Connecticut, often called the "Constitution State," joined the Union on January 9, 1788, as the fifth state. Known for its picturesque landscapes, from rolling hills to coastal harbors, Connecticut has significantly influenced the political and industrial history of the United States.
Connecticut's Native American History
The area now known as Connecticut saw its first inhabitants arrive more than 10,000 years ago. By the 16th century, various Native American tribes lived there, including the Mohegan, Pequot, Schaghticokes, Nipmuc and Niantic. These tribes resided in settled villages, cultivated crops and engaged in trade.
European settlers, including Dutch and English traders, arrived in the early 17th century. They established trading posts, transforming present-day Connecticut (“beside the long tidal river” in Algonquian) into a British colony.
Conflicts over trade control in the Connecticut River Valley between the Pequots and their Dutch allies and the English led to the Pequot War (1636-1637). The English joined forces with the Narragansett, Mohegan and River Indian tribes, and after heavy casualties on both sides, the Pequots were defeated, leaving approximately 200 of 3,000 Pequots surviving the war. The resulting Treaty of Hartford in 1938, the first Indian treaty, banned the Pequot name and required survivors to disperse to the Mohegan and Narragansett tribes.
King Philip's War (1675-1676), known as the First Indian War, marked an effort to end English settlement and authority in the region. An alliance of Narragansett, Wampanoag and other tribes fought the English, who had allied with the Mohegan and Mohawk tribes. Thousands of Native Americans died, and many others were sold into slavery, decimating the tribes.
Connecticut's Colonial History
In the early 1630s, settlers from Massachusetts established the towns of Windsor, Wethersfield and Hartford. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut of 1638 and 1639 are considered the first written constitution in America, giving the state its nickname, “The Constitution State.” The colony received a royal charter in 1662.
During the American Revolution (1765-1783), Connecticut was a key supplier of provisions, munitions and shipbuilding to the Continental Army and Connecticut Militia, thanks to its strategic location and robust manufacturing and farming capabilities. The state supplied tens of thousands of troops, including war heroes such as soldier-spy Nathan Hale and Gen. Israel Putnam.
In 1786, Connecticut ceded its land to the American government and became part of the Northwest Territory the following year. On Jan. 9, 1788, Connecticut ratified the U.S. Constitution, becoming the fifth state of the original 13 states to join the union.
Industrial Revolution and Economic Growth
Connecticut experienced both population and economic growth in the 1800s and was at the forefront of America’s Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. The state became a manufacturing hub, producing textiles, clocks, metal goods, firearms and more.
From 1790 to 1930, Connecticut residents received more patents than those in any other state. Samuel Colt’s invention of the Colt revolver in 1836 revolutionized the arms industry, while Eli Whitney's cotton gin and the subsequent development of interchangeable rifle parts manufacturing further solidified Connecticut's role as an industrial leader. In 1844, Charles Goodyear, born in New Haven, patented his vulcanization of rubber process, leading to products ranging from car tires to sneakers to pencil erasers.
Immigration and Social Change
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Connecticut saw significant immigration, with waves of Irish, Italian, Polish, and other European immigrants seeking work in the state’s factories. Connecticut also played a pivotal role in the abolitionist movement, banning slavery in 1848. The state, particularly the city of Farmington, was a crucial stop on the Underground Railroad, with many residents actively aiding enslaved people seeking freedom.
Connecticut in the 20th Century
In the 20th century, Connecticut continued to evolve industrially and socially. In 1900, Yale University in New Haven co-founded the country’s first School of Forestry, launching conservation efforts. Today, the state’s top agricultural crops include poultry, dairy, fruit and veggies, tobacco and forest and nursery products. Connecticut also produces clay, construction sand and gravel, and crushed stone.
As a major supplier of munitions during both World Wars, post-war Connecticut shifted toward a more diversified economy, with significant growth in finance, insurance, health care and aerospace industries. Hartford, home to Aetna and more than 100 other insurance companies, is known as the “Insurance Capital of the World.” Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky Aircraft are both located there. The state also has several prestigious universities, including Yale, the U.S.’s third-oldest college, established in 1701.
Connecticut Quick Facts
- Date of Statehood: Jan. 9, 1788
- Capital: Hartford
- Population: 3,605,944 (2020 U.S. Census)
- Size: 5,567 square miles
- Nickname: The Constitution State
- Motto: Qui Transtulit Sustinet (Latin for He Who Transplanted Still Sustains)
- Tree: Charter Oak
- Flower: Mountain Laurel
- Bird: American Robin
Connecticut Interesting Facts
- The Hartford Courant, established in 1764, is the nation’s oldest continuously published newspaper.
- Connecticut was home to the first telephone book, published in New Haven in 1878.
- Famous Connecticut residents include Nathan Hale, Benedict Arnold, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, P.T. Barnum and Katharine Hepburn.
- “Yankee Doodle” is the official state song.
- Connecticut is the third-smallest state in the country by area but ranks fourth in population density.
- Connecticut is sometimes called the “Nutmeg State” because early inhabitants were said to be so clever they could make and sell wooden nutmegs.
- The origins of the frisbee began at Yale University in 1871, when students threw pie pans from the Frisbie Pie Company for fun.
- George W. Bush is the only U.S. president born in Connecticut.
- The Wadsworth Atheneum, opened in 1844, is the nation’s oldest public art museum.
- Authors Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain were once neighbors in Hartford.
- Troop 1, the first Boy Scout troop, was established in 1907 in East Hartford.
- Noah Webster, born in Connecticut and a 1778 graduate of Yale, published the American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828.
Sources
Connecticut 235th Anniversary of Statehood (1788): January 9, 2023, census.gov
Selected Important Dates in Connecticut’s History, cga.ct.gov
Early History, ct.gov
45 Fun Facts About Connecticut You Probably Don’t Know, newenglandexplorer.co
Connecticut History, connecticuthistory.org
Battlefields of the Pequot War, pequotwar.org
Selected Important Dates in Connecticut History, portal.ct.gov