From the moment the first English colonists landed on the shores of Plymouth Bay, the experiences of the people of Massachusetts have been emblematic of larger themes in American history. The story of the first Pilgrim thanksgiving is commemorated as a national holiday, while the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere's ride have passed into the national mythology. Even the grimmer aspects of the American experience -- Indian warfare and the conquest of an ever expanding frontier -- were part of the early history of Massachusetts. In this book, Richard D. Brown and Jack Tager survey the rich...