New England Colonies Connecticut

Connecticut (River Colony) First European settlers that landed on the Connecticut shores were Dutch traders Purchased land from the ‘Pequot Tribe’ and made a permanent settlement English settlers from the Massachusetts Bay Colony began exploring Connecticut English settler, Thomas Hooker from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, founded and colonized in the 1630’s Originally known as the River Colony Used as a haven for Puritans

Motivation Founded and built by the same class of people who colonized Massachusetts To practice the Puritan religion (unfertile religion in Boston) Disagreement between the powers of Massachusetts John Cotton (Thomas Hooker’s rival) exceeded him in winning public attention

Colonial Rule/ Political Structures Provisional government under a commission from Massachusetts Charter Oak- Established a self- government due to its refusal to surrender local authority to New England. Written constitution (fundamental orders of Connecticut) made by Thomas Hooker, John Haynes and Roger Ludlow On the banks of Connecticut was the birthplaces of modern democracy Basis for the United States Constitution

Land Division/ Rights 1633: Dutch planted a blockhouse on the valley of the Connecticut River English Lords, Saye and Brooke were granted land that extended west and southwest from Narragansett Bay 1635: Four sets of rival claiming land along the Connecticut River – The Dutch – Plymouth traders – Various emigrants from Massachusetts bay – Stiles party

Types of Settlements Saybrook- the fort John Winthrop built at the mouth of the Connecticut River John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton led emigrants (mainly from Massachusetts) and settled on the northern shore of Long Island Sound Puritan’s settled on the river valley and the northern shore The Dutch of New Amsterdam settled on the Connecticut Valley Colonial Settlements: -Windsor (1633) -Wethersfield (1634) -Saybrook (1635) -Hartford (1636) -New Haven (1638) -Fairfield (1639) -Guilford (1639) -Milford (1639) -Stratford (1639) -Farmington (1640) -Stamford (1641) -New London (1646)

Economic Activities Agriculture: wheat, corn and fishing Textile industry- variety of textiles and methods of textile production were developed Shifted Connecticut's economy from an agrarian economy to a manufacturing one

Labor Challenges Indian and African slavery was used in the 1600s Their society had not prepared Indians to work as laborers on farms or domestic servants As the African population grew, more Africans became slaves Their justification for this labor was that slavery gave the Africans the opportunity to live Christian lives in America The profits made in slave trade further supported the British merchants to increase their shipments of African to the colony 1680: only 30 slaves in Connecticut 1774: over 6,500 people (3.4% of the population) were African slaves

Religious/ Social Issues 1818 the first piece of written legislation which promised equality to all religions Connecticut was home to New England's largest Protestant church The First Cathedral in Bloomfield in Hartford County “Connecticut Yankee” – first Yankee settlers came from Great Britain but other ethnic groups and races were considered “Yankee's” by the end of the 17 th century Yankee characteristics- shrewdness, mechanical ingenuity and individualism “Connecticut Yankees” were famous as entrepreneurs, inventors and peddlers End of 19 th century “Yankees” included: descendants of Africans, French-Canadians, Germans, Irishmen, Italians, Poles, Russians and Swedes

Bibliography nd_colonies.htm nd_colonies.htm onnecticut.htm onnecticut.htm 1%20Early%20Industry%20and%20Inventions.html 1%20Early%20Industry%20and%20Inventions.html