Last month, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (a Democrat) signed a bill into law which allows abortion up to the point of birth.
Although several other states have passed similar laws, the Bay State stands out due to it once being a place for religious liberty. The Puritans (who wanted to purify the Church of England) landed at Plymouth in 1620, and would eventually celebrate the first Thanksgiving with the Wampanoags. Later on, the Plymouth Bay Colony, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and present-day Maine were merged into the colony of Massachusetts.
This is not to say that all was well with the Puritans being in control. Dissenters such as Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams were banished from Massachusetts. Then there were the Salem Witch Trials, in which twenty people were executed.
During the Revolutionary War Era, Massachusetts became one of the leading colonies in the cause for independence, highlighted by the following events:
- the Boston Massacre
- the Boston Tea Party
- Paul Revere and company carrying out their midnight ride
- the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill
In addition, some of the most famous of the Founding Fathers were from Massachusetts, including John Adams, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock.
During the Antebellum Era, the Bay State became one of the leading abolitionist states, as well as being a leading industrial state. The Missouri Compromise resulted in Maine becoming a separate (and another leading abolitionist) state. And when the Civil War broke out, some of the regiments it sent became well known, such as the 6th Massachusetts, the 28th Massachusetts Infantry (which comprised the Irish Brigade), and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. In addition, one of the most famous nurses of that era was from the Bay State: Clara Barton.
So how did the Bay State become such a liberal hotbed? It started with the Kennedys, who became an influential force within the Democratic Party. As a result, the Democrats practically took over the state and implemented liberal policies and platforms.
Other prominent Democrats from Massachusetts include John Kerry, Michael Dukakis, and Elizabeth Warren.
It should also be noted that both Senators from Massachusetts and all nine of its Representatives are Democrats. And the state legislature is dominated by Democrats.
And with the Democrats in control, abortion rights became a cause among the liberals, as would the cause of same-sex marriage
Thus, the Bay State has become one of the most liberal states in the nation.
