Summary:
An overview of the founding of Connecticut and the influence it has had on U.S. history despite its small size.
The first Polaroid camera was used in, the first hamburger ever consumed was in, the first telephone exchange was in, the first vacuum cleaner was invented in, the Constitution State is Connecticut, and the list goes on. Connecticut is one of the smallest states, but its impact has had a tremendous effect on the United States. The intention of this paper is to give a rationalization why Connecticut is an influential state.
Connecticut's first inhabitants, like many other states, were Native American. Connecticut was a small territory, but over 6,000 Indians subsisted in Connecticut before the Europeans came. One of the most influential tribes that lived along the south of the Thames River was the Pequot tribe. Another major tribe was the Mohegan and they lived in present day Norwich, Connecticut. Other tribes that branched off from the Pequot tribe were the Quinnipiac, Saukiog, Siwanog, Tunxis, and Wangunk. Together these tribes formed the Algonkian language group.
In 1614, Adriaen Block explored the land around the Connecticut River. It was not until later, 1633, that the first settlement was established in Hartford, previously called New Hope. When the colonist was in search of a place to colonize they were searching for a place with fertile soil. Even though Hartford had fertile soil, this settlement by the Dutch was not a serious attempt to colonize in Connecticut; as a result they concentrated on colonizing in the Manhattan Island area. Eventually, one man with hopes to move from harsh treatment and wanted to find "a more promising physical environment" attempted to colonize in Connecticut, this man alone had over 1,000 followers; this man is named Thomas Hooker. He moved from the Massachusetts Bay area into the land claimed by the Dutch in the Connecticut Valley. Other early settlers had different hopes and dreams from Thomas Hooker; these men were Reverend John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton. They wanted what we call the "best of both worlds", a trading post and a Bible Commonwealth. They were not so successful in establishing a trading post, but did a tremendous job in forming a colony with God fearing Puritans. Other famous early settlements were Guilford, Milford, Stamford, and Southold.
Ultimately, with settlers expanding westward it was inevitable that they would clash with the tribes and Indians of Connecticut. This clash is known as the Pequot War. Things began to heat up when unfair trading, the sale of alcohol, destruction of Pequot crops, and competition over hunting ground began. To heat things up even more, the Pequot Indians killed a settler named John Oldham, which is when war officially broke out. Colonist allied themselves with the Mohegan and Narragansett tribe to fight the Pequot tribe. The Pequot was defeated and over 400-700 Pequot women, men, and children died. The few Pequot Indians that remained were sold into slavery in Bermuda.
Natural Resources of an area are just has important as the people that inhabit the area. If the people do not take full advantage of the vicinity's natural resources then they will go to waste. Connecticut has many natural resources; this is true considering the geographical placement of the area. The natural resources of Connecticut include apples, oranges, beef, hay, mushrooms, tobacco, clams, oysters, lobster, scallops, flounder, and very fertile soil. Natural resources are also a result of geographical form. Connecticut is mainly covered in forests, mountainous areas, and has a large number of rivers and lakes. It consists of bays and natural harbors that line Connecticut's shores. A few natural features include the Housatonic River, Niantic Bay, West State Park, New Haven Harbor, and Candlewood. Sixty percent of the land area of Connecticut is farmland. In saying that, farmland, with no doubt, is the heart of Connecticut's most vital business, agriculture. Farmland secures the food and fiber producing land resource base.
" I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." A lot of people have heard this famous quote, but have yet to neither understand nor grasp the concept of the importance of it. The man who said this was described as "the idol of all his acquaintances." Not only did this man define the concept of dignity but he was also endearing. This man was educated to the highest degree of his day; he attended Yale College, at the age of fourteen, and was among the top thirteen scholars in his class. He helped establish Yale's first secular library. This man was Nathan Hale. He was born in June 1755 in Coventry, Connecticut. He was fair skin, light blue eyes, and stood less than six feet tall. He was a staunch Puritan, who was a young schoolteacher at the Union Grammar School in New London, Connecticut. He also taught a talented educated group of young ladies called the "twenty young ladies." When the Revolutionary War broke out, he enlisted in the militia, even though he was not of age. He was commissioned an officer of the 7th Connecticut regiment. He volunteered for a dangerous mission of retrieving information about the British forces on Long Island. He was captured and hung on an apple tree in Rutger's Orchard without a trial.
Connecticut, stated earlier, is a small state but very important to this country's history. Many influential people have arisen and fell in Connecticut's soil. The state has natural resources that cover basically the necessities of life. Even though this state got off on a rough foot, like most things it remained strong and survived though the storms.
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