State Flower:

Mayflower

The Pilgrims named their ship after the Mayflower because the pink and white flowers of this plant were known to represent hope. An old English saying is that when the Mayflower blooms, it's time to "put away one's winter clothes and let thoughts rove happily ahead." Appropriately, the Mayflower was adopted as the official State Flower on May Day, May 1, 1918. Unfortunately, though, the flower is becoming rare and is considered endangered.

State Bird:

Blackcapped Chickadee

Adopted as the official State Bird in 1941, the Chickadee is easily identified by its cheerful call, which sounds as though it's advertising its name, "chick-adee-dee-dee." Unlike other birds, this tiny little bird stays home during the winter months, avoiding the traffic-heavy trek South.

According to E.B. White, the Black-capped Chickadee, (also the State Bird for Maine), "was put on earth to demonstrate the power of positive thinking. No day is dark, no night is cold, no hour is evil, no harm is in sight, no news is bad. An acrobat and a optimist, the Chickadee is perfectly named (he named himself), perfectly designed. We should all wear a black cap, ignore weather reports, and make friends easily."

State Tree:

American Elm

On March 21, 1941, the American Elm was officially adopted as the State Tree to commemorate General George Washington's taking command of the Continental Army in 1775 while standing beneath an American Elm on Cambridge Common. A magnificent, stately tree that spins its leaves to bright gold in autumn, it was once a very common tree in North America, but is now quickly vanishing from the landscape due to the devastating Dutch Elm disease that swept across the eastern states.State Flag: The white star indicates Massachusetts as one of the original thirteen colonies. The Indian standing in the position of peace represents the peaceful relationship the pilgrims had with the native Americans. The sword above the shield refers to the state motto, "by the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty."

State Flag:

The white star indicates Massachusetts as one of the original thirteen colonies. The Indian standing in the position of peace represents the peaceful relationship the pilgrims had with the native Americans. The sword above the shield refers to the state motto, "by the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty."

Famous Person:

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"You've got to live every day like it's your last day on earth."

The 35th president of the United States, JFK, survived many personal tragedies, which gave him an unusual air of confidence for a man so young in such a powerful office. During the election of 1960, a friend asked him why he wanted to be president. He replied, "I guess it's the only thing I can be." Like Franklin Pierce, John F. Kennedy was also a Northern Democrat, handsome, intelligent, and gracious, and again like Pierce, he was the youngest man elected president at that time. When asked what kind of President he hoped to be, liberal or conservative, he replied, "I hope to be responsible." He was the fourth U.S. President (after Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and William McKinley) to be assassinated while in office.