About Maine | Maine History | Maine Attractions

France and England disputed each other's ownership of Maine through the first half of the 18th century, with frequent Indian raids on English settlements being actively supported by the French. During the French and Indian War, the English settlers from Kittery captured the French fort at Louisburg in 1745.  At the War’s end, France ceded any claim to Maine in the 1763 Treaty of Paris. The government of Massachusetts encouraged settlement in the area by offering 100 acres of land to any who would settle in the area.

In 1775, British warships under the command of the notorious Capt. Henry Mowatt shelled and burned Falmouth to punish residents for their opposition to the Crown, but this only served to increase Maine's desire for independence.  The first naval battle of the Revolution occurred in June 1775 when a group of Maine patriots captured an English ship off Machias. The Revolutionary War cost Maine dearly, with about 1,000 men lost, Maine’s sea trade was all but destroyed, the principal city had been leveled by British bombardment, and Maine's overall share of the war debt was staggering.

While the treaty ending the Revolutionary War confirmed that Maine was a part of Massachussetts, the border with Canada was not defined. This would lead to may border disputes. Maine was separated from Massachusetts and became a state in 1820. Border disputes continued untill in 1839, the Governor of Maine declared war on the British, the only time in U.S. history that a governor has declared war on any foreign country. Quick diplomatic action prevented any bloodshed and established the current boundaries.

Anti-slavery forces were strong in Maine, which was admitted to the Union as a free state under the provisions of the Missouri Compromise. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin" at Brunswick.  This book inflamed anti-slavery sentiment throughout the northern states in the years immediately preceding the outbreak of hostilities. Some 73,000 Maine men served with the Union forces, and about 10 percent of them were killed during the conflict. Oliver Otis Howard, who performed brilliantly at Gettysburg and Bull Run, and Joshua L. Chamberlain, the hero of Little Round Top were Union Generals from Maine, with Chamberlain commanding the Union troops to whom Lee surrendered at Appomattox. After the war he was elected governor of Maine.

Over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, tourism became a major activity in Maine. Many vacationers began to enjoy its vast area of relatively unspoiled wilderness, its ski-friendly mountains, and its hundreds of miles of coastline. "Cottage people" from the larger cities in the Northeast summered in many of the state's seaside towns. The Bush family compound in Kennebunkport is a notable example of this. State and national parks in Maine also attracted tourism, especially Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island.