Why is Boston important in American history?

These political events have influenced the history of the whole country and are shaping the minds of people who came to this great country, in which Boston played a leading role. Henry Cabot Lodge

1630 September 17, Puritan immigrants from England established Boston. The Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony in Boston (located in today's Bristol County, Plymouth County and Barnstable County) were founded 10 years ago (1620165438+1October 2 1 day), and were completely religious in practice. These two independent colonies did not merge into Massachusetts Bay Province until 169 1.

Boston is built on a peninsula, connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, surrounded by Massachusetts Bay and Deep Bay, the mouth of the Charles River. The early European immigrants in Boston were originally named Trimountaine; There are three hills here; Later, it was named after Boston (Lincolnshire), England, the hometown of some excellent immigrants. At that time, the residents of Boston were mostly Puritans from England. John winthrop, the former ruler of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, published a famous sermon entitled "A Model of Christian Charity", arguing that there is a special contract between Boston and God. Winslow also facilitated the signing of the Cambridge Agreement, which was regarded as the key document to create the city. Puritans' moral norms have shaped an extremely stable and well-structured society in Boston. For example, shortly after its establishment in Boston, the Puritans founded the first American public school-Boston Latin School (1635) and the first American university-Harvard University (1636). To this day, hard work, ethics and emphasis on education are still part of Boston culture.

1In the early 1970s, Britain tried to completely control the 13 colony, mainly by means of taxation, which prompted the Bostonians to launch the American Revolution. The Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Incident and several battles in the early days of the American Revolutionary War-Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill and the siege of Boston-all took place in or near this city. Paul Revere's famous midnight horse riding also took place during this period.

For some time after the American Revolution, because Boston was the main port closest to Europe in the United States, it developed overseas trade rapidly and exported rum, fish, salt and tobacco to Europe, becoming one of the richest international commercial ports in the world at that time. During this period, some descendants of famous Boston families became the elite of American society and culture; They were later called Boston Brahmins. 1822, Boston was chartered and officially acquired the city identity.

In the middle of19th century, Boston's manufacturing industry overwhelmed international trade in importance. From then until the beginning of the 20th century, Boston was one of the largest manufacturing centers in the United States, especially famous for its clothing, leather products and machinery industries. The city connects the nearby areas through nearby rivers, and convenient freight transportation makes it possible to add factories. Later, the dense railway network further promoted the industrial and commercial prosperity in this area. From the middle and late19th century, Boston's culture began to flourish, and it was famous for its generous art donors. During this period, Boston became the center of the abolitionist movement.

/kloc-During the period of 0/820s, due to the arrival of the first wave of European immigrants, the population composition of Boston began to change dramatically. A large number of Irish and Italians moved to this city, bringing their Roman Catholicism to this city. At present, Catholicism is the largest religious group in Boston. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Irish people have played an important role in Boston politics, among which the Kennedy family is an outstanding representative.

From 1630 to 1890, Boston's city has tripled in size by filling the gaps between swamps, beaches and docks. [7]/kloc-In the 9th century, a massive renovation project of "cutting mountains and filling the sea" was carried out. From 1807, the top of Bijia Mountain was used to fill a pond with an area of 50 acres (20 hectares), and later a hay market square was formed there. Today, the Massachusetts government is located at the top of the shortened beacon hill. /kloc-the project in the middle of the 0/9th century formed Boston South District, Boston West District, Financial District and Boston Chinatown. 1872 after the Boston fire, workers rebuilt the downtown area near the water with gravel. /kloc-In the middle and late 20th century, workers used railroad tracks to borrow soil from needham Heights, filling up the Charles River swamp about 600 acres (2.4 square kilometers) west of Boston. In addition, the city gradually merged the nearby towns-Locksbury (1868), Dorchester (1870), Brighton, sealock, Charlestown and Hyde Park. 1874, Boston merged three towns for the last time. Since then, the city boundaries have been fixed and have not changed.

In the early and mid-20th century, the factories in Boston began to decline because of obsolescence, and the factories moved to areas with lower labor force. In response, Boston began to build various urban renewal projects, including the demolition of the old west side and the construction of the Boston government center. /kloc-During the 1970s, after 30 years of economic downturn, Boston regained its prosperity, which led to the development of mutual funds. Boston enjoys a high reputation for its excellent medical services. Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital all lead the United States in disease treatment and medical innovation. Universities such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston College, Northeastern University and Boston University attract many students to the Boston metropolitan area for further study.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Boston has become a center of intelligence, technology and political thought. However, cities must also solve the problem of high cost of living caused by the sharp rise in housing prices since 1968+0990. In 2004, the Boston metropolitan area has become the highest cost of living in the United States, and Massachusetts is the only state in the country with a declining population.