Boston, Massachusetts

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and the arm of the sea known as Boston Harbor and is linked with the university town of Cambridge by several bridges. During the War of Independence Boston, capital of the British colony, played a prominent role. It is now the leading economic, commercial and cultural metropolis of New England, with a variety of industry (including fish processing), renowned universities and research centers, many publishing houses and numerous cultural institutions and events.

History

Boston was originally built on three hills, still commemorated in the names of the Beacon Hill, Copp's Hill and Fort Hill districts. The English settlers who came here in the mid 17th century named their new home after the birthplace of one of their leaders, Boston in Lincolnshire. Governor John Winthrop made Boston capital of the new colony. The little town, governed by strict Puritan principles, grew rapidly. The inhabitants soon developed an overseas trade, and the town's first shipyard was built in 1673. By the middle of the 18th century Boston was the largest and most important town in North America, overshadowing New York and Philadelphia with its 25,000 inhabitants. The first American newspaper was printed here in 1704. The main center of opposition to the mother country as early as the reign of Charles II (1660-85), Boston became the starting-point of the War of Independence. It was the scene of the Boston Massacre on March 5th 1770 and of the Boston Tea Party on December 16th 1773, when a mob threw tea imported from Britain into the sea. During the War of Independence Boston was occupied by British troops, until on March 4th 1776 Washington's forces crossed the Charles River, took the Dorchester Heights and drove the British out. After the United States achieved independence Boston grew steadily, with only brief interruptions, and by 1900 its population had passed the half-million mark. In 1872 a great fire caused much destruction in the central area, which has since then been more than doubled in size by the reclamation of land from the sea.

Boston was the birthplace of a number of notable Americans, including Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Morse, inventor of morse telegraphy, and John F. Kennedy.