Boston

Boston was founded in 1630 by Puritan colonists seeking religious freedom from the Church of England. They planned their settlement on the Shawmut Peninsula, recognizing its great potential as a seaport.  A vibrant, maritime economy soon emerged, centered on shipbuilding, sailing, fishing, and mercantile activities. Within a generation, the settlement flourished. It transported English goods to the colonies and exported lumber, ships, rum, and fresh and preserved fish. Cod, an important commodity, was often traded for molasses, which was then used to produce rum. Sugar or molasses and rum were two parts of the infamous “triangle trade,” with slaves completing the triangle. All three produced great wealth for the region and its principal city. By the turn of the nineteenth century, the city had developed into a cosmopolitan center and the political, educational, religious, and commercial hub of New England.