This Week in Massachusetts History features signficant dates in the history of Massachusetts. Click on the arrows to the left and right of the current month to view other months.

The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities has created Mass Moments, an electronic almanac of 365 stories from Massachusetts history, one for each day of the year. Many of them provide in-depth information on events listed on this site.

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The Month of July in Massachusetts History 3 July 1775 George Washington takes command of the Continental Army (Cambridge)  >> Mass Moments 4th of July Independence Day   More... 4 July 1804 Author Nathaniel Hawthorne born (Salem)  >> Mass Moments 4 July 1835 Opening of the Boston & Worcester Railroad 8 July 1783 Massachusetts Supreme Court declares slavery unconstitutional in Commonwealth V. Jennison  >> Mass Moments 9 July 1819 Inventor Elias Howe born (Spencer)  >> Mass Moments 10 July 1834 Painter James Abbott McNeill Whistler born (Lowell) 11 July 1767 President and statesman John Quincy Adams born (North Braintree, now Quincy)  >> Mass Moments 12 July 1817 Essayist, poet, philosopher, author of Walden, Henry David Thoreau born (Concord)  >> Mass Moments 14 July 1856 Civil War Draft Riot (Boston) 14 July 1921 Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti convicted of murder  >> Mass Moments 15 July 1868 Louisa May Alcott completes writing Little Women (Concord)  >> Mass Moments 18 July 1776 Declaration of Independence first read from balcony of Old State House (Boston)  >> Mass Moments 18 July 1863 54th Massachusetts Infantry spearheads assault on Fort Wagner, S.C.  >> Mass Moments 21 July 1997 U.S.S. Constitution sails for the first time in 116 years (Boston)  >> Mass Moments 23 July 1869 French Atlantic Cable landed (Duxbury) 25 July 1806 Abolitionist Maria Weston Chapman born (Weymouth) 26 July 1956 Italian liner Andrea Doria sinks off Nantucket  >> Mass Moments 26-29 July 2004 2004 Democratic National Convention is held in Boston 29 July 1837 Boston Fire Department established 29 July 1914 Cape Cod Canal opened

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