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Massachusetts , officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, Vermont and New Hampshire to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Massachusetts is the 7th smallest state by land area, but the 14th most populous and the 3rd most densely populated of the 50 states. It is the most populous of the six New England states and has the nation's sixth highest GDP per capita.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/gsp_newsrelease.htm )〕 The state features three separate metropolitan areas: the Greater Boston area in the east, the Springfield metropolitan area in the west and Barnstable Town, MA Metropolitan Statistical Area in the southeast. Approximately two-thirds of Massachusetts' population currently lives in Greater Boston. Massachusetts has played a significant historical, cultural, and commercial role in American history. Plymouth was the site of the first colony in New England, founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims, passengers of the ''Mayflower''. Harvard University, founded in 1636, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.harvard.edu/history )〕 In 1692, the town of Salem and surrounding areas experienced one of America's most infamous cases of mass hysteria, the Salem witch trials.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education )〕 In the 18th century, the Protestant First Great Awakening, which swept the Atlantic world, originated from the pulpit of Northampton, Massachusetts preacher Jonathan Edwards.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.revival-library.org/pensketches/revivals/1st_edwards.html )〕 In the late 18th century, Boston became known as the "Cradle of Liberty"〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.celebrateboston.com/sites/faneuil-hall.htm )〕 for the agitation there that led to the American Revolution and the independence of the United States from Great Britain. In 1777, General Henry Knox founded the Springfield Armory, which during the Industrial Revolution catalyzed numerous important technological advances, including interchangeable parts. In 1786, Shays' Rebellion, a populist revolt led by disaffected Revolutionary War veterans, influenced the United States Constitutional Convention.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.ushistory.org/us/15a.asp )〕 Before the American Civil War, Massachusetts was a center for the temperance,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.teachushistory.org/second-great-awakening-age-reform/articles/temperance-issue-election-1840-massachusetts )〕 transcendentalist, and abolitionist movements.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.masshist.org/online/abolition/index.php )〕 In the late 19th century, the Olympic sports of basketball and volleyball were invented in the Western Massachusetts cities of Springfield and Holyoke, respectively.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.springfieldcollege.edu/welcome/birthplace-of-basketball/#.VTa-7CFVhBc )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.volleyhall.org/about-us.html )〕 In 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legally recognize same-sex marriage as a result of the decision of the state's Supreme Judicial Court. Massachusetts has contributed many prominent politicians to national service, including members of the Adams family and the Kennedy family. Originally dependent on fishing, agriculture, and trade, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.lowell.com/city-of-lowell/lowell-history/ )〕 During the 20th century, Massachusetts' economy shifted from manufacturing to services. In the 21st century, Massachusetts is an international economic leader in life science, the finance industry, information technology, manufacturing, renewable energy, the defense industry, and maritime trade.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.mass.gov/hed/economic/industries/ )〕 ==Etymology== The Massachusetts Bay Colony was named after the indigenous population, the Massachusett, whose name can be segmented as ''mass-adchu-s-et'', where ''mass-'' is "large", ''-adchu-'' is "hill", ''-s-'' is a diminutive suffix meaning "small", and ''-et'' is a locative suffix, identifying a place. It has been translated as "near the great hill", "by the blue hills", "at the little big hill", or "at the range of hills", referring to the Blue Hills, or in particular the Great Blue Hill which is located on the boundary of Milton and Canton.〔Salwen, Bert, 1978. ''Indians of Southern New England and Long Island: Early Period''. In "Northeast", ed. Bruce G. Trigger. Vol. 15 of "Handbook of North American Indians", ed. William C. Sturtevant, pp. 160–76. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution. Quoted in: Campbell, Lyle. 1997. ''American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 401〕〔Bright, William (2004). ''Native American Place Names of the United States''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, p. 270〕 Alternatively, Massachusett has been represented as ''Moswetuset'', from the name of the Moswetuset Hummock (meaning "hill shaped like an arrowhead") in Quincy where Plymouth Colony commander Miles Standish and Squanto, a Native American, met Chief Chickatawbut in 1621. The official name of the state is the "Commonwealth of Massachusetts".〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher=Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts )〕 Colloquially, it is often referred to simply as "the Commonwealth". While this designation is part of the state's official name, it has no practical implications.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/legal-and-legislative-resources/why-is-massachusetts-a-commonwealth.html )〕 Massachusetts has the same position and powers within the United States as other states. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Massachusetts」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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