Making Maine

foreign it is March 13th and 346 years ago today the Massachusetts Bay Colony made a novel purchase Boston magazine explained in 2014. on March 13th 1677 the Imperial dreams of Massachusetts came to fruition for on that day our Colony bought me for one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds sterling at today's exchange rate that's about fifteen hundred dollars 143 years later that investment in Massachusetts its Imperial dreams would come to an end in a compromise that was highly controversial and left the new State's borders still in dispute the story of how we made the 23rd State of the Union deserves to be remembered the original European discovery of the area that now constitutes the U.S state of Maine is a matter of dispute there are persistent rumors that the area was explored by Vikings in fact the history of Maine presented on the official website of the state maine.gov writes that 500 years before Columbus discovered America Leif Erickson and a crew of 30 Viking Sailors are believed to have explored the main Coast may have landed and tried to establish a settlement there and 11th century Norwegian coin under the Native American Site in Maine in 1957 might be evidence that Viking explorers made it as far south as Maine however it may also be the result of Native American Trade Network discovery.uk explains the fact that there hasn't been a single Norse or Viking artifact found in Maine before or since suggests that the answer to the question were there Vikings in Maine is highly unlikely uh 1497 visit by Italian explorer John Cabot on behalf of English King Henry VII might have gone as far south as Maine and Portuguese and English fishermen may have been fishing in the Gulf of Maine in roughly the same era European attempts at settlement began at least in the early 17th century with a French settlement established on Saint Croix Island in 1604 and the settlement however didn't last Maine history online explains scurvy severe cold and shortages of fuel wood and fresh water caused terrible suffering and in Spring 1605 the survivors moved their post to Port Royal on the southern tip of Nova Scotia in 1605 English Explorer George Weymouth was sent to the area in search of the supposed Northwest Passage to the Orient in addition to exploring in Penobscot Bay Weymouth kidnapped five Native American men eventually presented three of the men to an investor in his voyage sir Ferdinando gorgeous governor of the important English Port of Plymouth the world biographical encyclopedia explains gorgeous took three of them into his house teaching them English and learning much about their country in return this would have significant implications for English colonization in North America gorgeous would later write Captain George Weymouth having failed at finding a Northwest Passage happened into a river on the coast of America called pemiquid from whence he brought five of the natives three of whose names were Manida salwaros and Tess Quantum whom I seized upon they were all of One Nation but of several parts and several families this accident must be acknowledged the means under god of putting on foot and giving life to all our plantations gorgeous became an enthusiastic advocate of English colonization in North America so much so that some historians refer to him as the father of English colonization in North America although of course the kidnapped native men that inspired gorgeous were proof that the land was occupied before the English decided to settle it and their kidnapping would have consequences for relations between English settlers and the native peoples gorgeous became a major investor in a significant settlement near the mouth of the Kennebec River called papam The Colony the subject of another episode of the history guy found some success but was abandoned after only 14 months it's failure however did not discourage gorgeous on 10 August 1622 Gorges along with Captain John Mason received a land grant from the Crown's Plymouth Council for New England granting them all that parts of the Mainland in New England lying upon the Seacoast be twitched the rivers of Merrimack and segada Hawk into the furthest heads of the said rivers and the said sir Fernando gorges and Captain John Mason with the consent of e president and Council intend to name the province of Maine this appears to be the first written example of the use of the name Maine to refer to the area and it isn't exactly clear why the name was chosen gorgeous seem to never have provided a written explanation at least four explanations have been proposed the most popular explanation is that the name was a reference to the French province of Maine and offered a compliment to Queen Henrietta Maria the French wife of King Charles the first a 2001 joint resolution by the Maine State Legislature supported this Theory writing the state of Maine is named after the province of Maine in France but despite the legislature's approval part of a resolution recognizing franco-american day the conclusion is dubious as Kath gutten author of U.S state names explains the name Maine was bestowed by gorgeous in 1622 three years before Henrietta Maria became Queen of England in 1625. another theory is that the area was simply seen by fishermen and the gulf as being the mainland well the term was quite commonly used it's unclear why it would be applied only to this particular piece of land it may have been a reference to the orkney islands where Mason had served in the Royal Navy the main island in the orkney islands was called mainland but Gooden prefers an explanation Advance by Maine historian Carol B Smith Fisher that the name is a reference to the ancestral home of gorgeous a village in Dorchester listed in the Doomsday Book of 1086 as being called Maine thus good notes the implication derived from Smith Fisher's theory is that just as gorgeous's ancestors settled in or perhaps even founded the town of Maine in England upon their arrival from France in the 11th century so did he establish the colony of Maine in North America for the further propagation of The Gorgeous family simply put none of the theories have been proven but when the charter was confirmed in 1639 it included the stipulation that it shall forever Hereafter be called and named The Province or county of Maine and not by any other name or names whatsoever in 1629 gorgeous and Mason divided the land with Mason getting the section to the South which he named New Hampshire and gorgeous's Portion retained the name Maid Guyton writes while they initially had little success in colonizing gorgeous and Mason took pains to maintain control of their patents and land grants in New England despite his enthusiasm which included investing a significant portion of his own wealth gorgeous would never see the land he named a royalist in a time of increasing tensions between the King and Parliament he was constantly subject to investigation by Parliament in 1635 Parliament disbanded the Plymouth Company in his 2010 book hidden history of Maine author Harry gratwick writes that gorgeous lamented I have spent the flower of my life in promoting new settlements on a remote continent when gorgeous finally made plans to cross the ocean to see these lands in 1645 gretwick writes that as his ship was being launched it rolled over on its side and broke apart Fernando gorgeous he writes who had devoted 40 Years of his life to colonizing Maine was never to set foot on its Shores he continues with the coming of the civil wars in the fall of Charles the first sir Fernando's World fell apart he died in 1647 a Broken Man of almost 80. the next year the King was executed his death however was seen as an opportunity in the New World In His 1970 work Maine becomes a state the movement to separate Maine from Massachusetts author Ronald Banks explains not only did the Triumph of Cromwell kill this dream of gorgeous it also produced a power vacuum in Maine into which the avaricious Puritans of Massachusetts Bay were only too anxious to rush Boston magazine rights shortly after his death Massachusetts struck gradwick writes in 1652 with Gorgeous no longer around the colony's leader is in Boston decided to seize the moment Massachusetts Bay revised its Charter and extended its boundary Eastward to Casco Bay shortly after this the boundary was extended to Penobscot Bay Maine had been absorbed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony but Boston magazine notes like any occupation this didn't necessarily go over well with the settlers of Maine or leaders in England to say nothing of the Native Americans Massachusetts however settled the issue on March 13 1677. purchasing Maine from gorgeous's heirs the deed States they said Ferdinando gorgeous for and in consideration of the sum of 1250 pounds of lawful English Money death Grant bargain and sell all that County Palatine part portly or portion of the Mainland of New England aforementioned called or known by the name of the province or county of Maine and Maine still remote and sparsely populated remained part of Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War main.gov explains because of Maine's remoteness from the authorities in Boston and the Continental Congress in Philadelphia the inhabitants received little Military Support despite the proximity of the British across the border in Canada and constant pressure from the Royal Navy along the coast while there were conflicts in Maine during the War main.gov notes the war for American Independence was successfully fought and won elsewhere the war however did Aid the future U.S state in a significant way right and right during the American Revolution the English had numerous designs on Maine one of which proposed taking the Territory between the Sacco and the Saint Croix rivers and calling it The Province of New Ireland and then making it available to loyalists escaping from the rebellious colonies the plot came to nothing and the Paris Treaty of 1783 which ended the war for independence and did also any claim of the English to the province of Maine the Paris treaty would again rear its head but Maine which after the Massachusetts constitution of 1780 was partitioned as the Massachusetts District of Maine was firmly a part of the new nation if only as a remote District of Massachusetts far from Boston banks writes the American Revolution nevertheless proved to be a watershed in the history of Maine with the Treaty of Paris concluded in 1783 the district no longer harassed by Wars embarked on her first period of sustained growth and development between 1784 and 1820 the population increased some 450 percent Maine had a large availability of land and settlers flocked to the area but with growth came discontent bank's rights clearly many believe that Boston understood but very little of the peculiar nature of the problems that made people faced agitation for separation from Massachusetts began as early as 1785. Banks notes January 1st 1785 saw the first number of the first newspaper printed in the district of Maine the Falmouth Gazette according to William Williamson means noted historian Benjamin titcome the CN of a well-to-date former family and Thomas B Waite formerly associated with the Boston independent Chronicle founded the Gazette for the purpose of promoting separation various committees and conventions were convened supporting Independence over the coming years the breaking point however came as a result of the war of 1812. maine.gov explains the seizure by the British of the entire coast of Penobscot Bay further deep into economic hardships of the residents of Maine the Massachusetts legislature refused to take any action to relieve or defend Maine and instead improve their own fortifications the New England Historical Society writes Governor Caleb strong refused to send Massachusetts militiamen into the fight he left Maine on its own the British captured Castine Belfast esport and sect Bangor and Hampden while the Treaty of Ghent ending the war re-established the boundaries of the 1783 Paris treaty maine.gov writes the most important result of the War of 1812 upon the citizens of Maine was that it fanned the movement for independence from Massachusetts this had been a growing issue before the war but the utter failure of Massachusetts to assist the District of Maine in any way brought the matter to a head William King who had been charged of the main militia became the principal leader of the drive for statehood but there was an obstacle the coasting law of 1789 the New England Historical Society notes coasting vessels typically Schooners hold cargo up and down the coast much like trucks today carry Freight on the interstate the 1789 law required coasting vessels to clear customs in every state except the state next door as a part of Massachusetts Maine coasters didn't have to clear Customs until they reached New Jersey a considerable advantage to mainers if Maine were to separate coasters would have to clear customs in Massachusetts costly and time-consuming Prospect as a result two votes on the question of statehood failed in 1816 the New England Historical Society continues William King realized the coastal towns voted against statehood because of the 1789 coasting law Maine statehood would hurt main shipping and shipbuilding fortunately for William King he had a brother Rufus a U.S senator from New York Rufus King and other allies in the Senate managed to revise the coasting law and so on July 26 1819 Maine took its Sixth and final vote for Statehood a total of 17091 voted for full Maine statehood versus 7132 for remaining a province of Massachusetts Massachusetts could hardly resist the vote the website Mass moments explains although its Pride was wounded the Massachusetts legislature conceded reluctantly passing a statehood bill for Maine in late 1819 there was only one condition statehood required the approval of Congress and the president if statehood was not approved by March 4th 1820 Maine would remain a part of Massachusetts but then a twist Missouri had also applied for Statehood in 1818 and it was clear that the population of Missouri would vote to be a slave state Maine statehood became tied to Missouri's to maintain a balance of power in the Senate Missouri would be admitted as a slave state only if Maine was admitted as a free state Mass moments continues mainers have begun campaigning for Statehood in the Years following the revolution the Massachusetts legislature finally consented in 1819 what no one in either Massachusetts or Maine Corsa however was that Maine's quest for Statehood would become entangled in the most divisive issue in American history slavery most mainers supported abolition they were dismayed that their admission to the union was linked to the admission of Missouri as a slave state despite their long struggle for Independence when the vote came the website of Bowdoin College explains five of Maine's seven congressmen Martin Kinsley Joshua Cushman and Ezekiel Whitman Enoch Lincoln and James Parker wanted to prohibit slavery spread into new territories in 1820 they voted against the Missouri Compromise and against Maine's Independence but to no avail the compromise passed Mass moments rights Massachusetts lost over thirty thousand square miles of land as its former province of Maine gains statehood statehood came on March 15 1820. 143 years and two days after Massachusetts had purchased Maine from Fernando gorgeous's heirs but there was another problem as population and lumbery moved North there was a conflict over the border the source of the problem was the 1783 Treaty of Paris the website main history online explains the negotiators who drafted the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War had failed to specify a clear boundary between Maine and New Brunswick but while the disputed territory remained unsettled little thought was given to defining it when residents tried to incorporate a town and the disputed territory in 1830 New Brunswick raised militia but under the Treaty of ganta neutral third party could be used to resolve border disputes the U.S and the UK agreed upon King William the first of the Netherlands who found the description in the 1783 treaty to be inexplicable and impractical William proposed a compromise but Maine opposed it the history website ear now explains Maine responded by changing its strategy it now maintained its boundary claims were part of a larger national issue states rights this was an odd shift Maine had taken the position of the slave states it had posed in 1820 year now continues by aligning itself with slave states that were asserting states rights to resist Federal restrictions on slavery Maine succeeded in getting the Senate to reject the Dutch King's decision without a compromise the situation Sully escalated as both sides tried to claim Timber rights by 1838 both sides were raising militia Congress authorized the raising of 50 000 troops should U.S territory be invaded armed conflict was only avoided by the arrival of U.S General Winfield Scott who managed to convince the militia to draw back as the two governments negotiated a compromise the bloodless near confrontation became known as the aroostic war after the Native American name for the disputed area while there was no shooting 38 militiamen were known to die in the war of accident exposure or disease in the end the United States Secretary of State Daniel Webster negotiated a compromise with the British Diplomat Alexander bearing the first Baron ash Burton ear now credits Webster's legendary political skills with convincing Maine to accept this new compromise he anonymously inserted stories into main newspapers that made it sound like this compromise was actually Maine's idea and he threatened the governor of Maine with a map that had supposedly been drawn by Benjamin Franklin during the negotiations for the Treaty of Paris which supported the British view of the border and made it look like this new compromise was actually operating in America's favor in the end the treaty was accepted by all it was signed on August 9 1842. ironically this new deal gave the United States some 900 square kilometers less land than if it accepted the original compromise that was offered by the Dutch King William the first I hope you enjoyed this episode of the history God check out our community on the historyguyguild.locals.com our webpage at thehistoryguy.com and our merchandise at teespring.com or book a special message from the history guy on Cameo and if you'd like more episodes of Forgotten history all you have to do is subscribe foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered

Views: 109,415

Keywords: history, history guy, the history guy

Id: xtALN8S79CY

Length: 18min 39sec (1119 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 13 2023