence was read to the people of Boston from
321-553: A center of education contributed to the development of an economy based on information technology and biotechnology in the later years of the 20th century, leading to the " Massachusetts Miracle " of the late 1980s. Massachusetts was originally inhabited by tribes of the Algonquian language family such as the Wampanoag , Narragansetts , Nipmucs , Pocomtucs , Mahicans , and Massachusetts . The Vermont and New Hampshire borders and
428-523: A design, Do agree upon, ordain and establish, the following Declaration of Rights, and Frame of Government, as the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Bostonian John Adams , known as the "Atlas of Independence", was an important figure in both the struggle for independence as well as the formation of the new United States. Adams was highly involved in the push for separation from Britain and
535-418: A medium security jail, can house up to 106 women. The self-contained women's center had opened as a minimum security pre-release center for male prisoners in 1990 which could house up to 106 prisoners. When it was a pre-release facility it only housed an average of 60 prisoners because the county sheriff imposed strict conditions upon the pre-release program. In 1999 the sheriff received a federal grant to convert
642-571: A sudden end in 1689 with an uprising sparked by the Glorious Revolution in England. The new king William III established the Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1691 to govern a territory roughly equivalent to the modern states of Massachusetts and Maine . Its governors were appointed by the crown, unlike the predecessor colonies that had elected their own governors. This increased friction between
749-611: Is Sunrise Hill (Watery Hill) at 390 feet (120 m) above sea level located in World War I Memorial Park in North Attleborough . It is also to note that Bristol, Plymouth and Taunton are all places in South West England. Their Massachusetts cousins were named after the originals as South West England was the focal point for sailing and discovery at the time of America's discovery. John Cabot set sail from Bristol and sailed down
856-534: Is also in the county. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is in the county. History of Massachusetts The area that is now Massachusetts was colonized by English settlers in the early 17th century and became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the 18th century. Before that, it was inhabited by a variety of Native American tribes. Massachusetts is named after the Massachusett tribe that inhabited
963-730: Is an example of the protest spirit in the early 1770s, while the Boston Massacre escalated the conflict. Anti-British activity by men like Sam Adams and John Hancock , followed by reprisals by the British government, were a primary reason for the unity of the Thirteen Colonies and the outbreak of the American Revolution . The Battles of Lexington and Concord initiated the American Revolutionary War and were fought in
1070-448: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Bristol County, Massachusetts Bristol County is a county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts . As of the 2020 census , the population was 579,200. The shire town is Taunton . Some governmental functions are performed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, others by the county, and others by local towns and cities. The county
1177-583: Is the sixth most populous county in Massachusetts. Bristol County is part of the Providence – Warwick , RI –MA Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the Boston – Worcester –Providence, MA–RI– NH – CT Combined Statistical Area . The county is adjacent to the state of Rhode Island . It is geographically adjacent to the Massachusetts counties of Plymouth , Norfolk , and Dukes (via water), and
SECTION 10
#17328526611971284-778: Is twinned with the municipality of Lagoa in the Azores . Transportation authorities providing public bus service include the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority ; and the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority serving the Fall River and New Bedford areas. Airports include the Mansfield Municipal Airport , Myricks Airport , New Bedford Municipal Airport and Taunton Municipal Airport ; of these,
1391-534: The Arsenal at Springfield , which catalyzed many innovations in Massachusetts' Connecticut River Valley. Boston was the center of revolutionary activity in the decade before 1775, with Massachusetts natives Samuel Adams , John Adams , and John Hancock as leaders who would become important in the revolution . Boston had been under military occupation since 1768. When customs officials were attacked by mobs, two regiments of British regulars arrived. They had been housed in
1498-528: The Conquest of Acadia (1710), which became the Province of Nova Scotia . The province was also involved in Dummer's War , which drove Indian tribes from northern New England. In 1745, during King George's War , Massachusetts provincial forces successfully besieged Fortress Louisbourg . The fortress was returned to France at the end of the war, angering many colonists who viewed it as a threat to their security. During
1605-552: The District of Maine , then part of the Commonwealth. Trapped by the British fleet, the American sailors sank the ships of the Massachusetts state navy before it could be captured by the British. In May 1778, the section of Freetown that later became Fall River was raided by the British , and in September 1778, the communities of Martha's Vineyard and New Bedford were also subjected to
1712-620: The French and Indian War , Governor William Shirley was instrumental in the Expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia and trying to settle them in New England . After the expulsion, Shirley also was involved in transporting New England Planters to settle Nova Scotia on the former Acadian farms. Many troops from Massachusetts participated in the successful Siege of Havana in 1762. Britain's victory in
1819-679: The Industrial Revolution in America. With the early success of the Boston Manufacturing Company at Waltham, the Boston Associates would also later establish several other textile towns, including Lowell in 1823, Lawrence in 1845, Chicopee in 1848 and Holyoke in 1850. Lowell grew quickly to a city of 33,000 people by 1850. Its mills were highly integrated and centrally controlled. An ingenious canal system provided
1926-545: The Intolerable Acts in 1774 that brought stiff punishment on Massachusetts. They closed the port of Boston , the economic lifeblood of the Commonwealth, and reduced self-government . Local self-government was ended and the colony put under military rule. The Patriots formed the Massachusetts Provincial Congress after the provincial legislature was disbanded by Governor Gage. The suffering of Boston and
2033-775: The Merrimack River valley was the traditional home of the Pennacook tribe. Cape Cod , Nantucket , Martha's Vineyard , and southeast Massachusetts were the home of the Wampanoags who established a close bond with the Pilgrim Fathers . The extreme end of the Cape was inhabited by the closely related Nauset tribe. Much of the central portion and the Connecticut River valley was home to the loosely organized Nipmucs. The Berkshires were
2140-488: The Province of Massachusetts Bay , combining the territories of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Maine, Nova Scotia (which then included New Brunswick ), and the islands south of Cape Cod. For its first governor they chose Sir William Phips. Phips came to Boston in 1692 to begin his rule, and was immediately thrust into the witchcraft hysteria in Salem. He established the court that heard the notorious Salem witch trials , and oversaw
2247-666: The West Indies and Europe. Britain began to increase taxes on the New England colonies, and tensions grew with implementation of the Navigation Acts . These political and trade issues led to the revocation of the Massachusetts charter in 1684. The king established the Dominion of New England in 1686 to govern all of New England, and to centralize royal control and weaken local government. Sir Edmund Andros 's intensely unpopular rule came to
SECTION 20
#17328526611972354-619: The West River and Blackstone River at Uxbridge, Massachusetts . Then, in 1813, a group of wealthy Boston merchants led by Francis Cabot Lowell , known as the Boston Associates , established the first successful integrated textile mill in North America at Waltham . Lowell had visited England in 1810 and studied the Lancashire textile industry. Because the British government prohibited
2461-412: The 1760s) succeeded in shutting down courts meeting to hear debt and tax collection cases. By the end of 1786 a farmer in western Massachusetts named Daniel Shays emerged as one of the ringleaders, and government attempts to squelch the protests only served to radicalize the protestors. In January 1787 Shays and Luke Day organized an attempt to take the federal Springfield Armory ; state militia holding
2568-546: The 19th century, New England became America's center of manufacturing with the development of precision manufacturing and weaponry in Springfield and Hartford, Connecticut , and large-scale textile mill complexes in Worcester , Haverhill , Lowell , and other communities throughout New England using their rivers for power. New England also was an intellectual center and center of abolitionism. The Springfield Armory made most of
2675-399: The 213,010 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.6% were non-families, and 27.4% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age was 39.8 years. The median household income
2782-960: The Bristol County House Of Correction and Jail, the Bristol County Sheriff's Office Women's Center, and the C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center. The office also operates the Ash Street Jail and Regional Lock-Up and the Juvenile Secure Alternative Lock Up Program (JALP) in New Bedford . The Bristol County House Of Correction and Jail has room for 1,100 prisoners. It houses men convicted of crimes who have been sentenced to 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 years or less. It also houses high-security male pre-trial prisoners, high-security female prisoners, and pre-trial female prisoners. The women's center,
2889-659: The British Empire. Shipbuilding was a fast-growing industry. Most other manufactured products were imported from Britain (or smuggled in from the Netherlands). In 1690, the Massachusetts Bay Colony became the first to issue paper money in what would become the United States, but soon others began printing their own money as well. The demand for currency in the colonies was due to the scarcity of coins, which had been
2996-439: The British merchant-creditors who disliked being paid in depreciated paper currency, the subsequent Currency Act of 1764 banned the issuance of bills of credit (paper money) throughout the colonies. Colonial governments used workarounds to accept paper notes as payment for taxes and pressured Parliament to repeal the prohibition on paper money as legal tender for public debts, which Parliament ultimately did in 1773. The colony
3103-411: The British parliament limited the ability of the New England colonies to issue fiat paper currency. Under the 1751 act, the New England colonial governments could make paper money legal tender for the payment of public debts (such as taxes), and could issue bills of credit as a tool of government finance, but barred the use of paper money as legal tender for private debts. Under continued pressure from
3210-466: The English demands to cease mint operations until at least 1682. King Charles formally vacated the Massachusetts charter in 1684. In 1660, King Charles II was restored to the throne. Colonial matters brought to his attention led him to propose the amalgamation of all of the New England colonies into a single administrative unit. In 1685, he was succeeded by James II , an outspoken Catholic who implemented
3317-531: The Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1640 rather than the much closer Connecticut Colony over tensions with Connecticut following the Pequot War . Massachusetts Bay Colony's southern and western borders were thus established in 1640. King Philip's War (1675–76) was the bloodiest Indian war of the colonial period. In little over a year, Indians attacked nearly half of the region's towns, and they burned to
Bristol County - Misplaced Pages Continue
3424-407: The Massachusetts side. After the departure of Bristol, Taunton was made the shire town of the county. A second county courthouse was constructed in 1828 in the growing town of New Bedford (designed a "half-shire town"). In 1862, a part of Seekonk (that portion of which is now East Providence, Rhode Island ) and the entirety of East Pawtucket were transferred to Providence County, Rhode Island . At
3531-575: The Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord . Future President George Washington took over what would become the Continental Army after the battle. His first victory was the Siege of Boston in the winter of 1775–76, after which the British were forced to evacuate the city. The event is still celebrated in Suffolk County as Evacuation Day . In 1777, George Washington and Henry Knox founded
3638-606: The Mayflower company survived the first year. The colony grew slowly over the next ten years, and was estimated to have 300 inhabitants by 1630. A group of fur-trappers and traders established Wessagusset Colony near the Plymouth colony in Weymouth in 1622. They abandoned it in 1623, and it was replaced by another small colony led by Robert Gorges . This settlement also failed, and individuals from these colonies returned to England, joined
3745-508: The Midwestern region of the country including Pennsylvania , Ohio , and Indiana . Today, Appleseed is the official folk hero of Massachusetts and his stature has served a focus in many children's books, movies, and folk tales since the end of the Civil War. In 1836, Mary Lyon opened Mount Holyoke College , the first women's college in America. Lyon, a very active Congregationalist, promoted
3852-777: The New Bedford airport is a commercial airport , with flights serving the Cape Cod , Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard area. The Providence/Stoughton Line of the MBTA commuter rail has stops in Mansfield, Attleboro, and South Attleboro. The line provides connections to Providence and Boston (at Back Bay Station and South Station), as well as intermediate stops. An extension has been completed that connects to T. F. Green Airport . School districts include: K–12: Secondary: Elementary: Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School
3959-477: The Plymouth colonists, or established individual outposts elsewhere on the shores of Massachusetts Bay . In 1624, the Dorchester Company established a settlement on Cape Ann . This colony only survived until 1626, although a few settlers remained. The Pilgrims were followed by Puritans who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony at Salem (1629) and Boston (1630). The Puritans strongly dissented from
4066-681: The Rhode Island counties of Bristol , Newport , and Providence . Bristol County was created by the Plymouth Colony on June 2, 1685, and named after its "shire town" (county seat), Bristol . The Plymouth Colony, along with the Massachusetts Bay Colony , the Maine Colony and several other small settlements were rechartered in 1691, by King William III , to become The Province of Massachusetts Bay . The towns of Bristol, Barrington , and Warren were awarded to Rhode Island in 1746 as part of
4173-573: The Royal Governor of the Dominion of New England . The rule of Andros was unpopular. He ruled without a representative assembly, vacated land titles, restricted town meetings, enforced the Navigation Acts, and promoted the Church of England, angering virtually every segment of Massachusetts colonial society. Andros dealt a major blow to the colonists by challenging their title to the land; unlike England
4280-647: The Royal Governor, named this new area "Berkshire" after his home county in England. The largest settlement in Berkshire County was Pittsfield, Massachusetts , founded in 1761. The educational system, headed by Harvard College, was the best in the 13 colonies. Newspapers became a major communications system in the 18th century, with Boston taking a leading role in the British colonies. Teenaged Benjamin Franklin (born January 17, 1706, in Milk Street ) worked on one of
4387-509: The Severn on which lies Newport in Wales . To the south, Dukes County is opposite Buzzards Bay from Bristol County. At the 2000 census there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families in the county. The population density was 962 inhabitants per square mile (371/km ). There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile (150/km ). The racial makeup of
Bristol County - Misplaced Pages Continue
4494-466: The United States with a plurality of people of Portuguese ancestry (the other being the contiguous Bristol County, Rhode Island ). Of the 205,411 households 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.60% were married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. Of all households 26.50% were one person and 11.00% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size
4601-563: The area of present-day Greater Boston . The Pilgrim Fathers who sailed on the Mayflower established the first permanent settlement in 1620 at Plymouth Colony which set precedents but never grew large. A large-scale Puritan migration began in 1630 with the establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony , and that spawned the settlement of other New England colonies. As the Colony grew, businessmen established wide-ranging trade, sending ships to
4708-517: The armory beat back the attempt with cannon fire. A private militia raised by wealthy Boston merchants and led by General Benjamin Lincoln broke the back of the rebellion in early February at Petersham , but small-scale resistance continued in the western parts of the state for a while. The state put down the rebellion—but if it had been too weak to do so it would be no help to call on the ineffective federal government. The event led nationalists like George Washington to redouble efforts to strengthen
4815-426: The balcony of the State House . Massachusetts was no longer a colony; it was a state and part of a new nation, the United States of America. A Constitutional Convention drew up a state constitution, which was drafted primarily by John Adams, and ratified by the people on June 15, 1780. Adams, along with Samuel Adams and James Bowdoin , wrote in the Preamble to the Constitution of the Commonwealth : We, therefore,
4922-411: The census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Bristol County has voted for the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in every election since 1960 and, with the exception of Dwight D. Eisenhower 's victorious campaigns of 1952 and 1956, for the Democratic nominee since 1928, before which it
5029-474: The chief factors being the large influx of population, more suitable harbor facilities for trade, and the growth of a prosperous merchant class. Religious dissension and expansionism led to the founding of several new colonies shortly after Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay. Dissenters such as Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson were banished due to religious disagreements with Massachusetts Bay authorities. Williams established Providence Plantations in 1636. Over
5136-411: The churchless paid to the Congregationalists. Baptist leader Isaac Backus vigorously fought these provisions, arguing people should have freedom of choice regarding financial support of religion. Adams drafted most of the document and despite numerous amendments it still follows his line of thought. He distrusted utopians and pure democracy, and put his faith in a system of checks and balances; he admired
5243-411: The city with increasing public outrage. In Boston on March 5, 1770, what began as a rock-throwing incident against a few British soldiers ended in the shooting of five men by British soldiers in what became known as the Boston Massacre . The incident caused further anger against British authority in the commonwealth over taxes and the presence of the British soldiers. One of the many taxes protested by
5350-431: The coast in the 16th century, but they made few attempts at permanent settlement anywhere. Early European explorers of the New England coast included Bartholomew Gosnold who named Cape Cod in 1602, Samuel de Champlain who charted the northern coast as far as Cape Cod in 1605 and 1606, John Smith , and Henry Hudson . Fishing ships from Europe also worked in the rich waters off the coast, and may have traded with some of
5457-596: The college as an exemplification of the ideas of revivalist Jonathan Edwards regarding self-restraint, self-denial, and disinterested benevolence. One of the first students was reclusive poet Emily Dickinson . During the 19th century, Massachusetts became a national leader in the American Industrial Revolution , with factories around Boston producing textiles and shoes, and factories around Springfield producing precision manufacturing tools and paper. The economy transformed from one based primarily on agriculture to an industrial one, initially making use of waterpower and later
SECTION 50
#17328526611975564-460: The colonial militia fortified Breed's Hill . The British won the battle, but at a very large cost, and were unable to break the siege. The British made a desperate attempt by using biological weapons against the Americans by sending infected civilians with smallpox behind American lines but this was soon contained by Continental General George Washington who launched a vaccination program to ensure his troops and civilians were in good health after
5671-414: The colonists and the crown, which reached its height in the days leading up to the American Revolution in the 1760s and 1770s over the question of who could levy taxes. The American Revolutionary War began in Massachusetts in 1775 when London tried to shut down American self-government. The commonwealth formally adopted the state constitution in 1780, electing John Hancock as its first governor. In
5778-416: The colonists was a tax on tea, imposed when Parliament passed the Townshend Acts , and retained when most of the provisions of those acts were repealed. With the passage of the Tea Act in 1773, tea sold by the British East India Company would become less expensive than smuggled tea, and there would be reduced profit-making opportunities for Massachusetts merchants traded in tea. This led to protests against
5885-422: The colony launched an unsuccessful expedition against Quebec under Sir William Phips in 1690, which had been financed by issuing paper bonds set against the gains expected from taking the city. The colony continued to be on the front lines of the war, and experienced widespread French and Indian raids on its northern and western frontiers. Christianity • Protestantism In 1691, William and Mary chartered
5992-566: The county was 90.98% White , 2.03% Black or African American , 0.24% Native American , 1.26% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 3.12% from other races, and 2.34% from two or more races. 3.60% was Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.7% were of Portuguese , 13.0% Irish , 8.9% French, 8.2% English, 6.8% Italian and 6.4% French Canadian ancestry according to Census 2000 . 79.1% spoke English, 13.9% Portuguese, 2.9% Spanish and 1.6% French as their first language. The United States Census Bureau reported Bristol County as being one of two counties in
6099-445: The damage biological warfare caused. Soon after the Battle of Bunker Hill, General George Washington took charge of the rebel army, and when he acquired heavy cannon in March 1776, the British were forced to leave , marking the first great colonial victory of the war. Ever since, "Evacuation Day" has been celebrated as a state holiday. Massachusetts was not invaded again but in 1779 the disastrous Penobscot Expedition took place in
6206-404: The delivery of the company's tea to Boston. On December 16, 1773, when a tea ship of the East India Company was planning to land taxed tea in Boston, a group of local men known as the Sons of Liberty sneaked onto the boat the night before it was to be unloaded and dumped all the tea into the harbor, an act known as the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party prompted the British government to pass
6313-565: The drive for inoculation, while physician William Douglass and newspaper editor James Franklin led the opposition. In 1755, about 4:15 am on Tuesday, November 18, was the most destructive earthquake yet known in New England. The first pulsations of the ground were followed for about a minute of tremulous motion. Next came a quick vibration and several jerks much worse than the first. Houses rocked and cracked; furniture fell over. Dr. Edward A. Holyoke, of Salem , wrote in his diary that he "thought of nothing less than being buried instantly in
6420-512: The earliest newspapers, The New-England Courant (owned by his brother) until he ran away to Philadelphia in 1723. Five Boston newspapers presented a full range of opinions during the coming of the American revolution. In Worcester, printer Isaiah Thomas made the Massachusetts Spy the influential voice of the western settlers. Farming was the largest economic activity. Most farming towns were largely self-sufficient, with families trading with each other for items they did not produce themselves;
6527-411: The expense of imports of British cloth. In 1652, the General Court authorized Boston silversmith John Hull to produce local coinage in shilling, sixpence and threepence denominations to address a coin shortage in the colony. To that point, the colony's economy had been entirely dependent on barter and foreign currency, including English, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese and counterfeit coins. Charles II
SECTION 60
#17328526611976634-415: The export of this new technology, Lowell memorized plans for the power looms on his return trip to Boston. With the skill of master mechanic Paul Moody , the first successful power looms were produced, harnessing the power of the Charles River . For the first time, all phases of textile production could now be performed under one roof, greatly increasing production, and profits. This was the real beginning of
6741-422: The first successful textile mill at Pawtucket, Rhode Island , in 1793, there remained no way to efficiently mass-produce cloth from the spun yarn produced by the early mills. The yarn was still outsourced to small weaving shops where it was woven into cloth on hand looms. The first woolen mill, and the second textile mill in the Blackstone Valley , was a "wool carding mill", established in 1810 by Daniel Day , near
6848-529: The great majority of New Englanders were land-owners. Taylor says that because they "regarded secure real estate as fundamental to their liberty, status, and prosperity, the colonists felt horrified by the sweeping and expensive challenge to their land titles." After James II was overthrown by William III and Mary II in late 1688, Boston colonists overthrew Andros and his officials in 1689. Both Massachusetts and Plymouth returned to their previous governments until 1692. During King William's War (1689–1697),
6955-406: The ground the major settlements at Providence and Springfield . New England's economy was all but ruined, and much of its population was killed. Proportionately, it was one of the bloodiest and costliest wars in the history of North America. In 1645, the General Court ordered rural towns to increase sheep production. Sheep provided meat and especially wool for the local cloth industry, avoiding
7062-405: The home of both the Pocomtuc and the Mahican tribes. Narragansetts from Rhode Island and Mahicans from Connecticut Colony were also present. These tribes were generally dependent on hunting and fishing for most of their food supply. Villages consisted of lodges called wigwams as well as long houses , and tribes were led by male or female elders known as sachems . Europeans began exploring
7169-435: The legislature refused to do so, using its ability to grant stipends annually as a means of control over the governor. The province's periodic issuance of paper currency was also a persistent source of friction between factions in the province, due to its inflationary effects. Notable royal governors during this period were Joseph Dudley , Thomas Hutchinson , Jonathan Belcher , Francis Bernard , and General Thomas Gage . Gage
7276-424: The locals in response to this march. On the 19th, in the Battles of Lexington and Concord , where the famous " shot heard 'round the world " was fired, British troops, after running over the Lexington militia, were forced back into the city by local resistors. The city was quickly brought under siege . Fighting broke out again in June when the British took the Charlestown Peninsula in the Battle of Bunker Hill after
7383-507: The next few years, another group, which included Hutchinson, established Newport and Portsmouth ; these settlements eventually joined to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations . Others left Massachusetts Bay in order to establish other settlements, including Connecticut Colony on the Connecticut River and New Haven Colony on the coast. In 1636, a group of settlers led by William Pynchon founded Springfield, Massachusetts (originally named Agawam), after scouting for
7490-467: The next generation would lose their distinct English heritage. They approached the Virginia Company and asked to settle "as a distinct body of themselves" in America. In the fall of 1620, they sailed to America on the Mayflower , first landing near Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod. The area did not lie within their charter, so the Pilgrims created the Mayflower Compact before landing, one of America's first documents of self-governance. The first year
7597-434: The owners turned to newly arrived Irish immigrants to fill their factories. Industrial cities, especially Worcester and Springfield , became important centers in textile machinery (in Worcester's case) and precision tool production and innovation (in Springfield's case.) While Boston did not have many large factories, it became increasingly important as the business and transportation hub of all of New England, as well as
7704-575: The people of Massachusetts, acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe, in affording us, in the course of His Providence, an opportunity, deliberately and peaceably, without fraud, violence or surprise, on entering into an Original, explicit, and Solemn Compact with each other; and of forming a new Constitution of Civil Government, for Ourselves and Posterity, and devoutly imploring His direction in so interesting
7811-533: The pre-release center into a women's center, and he moved the pre-release program to modular units at the main jail. The Carreiro jail houses detained individuals who are scheduled for deportation and individuals who are engaging in proceedings with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Ash Street jail houses over 200 pre-trial prisoners and a few sentenced inmate workers for the system. JALP houses up to 12 pre-arraingment juvenile prisoners. The county
7918-479: The primary means of trade. Colonies' paper currencies were used to pay for their expenses and lend money to the colonies' citizens. Paper money quickly became the primary means of exchange within each colony, and it even began to be used in financial transactions with other colonies. However, some of the currencies were not redeemable in gold or silver, which caused them to depreciate. With the Currency Act of 1751 ,
8025-541: The principles of the unwritten British Constitution. He insisted on a bicameral legislature which would represent both the gentlemen and the common citizen. Above all he insisted on a government by laws, not men. The constitution also changed the name of the Massachusetts Bay State to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts . Still in force, it is the oldest constitution in current use in the world. The economy of rural Massachusetts suffered an economic depression after
8132-501: The proposal. In June 1684, the charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was annulled, but its government continued to rule until James appointed Joseph Dudley to the new post of President of New England in 1686. Dudley established his authority later in New Hampshire and the King's Province (part of current Rhode Island ), maintaining this position until Sir Edmund Andros arrived to become
8239-414: The region's most advantageous location for trading and farming. Springfield is located just north of the first of Connecticut River's unnavigable waterfalls, and it also sits amid the fertile valley which contains New England's best agricultural land. The Indian tribes surrounding Springfield were friendly, which was not always the case for the fledgling Connecticut colonies. Pynchon annexed Springfield to
8346-518: The ruins of the house." The shaking continued for two to three minutes more, and seemed to move from northwest to southeast. The ocean along the coast was affected; ships shook so much that sleeping sailors awoke, thinking they had run aground. In Boston, the earthquake threw dishes on the floor, stopped clocks, and bent vane-rods on churches and Faneuil Hall . Stone walls collapsed. New springs appeared, and old springs dried up. Subterranean streams changed their courses, emptying many wells. The worst damage
8453-432: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bristol_County&oldid=864927998 " Category : County name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
8560-465: The same time, land ceded from Rhode Island was added to Fall River and Westport. The growing Fall River became the site of the third county courthouse in 1877. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 691 square miles (1,790 km ), of which 553 square miles (1,430 km ) is land and 138 square miles (360 km ) (20%) is water. The highest point in Bristol County
8667-463: The settlement of a long-running boundary dispute (see History of Massachusetts ), forming Bristol County, Rhode Island . At the same time, Cumberland, Rhode Island was carved out of Attleborough, Massachusetts and annexed to Providence County, Rhode Island ; Tiverton and Little Compton were transferred to Newport County, Rhode Island . East Freetown was officially purchased by Freetown, Massachusetts , from Tiverton in 1747, and so remained on
8774-460: The sixth US president. Massachusetts was the first state in the United States to abolish slavery. (Vermont, which became part of the U.S. in 1791, abolished adult slavery somewhat earlier than Massachusetts, in 1777.) The new constitution also dropped any religious tests for political office, though local tax money had to be paid to support local churches. People who belonged to non-Congregational churches paid their tax money to their own church, and
8881-489: The steam engine to power factories, and canals and later railroads for transporting goods and materials. At first, the new industries drew labor from Yankees on nearby subsistence farms, and later relied upon Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Canada. Massachusetts became a leader in industrial innovation and development during the 19th century. Since colonial times, there had been a successful iron making industry in New England . The first successful ironworks in America
8988-496: The surplus was sold to cities. and Fishing was important in coastal towns like Marblehead. Great quantities of cod were exported to the slave colonies in the West Indies. Merchant trade was based in Salem and Boston, and numerous wealthy merchants traded internationally. They typically stationed their sons and nephews as agents in ports around the empire. Their business grew dramatically after 1783 when they no longer were confined to
9095-461: The theology and church polity of the Church of England , and they came to Massachusetts for religious freedom. The Bay Colony was founded under a royal charter, unlike Plymouth Colony. The Puritan migration was mainly from East Anglia and southwestern regions of England, with an estimated 20,000 immigrants between 1628 and 1642. Massachusetts Bay colony quickly eclipsed Plymouth in population and economy,
9202-694: The transition but many farmers and smaller businessmen were opposed. The colony fought alongside British regulars in a series of French and Indian Wars characterized by brutal border raids and attacks by Indians organized and supplied by New France . Particularly in King William's War (1689–97) and Queen Anne's War (1702–13), the colony's rural communities were directly exposed to French and Indian attacks, with Deerfield raided in 1704 and Haverhill raided in 1708 . Boston responded, launching naval expeditions against Acadia and Quebec in both wars. During Queen Anne's War, Massachusetts men were involved in
9309-832: The tribes. Large numbers of Indians were decimated by virgin soil epidemics , perhaps including smallpox, measles, influenza, or leptospirosis . In 1617–1619, a disease killed 90 percent of the Indians in the region. The first settlers in Massachusetts were the Pilgrims who established Plymouth Colony in 1620 and developed friendly relations with the Wampanoag people . This was the second permanent English colony in America following Jamestown Colony . The Pilgrims had migrated from England to Holland to escape religious persecution for rejecting England's official church. They were allowed religious liberty in Holland, but they gradually became concerned that
9416-577: The tyranny of its rule caused great sympathy and stirred resentment throughout the Thirteen Colonies . On February 9, 1775, the British Parliament declared Massachusetts to be in rebellion , and sent additional troops to restore order to the colony. With the local population largely opposing British authority, troops moved from Boston on April 18, 1775, to destroy the military supplies of local resisters in Concord . Paul Revere made his famous ride to warn
9523-464: The war led to its acquisition of New France, removing the immediate northern threat to Massachusetts that the French had posed. Boston was hit by a major smallpox epidemic in 1721. Some colonial leaders called for use of the new technique of inoculation, whereby a patient would get a weak form of the disease and become permanently immune. Puritan minister Cotton Mather and physician Zabdiel Boylston led
9630-519: The war effort until he was recalled in 1694. The province was the largest and most economically important in New England , and one where many American institutions and traditions were formed. Unlike southern colonies, it was built around small towns rather than scattered farms. The westernmost portion of Massachusetts, the Berkshires, was settled during the three decades following the end of the French and Indian War , largely by Scots. Sir Francis Bernard,
9737-522: The war ended. Merchants, pressured for hard currency by overseas partners, made similar demands on local debtors, and the state raised taxes in order to pay off its own war debts. Efforts to collect both public and private debts from cash-poor farmers led to protests that flared into direct action in August 1786. Rebels calling themselves Regulators (after the North Carolina Regulator movement of
9844-416: The water power that drove the machinery. Steam power would be introduced beginning in the 1850s. The mill owners initially employed local farm women , often recruited from poor, remote parts of New England, and attempted to create a Utopian industrial society by providing housing, churches, schools and parks for their workers, unlike their English counterparts. Eventually, as the mills grew larger and larger,
9951-560: The weak national government as necessary for survival in a dangerous world. Massachusetts, divided along class lines polarized by the rebellion, only narrowly ratified the United States Constitution in 1788. John Chapman often called Johnny "Appleseed" (born September 26, 1774, in Leominster, Massachusetts ) was an American folk hero and pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees and established orchards to many areas in
10058-526: The weaponry for the Union in the American Civil War . After the war, immigrants from Europe , The Middle East and Asia flooded into Massachusetts , continuing to expand its industrial base until the 1950s when textiles and other industries started to fade away, leaving a "rust belt" of empty mills and factories. Labor unions were important after the 1860s, as was big-city politics. The state's strength as
10165-614: The writing of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780 (which, in the Elizabeth Freeman and Quock Walker cases, effectively made Massachusetts the first state to have a constitution that declared universal rights and, as interpreted by Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice William Cushing , abolished slavery). Adams became minister to Britain in the 1780s, Vice President in 1789 and succeeded Washington as President in 1797. His son, John Quincy Adams , would go on to become
10272-452: Was restored to the throne in 1660 and began to scrutinize the governmental oversight in the colonies, and Parliament passed the Navigation Acts to regulate trade for England's benefit. Massachusetts and Rhode Island had thriving merchant fleets, and they often ran afoul of the trade regulations. The English government also considered the Boston mint to be treasonous. However, the colony ignored
10379-431: Was $ 53,733. Males had a median income of $ 39,361 versus $ 27,516 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 20,978. About 7.80% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the poverty line , including 13.00% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of that age 65 or over. At the 2010 census , there were 548,285 people, 213,010 households, and 141,338 families in the county. The population density
10486-416: Was $ 54,955 and the median family income was $ 70,161. Males had a median income of $ 51,785 versus $ 39,714 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 27,736. About 8.8% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over. The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective if
10593-400: Was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08. The age distribution was 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.50 males. The median household income was $ 43,496 and the median family income
10700-405: Was 991.3 inhabitants per square mile (382.7/km ). There were 230,535 housing units at an average density of 416.8 per square mile (160.9/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 88.4% white, 3.3% black, 1.9% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 3.4% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.0% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were: Of
10807-589: Was a Republican stronghold. However, in 2024 , Republican Donald Trump came the closest to winning the county since 1984 , with Democrat Kamala Harris winning only 49.6% of the vote. The Bristol County Sheriff's Office maintains its administrative headquarters and operates several jail facilities in the Dartmouth Complex in North Dartmouth in Dartmouth . Jail facilities in the Dartmouth Complex include
10914-406: Was always short of gold and silver and printed a great deal of paper money, which caused inflation that favored farmers but angered business interests. By 1750, however, the colony recalled its paper currency and transitioned to a specie currency based on the British reimbursement (in gold and silver) for its spending in the French and Indian wars. The large-scale merchants and Royal officials welcomed
11021-503: Was established at Saugus in 1646, utilizing bog iron from swamps to produce plows, nails, firearms, hoops for barrels and other items necessary for the development of the Colony. Other industries would be established during this period, such as shipbuilding, lumber, paper and furniture making. These small-scale shops and factories often utilized the State's many rivers and streams to power their machinery. While Samuel Slater had established
11128-462: Was extremely difficult, with inadequate supplies and very harsh weather, but Wampanoag sachem Massasoit and his people assisted them. In 1621, the Pilgrims celebrated their first Thanksgiving Day together to thank God for the blessings of good harvest and survival. This Thanksgiving came to represent the peace that existed at that time between the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims, although only about half of
11235-481: Was killed or seriously injured. Aftershocks continued for four days. The relationship between the provincial government and the crown-appointed governor was often difficult and contentious. The governors sought to assert the royal prerogatives granted in the provincial charter, and the provincial government sought to strip or minimize the governor's power. For example, each governor was ordered to enact legislation for providing permanent salaries for crown officials, but
11342-411: Was the last British governor of Massachusetts, and his effective rule extended to little more than Boston. Massachusetts was a center of the movement for independence from Great Britain , earning it the nickname, the "Cradle of Liberty". Colonists here had long had uneasy relations with the British monarchy, including open rebellion under the Dominion of New England in the 1680s. The Boston Tea Party
11449-400: Was to chimneys. In Boston alone, about a hundred were leveled; about fifteen hundred were damaged, the streets in some places almost covered with fallen bricks. Falling chimneys broke some roofs. Many wooden buildings in Boston were thrown down, and some brick buildings suffered; the gable ends of twelve or fifteen were knocked down to the eaves. Despite the danger and many narrow escapes, no one
#196803