HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Prior to European settlement, Native American tribes including the Mohegan, Nipmuc, and Pequot resided in the area that would become Connecticut. Connecticut towns founded in the early 17th century by European settlers include Windsor (1633), Wethersfield (1634), and Saybrook (1635). Congregational minister Reverend Thomas Hooker and his followers from Massachusetts, seeking political and religious freedoms, established Hartford in 1636 and became part of Connecticut Colony. Hooker's beliefs formed the foundation of The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639), the first written constitution in the colonies that codified laws and allowed residents to elect public officials.