History of Boston, Massachusetts
So, how did Boston become the lovely city it is today?
Founded by English Puritans in 1630, Boston grew from being known as Massachusetts Bay Colony to a sophisticated city.
The American Revolution
Ports supported the economy of Boston. The maritime merchants’ top products were tobacco, fish, tea, and sugar. Building strong ties with China Trade, the city’s tea trading industry boomed. It slowly evolved into conflict with the East India Company.
With the corruption of power, the British Parliament decided to pass unfair tax policies on its colonies. Boston stayed defiant to the British measures that increased taxes and cut the political strength of the colonies. Famed individuals who led the open rebellion include Paul Revere, John Hancock, and Sam Adams. The uprising inevitably led to the Boston Massacre in 1770 and the Boston Tea Party in 1773, where locals threw 342 tea chests into Boston Harbor as an act of rebellion.
In 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill happened, and by 1776, the Continental Army, ruled by General George Washington, forced the British army out of Boston. Today, it’s commemorated as Evacuation Day.
Population and Economic Boom
After winning the resistance, a new booming economy began. Textile manufacturing, Clipper Ships, and international trade were in the spotlight. By 1780, Boston became a busy seaport and was hailed as one of the wealthiest worldwide. The population doubled by 1800, with people relocating after the war’s success. Immigrants came from Germany, Poland, Italy, and Ireland.
Then, abolitionists took Boston by storm. The ending of slavery brought freedom to the African-American communities, who ended up settling at Beacon Hill. It brought to life the first African-American Church. A public school and Meeting House were also built.
In 1822, Boston was declared a city from being a town. Infrastructure was the top project, including organizing the docks near today’s Quincy Market. By 1840, the population boom exceeded the city’s capacity, and land expansion had to happen.
After developing Back Bay and South End by the 1870s, people started occupying these areas. It’s the same era that the Boston Public Library opened as the first large, free, and public municipal library in the United States.
The Great Fire
A tragic fire destroyed 65 acres of Boston land in 1872. It burned down 776 buildings starting on Kingston Street and Summer Street. The Great Fire began on November 9 and continuously caused chaos for a couple of days, rendering a total loss of $60 million.
The 19th Century
The Boston Brahmins (traditional upper class) took the spotlight during the mid-19th Century. Art and literature showcased status and gave fame to some residents like Nathaniel Hawthorne and James Russell Lowell and historians like George Bancroft and James Ford Rhodes. The publishing industry started in 1859 when The Atlantic Monthly popped into business.
Higher education became a badge of status, boosting Harvard in prestige. The first medical school for women (Boston Female Medical School) opened in 1848, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was also established in 1865.
Subway System
With the population continuously growing, Boston-area streetcar lines were the primary means of transportation for the booming middle-class. This led to the opening of the Tremont Street Subway in 1897, the first subway rail system ran from East Boston and Cambridge, then expanded to neighboring areas.
20th Century
Boston’s progress snowballed, changing it into a world-class city and creating many opportunities for innovation. MIT transitioned to an exclusive university by adding engineering to its courses. The automobile industry also helped the area’s economic growth when Porter Motor Company became operational.
Along with development, unfortunately, there was also strife. Tragedies like the North End Great Molasses Flood killed twenty-one people in 1919, and the strike of the Boston Police Department invited riots everywhere. The Coconut Grove Fire took 492 lives in 1942, Brinks Robbery took place in 1950, and the Boston Strangler was on a rampage killing 11 women from 1962 to 1964.
In 1976, Boston celebrated the USA’s bicentennial with funds to establish Boston National Historical Park and revive Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
80’s and 90’s
Motivated to make Boston more welcoming, a Boston Harbor cleanup took place, and the project The Big Dig (at the time, the most expensive building project in America) broke ground in 1991. It included the building of the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge and gave rise to public park developments on over 70 acres of land. This included the Rose Kennedy Greenway, artisan shops, and art installations, all providing outdoor activities and venues for events like festivals.
Modern Day Boston
Boston is one of the 100 most expensive cities to live in worldwide.
After Massachusetts was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, the first couple to be legally married in the US tied the not at Cambridge City Hall in Boston in 2004. The Red Sox won the World Series that same year after a long wait, not having won since 1918. In 2013, the Boston Marathon bombing killed three people and left hundreds injured.
In 2017, the development of Innovation District, Kendall Square, and One Seaport Square pulled in more biotechnology and other science opportunities.
In 2019, the city welcomed around 22 million visitors, generating $89 million in profit and 12,000 jobs for more than half a million individuals.
That completes our guide to the best things to do in Boston. Which one intrigued you? Have you made your travel plans? If so, what attractions topped your list? Need inspiration for your trip? Read these Short Travel Quotes!
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