The area now known as Connecticut saw its first inhabitants arrive more than 10,000 years ago. By the 16th century, various NativeAmerican 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 1638, 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.
Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin. Samuel Colt invented the Colt, and Charles Goodyear revolutionized tires.
