Connecticut

Connecticut Connecticut was founded by Thomas Hooker in 1636. Thomas Hooker was a Puritan minister. Thomas Hooker had left Massachusetts Bay and was followed by 100 settlers. They all had traveled together, all the way to Connecticut River. He had left because he thought that the government had too much power. He wanted to start his own colony where the government would have strict limits on power. When the colonists reached Connecticut, they planned out the government. They wrote the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. It was mostly like the government of Massachusetts, but there were some differences. All men who were property owners had the right to vote. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut also limited the government’s power. This idea helped encourage the idea of representative government. Most of Connecticut was covered by stony soils, which wasn’t that great for growing crops. In the Connecticut River Valley there was stone-free soil. Connecticut had hot summers and cold winters. There was snowfall in the winter. The growing season averaged 150 days. Colonists grew corn, pumpkins, beans, squash, and apples. They also raised cattle for beef and milk. Colonists worked as blacksmiths, carpenters, weavers, barrel makers, shopkeepers, and farmers. The colonists had slaves. Everyone in Connecticut was a Puritan. Connecticut became a separate colony in 1662. It was granted a charter by the King of England. After it became a separate state there were 15 cities in Connecticut. The major cities of Connecticut were Hartford and Haven. The colony was named for an Algonquin word, quinnehtukqut which means “beside the long tidal river”. Connecticut became a state on February 6, 1788. The purpose of founding Connecticut was for religious and economic freedom. Connecticut was part of the New England Colonies. Connecticut was a nice state with a good set of laws.