Historically Accurate (You’re Welcome America)

I'm sure the last thing you want on the Internet is a schooling lesson from yours truly. Have no fear-- this is Masshole History 617, and you'll ace it.

Massachusetts has played a significant role in American history since the Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom, founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. As one of the most important of the 13 colonies, and one of the six New England states, Massachusetts became a leader in resisting British oppression. In 1773, the Boston Tea Party protested unjust taxation. English explorer and colonist John Smith named the state for the Massachuset tribe. Boston, the state capital, was a hotbed of activity, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, during the American Revolution. Our state is also known for sparking the American Industrial Revolution with the growth of textile mills in Lowell, and for its large Irish-American population.

We've been around forever. Massholes were at the birth of our great nation, 
and continue to thrive in their native habitat.

Capital: Boston; "Bahstahn"

Population: 6,547,629 (2010)

Nickname: Bay State

Motto: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem (“By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty”)

Flower: mayflower (1918)

Tree: American elm (1941)

Bird: Chickadee (1941)

Song: “All Hail to Massachusetts” (1966)-- I figured it was "Shipping Up to Boston"...

Beverage: Cranberry juice (1970)-- The bogs are so gorgeous. And you thought the Cape was all sand and booze.

Insect: Ladybug (1974)-- So cute!

Cookie: chocolate chip (1997)-- The ubiquitous Tollhouse Chocolate chip cookie was invented by Ruth Wakefield, an inn owner in Whitman, MA. 

Dessert: Boston cream pie (1996)-- Is it even a question?


Historical Sites You Went on Field Trips to as a Young'un

Carriage Rides and Churning Butter @ Old Sturbridge Village

Plymouth Rock (the subject of so many School House Rock songs #memories)

THE BRITISH ARE COMING... to Paul Revere's house in Boston

Battleship Cove in Fall River

The New Bedford Whaling Museum

Walking The Freedom Trail

Famous Bay-Staters in History

Samuel Adams patriot
Louisa May Alcott writer
Susan B. Anthony woman suffragist
Clara Barton American Red Cross founder
Benjamin Franklin statesman and scientist
John Hancock statesman
Nathaniel Hawthorne novelist
Herman Melville writer
Edgar Allan Poe writer (nevermore...)
Paul Revere silversmith and Revolutionary War figure
Henry David Thoreau author
Eli Whitney inventor

Needless to say, Massachusetts is home to bad-ass historical figures, epic sites that hold fond memories for us, and anyone who reads a US history book, and a whole mess of adorable official state items. 

Leave a comment sharing your favorite thing about historical MA!

No One Parks in Harvard Yard

Hi there, and welcome to Masshole in the Big Apple-- a blog where you'll find posts about how to pronounce Massachusetts towns like Leicester (it's only two syllables), tips and tricks to survive rush-hour driving on the Mass Pike, and the religion that is New England Sports, plus my New York-perspective on the Masshole culture.

Now, for those of you unfamiliar with this terminology, let me give you a quick break down, courtesy of DWowww on Urban Dictionary:

"1.) According to an outsider... the word Masshole is used to describe someone from Massachusetts who is a bad driver, obnoxious, belligerent, and arrogant.

2.) To a Masshole... it's a word we take with the utmost pride. We consider it a compliment.
We're not bad drivers...it's actually more like efficient aggressiveness. Maybe it pisses you off, but hey we get to where we need to be in a timely manner.

Obnoxious & belligerent? Yes. But this is something we also take with pride. Who cares if I'm dancing on my chair at a Sox game singing 'Sweet Caroline' at the top of my lungs while double fisting 2 beers? I sure don't...and if you do, then I'm having more fun than you are.

And arrogant? Abso-freaking-lutely."

Being a born-and-bred Bay-Stater, I can confirm all of these attributes as necessary qualifications to achieve Masshole-status, and that we love this (slightly) profane label.
While Massachusetts and New York have been in the biggest rivalry since Cain and Abel, I've been lucky enough to experience and love both of these great places. 

Stay tuned for a 'Dunks of the Day' post featuring a daily drink of the gods (aka Dunkin coffee) and a chance to win a DD gift card.

P.S. If you try to "pahk ya cah at Hahvad Yahd", you'll fersure get towed. Parking on a campus quad is considered a no-no, even to Masshole drivers.

Harvard Yard at Harvard University