Maine can finally get out of Massachusetts’ shadow

FREEPORT, Maine — If the pandemic hadn’t struck, we Mainers would have spent much of this year celebrating our bicentennial — the 200th anniversary of our separation from Massachusetts and our return to political independence after a long and difficult period of colonial rule. But instead of commemorating statehood day on March 15, Maine’s governor declared a state of emergency, and people in the state began locking down.

Survival, once again, took center stage.

Appropriate perhaps, as much of Maine’s history has been tragic, from the pandemic accidentally sparked by the first English explorers — which killed three-quarters of Maine’s indigenous inhabitants in four years — to the post-Civil War economic collapse that some parts of the state have yet to recover from. It’s been a saga of war and betrayal, of clashing empires and ethnic cleansing, a 160-year intracolonial occupation that left the state underdeveloped, undersettled, and cursed with a lasting animosity toward Massachusetts, historically its most important economic partner and source of capital, settlers, tourists, and commerce. Read more

Related Posts

University of Maine recruiting homeowners for tick surveys

ORONO, Maine — With tick season upon us, researchers at the University of Maine want to know what Mainers are doing...

25 April 2023

Maine’s oldest bioscience symposium turns 50 on MDI

Students and accomplished science leaders share research on Mt. Desert Island This April 20 marked the 50th anniversary meeting of the...

23 April 2023

Husson University students, faculty share projects at 13th annual Research Showcase

BANGOR, Maine — Today marked Husson University’s 13th annual Research and Scholarship Day. Students and faculty members at Husson shared the...

20 April 2023