The current state flag of Massachusetts was introduced on 21st of March in 1908. It shows a white bunting with the state coat of arms on it. The shield with the image of a Native American dates back to the 17th century. It is blue and shows the Native American with a bow and arrow, with the arrow pointing downwards and symbolising peace. The Indian is a Massachusett (former Native American of the region). A white, five-pointed star appears in the top corner. It stands for Massachusetts as an US state. Around the shield on a blue band the motto of the country: "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" (By the Sword we seek Peace, but Peace only under Liberty). Above the coat of arms is a yellow-blue torse from which an arm with a sword protrudes. They represent the first part of the Massachusetts state motto. The state flag can be used by anyone. An almost identical flag was already introduced in 1787 for military purposes. Massachusetts is one of the two states in the USA that also has its own merchant and maritime flag. It was introduced in 1775, is plain white and shows a single pine tree (New England, liberty). From 1971, the slogan "Appeal to heaven" was dropped. In that year, the national flag was also changed by omitting the reverse side, which had previously had a different design, showing only a blue shield with a pine tree in the centre.
1620 · first British settlement (Plymouth) in Plymouth Bay
1628 · first British settlement (Salem) in the Massachusetts Bay
1630 · foundation of Boston
1686 · association of Plymouth Bay Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony to the British Crown Colony of Massachusetts
13th of March 1677 · Maine is part of Massachusetts
17th of March 1776 · independence from United Kingdom, proclamation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
18th of July 1776 · proclamation of the Massachusetts Bay State
25th of October 1780 · proclamation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, first constitution
6th of February 1788 · Massachusetts joins to the USA
15th of March 1820 · Massachusetts cedes the "Commonwealth of Maine" as the 23rd State of the United States in compensation for the slave-owning state of Missouri
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was named after the indigenous population, the Massachusett or Muhsachuweesut, in the 17th century. Their name supposedly goes back to an Algonquin Indian word from the Abenaki (Wôpanâak) tribe: "muswachasut", which means "by the big hills" or "big hill country". The name was first mentioned in a book in 1616.
