Connecticut

Connecticut (English pronunciation: /kəˈnɛtɪkət/) is one of the fifty states that, together with Washington, D.C., make up the United States of America. Its capital is Hartford and its most populated city, Bridgeport. It is located in the Northeast region of the country, New England division, and is bordered to the north by Massachusetts, to the east by Rhode Island, to the south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the west by the state of New York. With 14,357 km², it is the third smallest state - ahead of Delaware and Rhode Island, the smallest - and with 249 inhabitants/km², the third most densely populated, behind New Jersey and Rhode Island. It was admitted to the Union on January 9, 1788, as the 5th state.

Its main source of income is the provision of economic-financial and real estate services. The state capital, Hartford, is known nationally as Insurance City, due to the large number of insurance companies that are located in the city.

It was one of the Thirteen Colonies originally established by the United Kingdom. The colony of Connecticut was the first subdivision located in what is now the United States of America to have a written Constitution, called Fundamental Orders, or First Orders, adopted on January 14, 1639. This Constitution colonial would serve as the basis for the formation of the American Constitution. Connecticut officials played an essential role in passing the "Great Compromise" made at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which gave the United States Congress its current form. Because of these events, the state is nicknamed The Constitution State, and the Great Compromise of 1787 became known nationally as the Connecticut Compromise. On January 9, 1788, it became the fifth American state.

The origin of the name "Connecticut" comes from the Mohegan word Quinnehtujqut, meaning "Place of the Long River." The first Europeans to settle permanently in the region were English Puritans, coming from Massachusetts, in 1633. The Nutmeg State is another popular nickname and the inhabitants of this state are known nationally as a "nutmegger."

 

Regions

Fairfield County
Southwest Connecticut, near New York City. This area has many beaches and lighthouses and many of the state's largest cities such as Bridgeport, Stamford and Norwalk.

Litchfield Hills
Northwest Connecticut. This is where you'll find the less dense areas of variegated foliage in the fall. There are some smaller towns like Torrington, Danbury and New Milford.

Connecticut River Valley
From North Central Connecticut to the coast. The Knowledge Corridor is home to New England's second largest region, the Connecticut state capital of Hartford, and many historical landmarks.

Greater New Haven
South Central Connecticut. Yale University is located here, as well as numerous museums and theaters. It includes cities like New Haven and Milford.

Mystic Eastern
New London, Tolland, and Windham counties in eastern Connecticut. A good place to get a view of the Long Island Sound with its beaches and the famous Mystic Seaport/Aquarium. Has two of the largest casinos in the world. Includes cities like New London, Mystic, Uncasville and Ledyard.

 

Cities

Bridgeport - most populous city in Connecticut
Bristol
Hartford - the capital of Connecticut
New Haven - the most interesting tourist city in the state, home of Yale University
Waterbury
Norwich
New-London

Danbury

 

Destinations

Bara-Hack Ghost Town Bara- Hack is an abandoned ghost town near Pomfret, Connecticut. It was found by Welsh immigrants in 1780's.

Dudleytown. Ruins of Dudleytown draws ghost hunters in hopes to find evidence of paranormal activity that allegedly manifests here.

Leatherman. Leatherman background is one of the most tragic love stories full of hopelessness and redemption of one unfortunate man.

Sleeping Giant State Park: Looking from the north and south, the hills look like a sleeping giant. Well-marked hiking trails criss-cross the park. The paths are mostly easy and only occasionally steep. We chose a circular route and hiked for about two and a half hours. There was also some easy climbing. What I didn't know beforehand: From the main parking lot, a path suitable for prams leads up to the observation tower on the left hip of the giant.
Dinosaur State Park:
Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Connecticut

 

Getting here

By Airplane
Within the state
Bradley International Airport (BDL IATA) in Windsor Locks, Connecticut is the largest airport in the state. Its proximity to Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts, is rapidly increasing its ridership. Its location north of Hartford makes it inaccessible to northeastern and northwestern interstate residents, but convenient for inland residents. For residents outside the center, flights to New York State, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island may be more convenient. Still, it is the third largest and second busiest airport in New England, making it a suitable alternative destination when all other airports have failed. The airport is named for Eugene M. Bradley, who was killed in action during a training exercise in 1941.
Waterbury-Oxford Airport (Waterbury-Oxford Airport).
Sikorsky-Memmle Airport (BDR IATA) in Stratford serves private aircraft charter flights.
Danbury Municipal Airport (DXR IATA) in Danbury is used primarily for general aviation.
Danielson Airport, located in Danielson, is primarily used for general aviation.
Tweed New Haven Regional Airport (HVN IATA) is a smaller airport with flights to Philadelphia.
Meriden Airport in Meriden (Meriden Airport) offers private air charters.

Out of State
New York's LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark airports are common for travelers in the western part of the state. These are all larger airports than in-state airports and offer more flight opportunities. However, for travelers to the eastern part of the state, these airports are too far away to be very convenient.
Boston's Logan International Airport is one of two airports suitable for travelers with eastern state destinations, but it is far from major Connecticut cities such as Hartford and New Haven. Still, it is about a 60-90 minute drive along the I-395 corridor, making this airport a solid choice for visitors to northeastern Connecticut, especially with the number of flights it offers.
T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, is a great alternative to Boston if you are traveling to the eastern half of Connecticut. The airport covers many domestic flights and quite a few international flights, often only an hour's drive from your destination.
Westchester County Airport is the closest civilian airport to the Fairfield County subregion. However, this is for U.S. domestic flights only.

By Ferry.
The Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Ferry runs daily across Long Island Sound between Port Jefferson, Long Island and Bridgeport, Connecticut. It carries vehicles and passengers. The Cross Sound Ferry connects New London, Connecticut, with Orient Point, New York, the easternmost point of the Long Island North Fork.

By Train.
Amtrak trains connect Penn Station, New York, and South Station, Boston, with frequent service to destinations in Connecticut. MetroNorth provides frequent service between Grand Central Station in Manhattan and several cities and towns in Fairfield and New Haven Counties in southwestern Connecticut. MetroNorth provides frequent weekday commuter service from several cities and towns in

Bus
Similar to rail, intercity buses provide frequent service between South Station in Boston and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, with stops throughout Connecticut. Major bus companies serving Connecticut include Peter Pan and Greyhound.

By Car.
If you are driving into Connecticut from the west, there are three main routes to choose from. Interstate 84 enters Danbury, Connecticut from Pennsylvania and the lower Hudson Valley of New York State and continues to Waterbury, Hartford, and Worcester. The Merritt Parkway, which is closed to truck and bus traffic, enters Connecticut from Westchester County, New York, and is considered one of the most scenic highways in the United States because its design matches the pastoral greenery of the surrounding suburbs. The Parkway extension tunnels under the hills north of New Haven and continues to Meriden, where it joins Interstate 91 and heads north toward Hartford. Interstate 95 crosses the U.S. East Coast from Maine to Florida and runs east to west along the Connecticut coast. According to federal highway signs, I-95 North actually travels eastward through Connecticut, while I-95 South travels westward through Connecticut. Between New York and New Haven, I-95 passes through densely populated suburbs and is heavily congested. East of New Haven (north according to directional signs on the road) I-95 passes through more rural coastal towns and is less congested.

To enter Connecticut from Boston, one would take the Massachusetts Turnpike (also known as Interstate 90) west to I-84 (two-lane road) or Route 6 (two-lane road), or take Interstate 95 from Rhode Island.

Fuel in Connecticut is more expensive than in New York State or Massachusetts.

 

Local Transport

By Car.
A car is the easiest way to get around the state and is best if you plan on sightseeing. Major highways such as I-95, I-84, I-91, and I-395 run through the state.

By Bus
Connecticut Transit, 100 Leibert Road, ☏ +1 860 522-8101, fax: +1 860 247-1810. Hartford.
Bridgeport has its own service.
Hartford County is also served by the express bus transportation CT Fastrak.

By Train.
There are eight commuter rail lines connecting most major cities and towns. New Haven is a major hub connecting all of these commuter rail lines and the Amtrak line.

Metro-North New Haven Line - runs daily between New York's Grand Central Terminal and New Haven's State Street Station, with stops in Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, Milford, and New Haven.
Metro North New Canaan Branch - Daily service between Stamford's Stamford Station in Stamford and New Canaan's New Canaan Station in New Canaan. Stops include Glenbrook and Sprigdale in Stamford, Talmadge Hill in New Canaan, and downtown New Canaan.
Metro North Waterbury Branch - Daily service between Bridgeport (Bridgeport) and Waterbury (Waterbury) with stops in Shelton, Ansonia, Beacon Falls, and Waterbury.
CT Rail Hartford Line - Daily service from New Haven Union Station (New Haven) to Springfield Union Station (Springfield), with stops in Shelton, Ansonia, Beacon Falls, and Waterbury.
Metro North Danbury Branch - Daily service between South Norwalk Station (Norwalk) and Danbury Station (Danbury).
Amtrak Hartford Line - daily service between New Haven Union Station (New Haven) and Greenfield Station (Greenfield), New Haven, Wallingford, Berlin, Hart Ford, Windsor, Springfield, Holyoke, and Greenfield.
CT Rail Shoreline East - Daily service between New Haven Union Station (New Haven) and New London Union Station (New London) with stops in New Haven, Wallingford, Berlin, Hartford, Windsor, Springfield, Holyoke, and Greenfield.
Amtrak Northeast Corridor - Daily service from Union Station in Washington, D.C. to South Station in Boston, with stops in Stamford, Bridgeport, New Haven, and New London.

 

Language

Due to its proximity to immigrant gateways such as historic Ellis Island, many of Connecticut's towns and cities have a strong minority culture.

Historically, Connecticut was settled by English, Scots, Irish, and Germans, but most of Connecticut's large cities today, including Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, and Waterbury, are populated by Latinos. Some areas, including New Britain, are known for their large Polish communities, New Haven's Chinatown is crowded with Mandarin speakers, and Wooster Street serves as the city's "Little Italy." Indeed, the southwestern part of the state in particular has a large population of residents of Italian heritage, while the northeastern part of Connecticut has a large population of French-Canadian heritage. The northeastern part of Connecticut is also home to a large population of people of French-Canadian heritage.

Because of their location, there are several variations of American English in the regions of Connecticut. For example, many people in Fairfield County speak English that resembles a New York accent (probably due to the county's proximity to New York), while some people in northern and northeastern Connecticut speak English that resembles a Boston accent. On the other hand, some people in northern and northeastern Connecticut have accents that resemble Boston accents. In some places, other languages have merged with American English to create entirely new accents. If anything, the speaking style in Connecticut is not uniform.

Spanish is the most widely spoken second language due to the large urban Latino population, and a significant portion of the rest of the population understands it, at least to some extent, as it is the most common foreign language choice in schools. French is also taught in schools to some extent, but is not widely known, except among older French-Canadians. Other languages are rarely understood, except by certain ethnic minorities.

 

Restaurants

Connecticut is crammed with restaurants everywhere. Downtown New Haven has more top-notch Zagat-rated restaurants than any other Connecticut city. Interesting ethnic restaurants including Eritrean, Malaysian, Turkish, Spanish, French, Mexican, Cuban, Jamaican, Ethiopian, Lebanese, Vietnamese, Thai, South and North Indian, Nepalese, Cantonese and Italian restaurants can be found throughout the city. The state's major casinos also have many restaurants.

Connecticut, especially New Haven, is known for its old-fashioned thin-crust pizza, locally referred to as "apizza".

Southington, Connecticut, between Hartford and Waterbury, is famous for its many apple orchards. This small town of forty thousand people has an incredible variety and supply of apples and celebrates its staple with the annual harvest festival in October. Those traveling through this beautiful state in the fall must stop in Southington for a bag of apple fritters and other staples made from the city's famous apples.

 

Drinks

Alcohol may only be sold Monday-Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Bars and other establishments can sell inside from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday.

Discover Connecticut's craft beer culture, which boasts great microbreweries, quality brewpubs and beer bars, homebrew supply stores, and beer festivals. Many breweries offer tours of their facilities and free tastings.

 

Stay Safe

Crime
Connecticut is known for its affluence and is the third wealthiest state in the U.S., but some of the state's larger cities (especially Bridgeport, New Haven, and Waterbury) can be dangerous, especially at night. However, Connecticut is widely considered one of the safest states in the nation, so common sense will keep you away from any signs of trouble.

Dani.
Connecticut is the birthplace of the infamous Lyme disease. Take precautions to avoid tick bites and seek medical attention as soon as possible if you see a bull's-eye shaped rash around the bite site or develop flu-like symptoms after walking in areas where ticks may be present (such as forests). The tick season typically runs from spring to fall.

Weather.
Connecticut is known for its rapidly changing weather. Be prepared for freezing temperatures and blizzards in the winter and thunderstorms in the spring and summer.

 

Geography

Connecticut is bordered to the north by Massachusetts, to the east by Rhode Island, to the south by Long Island Sound, and to the west by New York. Most of its coastline does not have direct contact with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, but with the waters of Long Island Sound, an estuary of numerous rivers.

The main river that crosses the state is the Connecticut River, and it has about a thousand lakes, although all of them are small in size; the vast majority of these lakes were formed through ancient glaciers melting thousands of years ago. Forests cover more than 60% of the state.

Connecticut can be divided into five distinct geographic regions:

The Coastal Plains form a narrow strip of land, between 6 and 16 kilometers thick, that extends along the coastline with Long Island Sound. They have the lowest altitudes in the state, in addition to having flatter and less rugged terrain than the other four regions.
The Western New England Plateau occupies most of the western region. It is between 300 and 427 meters high, and the highest altitude regions are located to the northwest, decreasing as you travel south or east.
The Eastern New England Plateau is the largest of Connecticut's five geographic regions, occupying the eastern region of the state. The Plateau is crossed by several narrow rivers, and is mostly covered by forests. It has lower altitudes than the Western Plateau, with few peaks exceeding 370 meters in altitude.
The Lower Valleys of Connecticut are a strip of land that runs along the north-central coast, approximately 30 kilometers wide. These valleys form the Connecticut River watershed. This region has lower altitudes than the surrounding Plateaus, with peaks between 90 and 180 meters high being the highest points in the region.
The Northwest Section is a small piece of land located in the far northwest. It is characterized by its rocky and rugged terrain, and its altitude. The highest point in the state, which is 725 meters high, is located in this region.

 

Climate

It has a temperate climate, and relatively homogeneous throughout the state, due to its small territorial area. In general, the mountainous regions in the northwest and northeast record the lowest average temperatures while, on the coast, average temperatures are higher. Connectitut's climate is softened by the presence of large bodies of water in the south of the state.

In the winter, Connectitut has an average temperature of -3°C. The average of the minimum is -7 °C, and the average of the maximum is 3 °C. The lowest temperature recorded in Connecticut was -36°C, in Falls Village, on February 16, 1943.

In the summer, it has an average temperature of 22 °C. The average of the minimum is 15 °C, and the average of the maximum is 28 °C. The highest temperature recorded was 41°C, in Danbury, on July 15, 1995.

The average annual rainfall rate is 119 centimeters. The average annual snowfall rate varies between 90 centimeters in the northwest to 64 centimeters along the southwestern coast of the state.

 

History

The written history of Connecticut begins in the early 17th century, when three initial settlements were founded, later united by royal charter in 1663. From the very beginning, the colony was distinguished by religious, political and social conservatism, a mono-ethnic population and a rapidly developing economy. Connecticut actively participated in the events of the American Revolution, and after the war became known as a bastion of conservatism and federalism. Pastors Thomas Hooker and Samuel Stone brought the first colonists here in 1636 and founded the settlement of Hartford, named for the birthplace of Hooker, who himself became known as the "Father of Connecticut." Two more settlements were founded later, which in 1639 drew up the Fundamental Rules of Connecticut, a document sometimes called the first Constitution in history. The new colony had to wage long territorial disputes with the Province of New York and the Province of Pennsylvania. In 1701, Yale University was founded.

Connecticut was a staunch opponent of British colonial policy, there were almost no Loyalists here, and when clashes with the British army began in 1775, the inhabitants of the colony immediately joined the fighting in the Revolutionary War. In 1788, Connecticut was one of the first to ratify the US Constitution and became the 5th state of the Union. This state became an outpost of federalism, advocated trade with England and opposed the War of 1812. Since the 1830s, the state began to free slaves and completely got rid of slavery in 1848. During the Civil War, the state provided the army with 30 infantry regiments and a lot of military supplies. After the war, Connecticut became the heart of John Morgan's railroad empire.

 

Precolonial History

During the last glaciation, the territory of Connecticut was under a glacier, so the first people (Paleo-Indians) were able to penetrate here only 13,000 years before the present. The sea level was lower then, so the territories that are now below sea level could have been populated. The first signs of human presence were discovered at the Templeton archaeological site near the town of Washington. They date back to 10490 years before the present. Connecticut was then still tundra, inhabited by mastodons, mammoths and giant beavers. People then lived by hunting and gathering (mostly the latter), constantly moving around the area. At present, the Paleo-Indian period is not well studied, since its artifacts are located at a fairly great depth.

7000 years BC. The Archaic period began, the climate became warmer and drier. People learned to make an ax, adze and chisel. Canoes appeared. During the Late Archaic Period, the climate became even drier, and the Chelochek now settled along large rivers and used temporary settlements (base camps), one of which is now known as the Kirby Brook Site. At that time, the territory of Connecticut was inhabited by two ethnic groups: the Narrow Point and the Laurentians (later Broad Spear). At the Dibble Creek 1 site, evidence of trade between these two groups was found. The former knew how to fish and make fishing gear, and the latter knew how to make soapstone pottery, which they traded.

750 BC. The Archaic Period ended and the Woodland Period began. At this time, soapstone pottery was replaced by ceramic pottery. The Broad Spear group disappears, and their territory is inhabited by the Narrow Point group. Few sites from this period have been found, which may indicate a decrease in the population at this time. During this period, the first wampum and the first smoking pipes appeared. Tobacco was used for medicinal and ritual purposes at that time, but not for entertainment. In the middle and late Woodland period (300-1524), corn appeared, which forced people to switch to a more sedentary lifestyle. Pottery became more complex, thinner, with narrower necks, and ceramic decoration techniques developed. Large settlements such as Haycock-Benson-Palmer-Site or Morgan-Site are known from that period.

With the arrival of Europeans, the so-called "Late Woodland Period" (1524-1633) began, when new forms of trade were formed, but at the same time new diseases appeared. Some ancient trade routes have survived and have survived to the present day. For example, modern Route 7 replaced the Old Berkshire Road, which previously connected several large Indian settlements and led from them to Canada.

 

European colonization

In the early 17th century, explorer Henry Hudson discovered the Hudson River, and impressed by his achievements, a group of Amsterdam merchants decided to hire a ship to continue their exploration. In 1611, Adrien Block and Hendrik Christiansen set off for America on this ship. They returned with many valuable goods, and two more ships were equipped for a repeat expedition: the Tiger, commanded by Block, and the Fortune, commanded by Christiansen. In late 1613, Block's ship burned on the Hudson, but the crew built a new one, the Onrust, and sailed east of the Hudson, where they discovered the Housatonic River and the Connecticut River. Block explored and mapped the coast as far as the coast of what would become Massachusetts, met the Fortune there, and returned to Holland on it, commissioning the Onrust to continue his exploration. Block returned to Holland in July 1614. Having studied the information received, the States General issued a grant to the United Company of New Netherland to develop the coast of New Netherland - the territory between the British colony of Virginia and French Canada. The grant was valid until 1618. During this time, no settlements were founded, but the fur trade was quite active. In 1618, the monopoly on trade for the company was abolished. In the spring of 1624, several Dutch ships with colonists arrived in New Netherland, and several settlements were founded. One of them was founded at the mouth of the Connecticut River and was called Saybrook Point. But two years later, its inhabitants moved to New Amsterdam. In 1632, the governor of New Netherland, Wouter van Twiller, declared the mouth of the Connecticut River to be the property of Holland and nailed the Dutch coat of arms to a tree. In 1633, Jacob van Courtlandt purchased a plot of land on the site of modern Hartford and built a small fort there. Shortly before this, in 1631, a group of Connecticut Indians, suffering from attacks by the Pequots, came to the English in Plymouth and began to persuade them to settle on the Connecticut River. In the summer of 1632, Edward Winslow, the future governor of the Plymouth Colony, explored the Connecticut River and bought a plot of land from the Indians near modern Windsor. The following year, Fort Windsor and the settlement appeared. In the same year, a detachment of Dutch demanded that the Plymouth colonists leave Windsor, but they turned up, and the Dutch decided not to bring things to war and abandoned their plans to colonize the shores of Connecticut.

In 1633, the Protestant leader Thomas Hooker arrived in the Massachusetts colony on the ship Griffin with a group of colonists. They settled near Boston but quickly became disillusioned with the conditions and methods of governing the colony. Soon the dissatisfied began to gradually migrate west: in 1634, John Oldham of Waterton explored the Connecticut River valley and founded the settlement of Wethersfield there. In 1635, residents of the town of Dorchester founded the town of Windsor nearby. Thomas Hooker and his supporters decided to follow their example, but in 1635 it became known that the land west of the Narrangansset River had been granted by royal grant to the Earl of Warwick, and in his name, Lord Say and Seal and Baron Brooke sent Winthrop the Younger there, who built a fort at the mouth of the Connecticut River, received the title of "Governor of the Connecticut River" and founded a colony, named "Saybrook" in honor of his patrons. Hooker began negotiations with Winthrop and received permission to settle on these lands with the promise of compensation for losses in the event that the owners of the colony refused to allow them to live there. In 1636, Hooker left Newtown, traveled overland to Connecticut and founded a settlement there, which was also named Newtown, but in 1638 he renamed it Hartford in honor of the English city of Hartford. In the same year, 1636, the preacher Roger Williams was accused of heresy by the Massachusetts authorities, fled, and founded the colony of Rhode Island.

 

Connecticut Colony

On May 31, 1638, Thomas Hooker gave a speech to a meeting of the colonists declaring that the power of choosing magistrates belonged to the people, and that the people who chose them had the right to limit their powers. The source of power, he said, was the free consent of the people, and the people would more readily obey those whom they themselves had chosen. On January 14, 1639, the representatives of the colony met in Hartford and adopted what is known as the Fundamental Rules, which are sometimes considered the first written constitution. Hooker himself was probably the author of the laws. In April of that year, the colonists elected their first officials to administrative positions. John Haynes became the first governor, and Roger Ludlow became the first lieutenant governor.

 

New Haven Colony

In 1637, Puritan preacher John Davenport arrived in Boston, but he, too, was not pleased with the religious controversies in the colony, so his followers began to look for a place for a separate settlement. In 1638, they traveled to the mouth of the Quinnipiac River, where they bought land from the Indians and founded the settlement of New Haven. The colonists maintained good relations with the Indians from the very beginning, and thus avoided conflicts. In June 1639, the colonists formulated the laws of the colony, in which decisions were made only by church members, the government was headed by the "seven pillars of the church," and Theophilus Eaton was elected the first governor. That same year, a group of Puritans founded the settlement of Milford nearby.

 

The New England Confederation

As early as 1637, it was understood that the New England colonies needed some form of union. The Pequot War distracted from these plans, but in May 1639, Thomas Hooker and John Haynes visited Boston and again raised the issue of such a union. As a result, a league was formed from the colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Haven, and Plymouth Colony (Massachusetts refused to accept the colony of Rhode Island into the union). At the head of the union was a council of 8 deputies, two from each colony, who elected the president. In order to avoid drawing each other into conflicts, it was decided that the members of the league did not have the right to start a war with anyone without the consent of 6 of the 8 deputies. At that time, the danger of Indian attacks was so great that the English and the Dutch agreed not to sell weapons to the Indians, but at the same time suspected each other of violating this agreement. In 1650, the governor of New Amsterdam, Peter Stuyvesant, visited Hartford, where the first international negotiations in American history took place. On September 17, Stuyvesant signed the Treaty of Hartford, which specified the border on Long Island and the border between Connecticut and the Dutch possessions.

In 1651, the First Anglo-Dutch War began. The Confederacy spent a long time deciding whether there were grounds for participating in the war, but in 1654, a British fleet arrived in the colony, and the Confederacy put up a militia: 300 people from Massachusetts, 200 from Connecticut, and 133 from New Haven. But the war ended before this army could act against the Dutch.

In 1660, the Stuarts returned to power in England, which caused concern in the colonies, especially Connecticut and New Haven, which did not have royal land grants. In March 1661, the General Council of Connecticut declared to the king that the inhabitants of the colony had always been loyal subjects, and asked for confirmation of all existing rights and privileges. The New Haven colony joined this request. Winthrop the Younger personally went to England, where on April 23, 1662, he secured approval of his petition. The Royal Charter of 1662 established that Connecticut would be governed as before, by a governor and elected assistants. The colony itself maintained internal order and defense measures, controlled commerce and immigration, baptized Indians, and formed its own Assembly. The inhabitants of the colony received legal status and all the rights of Englishmen. The laws of the colony were not to contradict the laws of England, and all decrees were issued in the name of the king. The charter specified the boundaries of the colony, which stretched west to the "South Sea" (the Pacific Ocean). The lands of the New Haven colony ended up within the borders of Connecticut, so the Connecticut authorities offered them to formally join their colony. Many New Haven settlers, dissatisfied with the harsh laws of their colony, agreed to this offer. The residents of New Haven were given equal rights with Connecticut residents and were promised not to create problems for their churches. Many New Haven colonists did not make such a union and even planned to move to New Netherland, but in 1664 the Dutch colony was conquered by England and the resettlement plans did not come to fruition. On December 13, 1664, the colonists voted to join Connecticut.

Connecticut had to accept the conquest of the Dutch colony of New Netherland by England, even though the territory was considered part of Connecticut and its renunciation effectively cut Connecticut off from its formally owned lands to the west, on the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers.

Despite the charter, Connecticut's borders remained disputed. The border with the Massachusetts colony was poorly defined (land surveyors drew the border inaccurately); to the east, Rhode Island claimed part of Connecticut's lands, and to the west, Connecticut had not finally renounced its rights. A special commission in 1665 ruled that the border between Connecticut and Rhode Island would be determined by the king, but Charles II did nothing, and the dispute dragged on for decades.

 

Crown Colony

Since the time of the Pequot War, relations between the colonists and the Indians remained peaceful, but in 1675, a Christian Indian was killed by the Indians, and his murderers were caught and hanged by the authorities of the colony. This was the beginning of a conflict between the Plymouth Colony and a leader named King Philip, and escalated into a war known as King Philip's War. At the beginning of the war, the Indians did not touch the Connecticut colonists, probably remembering the consequences of the Pequot War, but all the colonies fielded militias to help Plymouth: Connecticut sent 300 militia and 150 allied Indians (Pequots and Mohegans). By the summer of 1675, the fighting had already affected the Connecticut River Valley. On December 19, the colonists defeated the Indians in a battle on the Great Swamp, after which peace negotiations began, but they led to nothing and in the spring of 1676, hostilities resumed. It was not until the summer that the Indians were defeated, and King Philip was captured. This war was harder than the previous Pequot War: now the Indians had firearms and knew the enemy well. More than 1,000 colonists died in the fighting, and hundreds of homes were destroyed.

At the same time, a conflict with the province of New York began. In 1674, the king granted his brother James a charter for the territory, which included the western lands of Connecticut. Edmund Andros became governor of New York, and on July 8, 1675, he appeared at Fort Saybrook and demanded that the garrison surrender the fort. The garrison refused, and Andros decided not to bring the matter to war. An agreement was soon reached under which Connecticut relinquished its claims to part of Rhode Island, and New York relinquished its claims to western Connecticut. In 1685, King Charles II died, and James II ascended the throne, revoking the charters of the New England colonies and forming the Dominion of New England, of which Andros became governor. He demanded that Connecticut grant the royal charter of 1662 and join the dominion. On October 31, 1687, he personally appeared in Hartford for the charter. The negotiations dragged on until dark and were held by candlelight. At some point, a member of the government, Andrew Leath, knocked over the candles, they went out, and when they were lit, the charter was not in place. She was abducted, taken out of the building, and hidden in the hollow of an oak tree, which has since become known as the Charter Oak.

Andros dissolved the government of the colony and began to rule it himself. He increased taxes and introduced fees, for example, for marriage. In 1688, a Glorious Revolution took place in England, the king was overthrown, and Governor Andros was arrested and imprisoned. The Charter was returned to its place, and Robert Treat became governor again.

By the end of the 17th century, the demographic situation in the colony began to change. By 1690, there were only 30 towns in Connecticut, but by 1720 there were 20 more. The influx of migrants from Massachusetts and the intensive settlement of the western outskirts of the colony began. From 1670 to 1700, the colony's population grew from 12,000 to 30,000, and by 1730 it had doubled. In 1701, the residents petitioned to create their own college in the colony, because it was expensive for them to send their children to study at Harvard. As a result, a Collegiate school was founded, which since 1716 was permanently located in New Haven and was named the Yale School in honor of one of the patrons, Eliyahu Yale. In the 18th century, she trained mostly priests.

From 1700 to 1750, many roads were built in the colony that connected Providence, Boston, and Hartford. Coastal cities expanded their harbors and port facilities. Since 1700, the number of black slaves began to grow. The average slave owner in Connecticut had 1-2 slaves who lived and worked with their masters. Slaves had the right to life and property, and could file complaints about mistreatment by their masters.

In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, several wars between Britain and France took place in North America. In 1689, the War of King William began: the fighting took place mainly near Albany. An invasion of Canada was planned, but when Fitz-John Winthrop led a detachment to Lake Champlain, the plague epidemic prevented the campaign, and peace was signed in 1697. In 1702, the War of Queen Anne began; in February 1704, the French attacked the Massachusetts settlements in the upper reaches of the Connecticut River, and Connecticut itself was expecting similar attacks. In 1709, an invasion of Canada was planned again, and the New England militia gathered in Albany, but this time the campaign was canceled. In 1710, Connecticut militia participated in the conquest of Acadia. In that war, Connecticut fielded only 700 people, and the costs were so high that the colony had to issue paper money.

In 1744, a third conflict began: King George's War. Connecticut troops participated in attacks on Spanish colonies and suffered heavy losses due to disease. Then France entered the war, and Shirley, the governor of Massachusetts, attacked Louisbourg with colonial troops. The army was commanded by William Pepperell, with Connecticut's Roger Wolcott serving as his deputy. On May 1, 1745, the army landed at Louisbourg, and on June 17, the siege of Louisbourg ended with the city's capitulation. It was a major victory, won without the help of the regular British army, but as a result of peace negotiations, the British government returned Louisbourg to France, to the displeasure of Connecticut, which had gained nothing from the war except losses and expenses.

 

French and Indian War

In 1754, the French began to develop the Ohio River Valley, which led to a conflict with the Virginia Colony, which laid claim to these lands, and escalated into the French and Indian War. The Braddock Expedition, sent by the British government to the Ohio Valley, was defeated at the site of modern-day Pittsburgh. After the death of General Braddock, William Shirley, Governor of Massachusetts, became commander in the region. He decided to launch an attack on Fort Niagara and Crown Point (then Fort St. Frederick), with himself leading the attack on Fort Niagara, and the attack on Crown Point being led by William Johnson and Connecticut lawyer Phineas Lyman. Johnson's force, recruited mainly in New England, managed to defeat the French at the Battle of Lake George, during which Johnson was wounded and Lyman took command of the army. He did not continue the offensive and limited himself to building Fort William Henry. In the following years, the French counterattacked and captured Forts Oswego and William Henry. Only in 1758 did the British manage to go on the offensive, recapture the forts, and capture all of Canada. In 1760, the war on the North American continent ended.

The war required great expenditures from Connecticut and resulted in serious human losses, although the colony's economy flourished: Connecticut farmers supplied the British army with meat, flour, grain, and many military goods.

 

American Revolution

When the war with France began to end, the Connecticut trading campaigns decided to resume land development attempts in the west, on the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers, which caused objections from the Indians, Pennsylvania and the British government. Despite this, in 1760, the Connecticut people founded a settlement on the Delaware River, and in 1762 in the Wyoming Valley. But in 1763, the war ended, Britain tried not to annoy the Indians, and Governor Fitch was ordered to stop advancing west. In the summer of 1763, the Pontiac Uprising began. On October 15, Indians entered the Wyoming Valley and destroyed a Connecticut settlement there. By 1764, the uprising had been suppressed, but the British government decided to move to stricter management of the colonies and impose taxes on military needs there.

The news of the impending taxes sent first Boston and then Connecticut into a panic. Before the protest movement was formed, the British parliament passed the Sugar Act (1764), and then began to prepare a Law on stamp Duty. Connecticut sent its representative, Jared Ingersoll, to England, who began campaigning in parliament against this law. He failed to prevent the passage of the law, but he negotiated for himself the position of distributor of stamp stamps in Connecticut. Governor Fitch also accepted this decision. But there were protests among the people, and Jonathan Trumbull called on the governor to convene an extraordinary session of the Assembly.

Ingersoll went to the session, but was intercepted by a group of protesters, who forced him to resign from his position as a stamp distributor. When the Assembly met, it decided to send a delegation to the Stamp Act Congress, but told it not to assume any obligations and not to let Connecticut get involved in any conflict. At the regular session, the Assembly implemented all the decisions of the Congress. The governor tried to resist the protest, but it only worsened his situation. The position required him to take an oath to comply with the stamp duty act, and he delayed this moment for a long time, but in the end he took this oath, which further compromised himself. The official government of the colony has almost completely lost power, which has passed into the hands of the protesters. But in 1766, the Stamp Act was repealed and this somewhat reduced the conflict between the Assembly and the population of the colony.

In 1767, Parliament introduced new taxes known as the "Townsend Laws." There were fears that these taxes would be used to pay for officials, and this would make them dependent on the royal authority. In 1768, the colonies of New York and Massachusetts declared a boycott of British goods, and Connecticut joined the boycott in 1769. In 1760, New York abandoned the boycott, but Connecticut decided to continue it. When the Townsend laws were repealed, Connecticut's relations with Britain improved briefly, but in 1773 Britain allowed the East India Company to sell tea directly to America, which lowered the price of tea and prevented a boycott of this product. Protesters in Boston threw a cargo of tea into the sea (which became known as the "Boston Tea Party"), but tea did not arrive in Connecticut, and the people of Connecticut watched the events from the sidelines.

When Britain introduced the so-called "Intolerable Laws" against Boston, the Connecticut Assembly condemned them, but acted cautiously; when it was decided to convene delegates to the Continental Congress, the Connecticut delegates were chosen by the Correspondence Committee, not the Assembly. The delegation consisted mainly of politicians who were radically anti-British: Roger Sherman, Joseph Trumbull, Eliphalet Dier and Silas Dee. At the same time, militia training began in the colony and funds were raised for possible military expenses. In April 1775, news came of a clash between the Massachusetts militia and the British army at Lexington and Concord. It is believed that Israel Putnam, upon learning about this, threw his plow directly into the field and went to Boston, from where he returned to Connecticut and told the details of what happened. The Assembly decided to assemble a 20,000-strong militia. The number of regiments was increased to 8, of which five were sent to help the Massachusetts troops besieging Boston. On June 16, near Boston, Putnam's Connecticut regiment occupied the height of Breed's Hill; The British army attacked the heights and the Battle of Bunker Hill took place.

In May of that year, the Connecticut merchant Benedict Arnold convinced the colonial government of the need to capture Fort Ticonderoga, assembled a militia unit, and on May 10, together with Ethan Allen's militia, captured the fort in a surprise attack. After that, the Crown Point fortification was captured, which made it possible to attack British Canada. This offensive was launched in the fall by two armies, recruited mainly from Connecticut. On December 31, 1775, these armies were defeated near Quebec and began to retreat. Meanwhile, in March, the British left Boston, and George Washington decided to transfer the army to New York. Temporarily, until his arrival in the city, the army was commanded by Israel Putnam. Five Connecticut regiments under the command of Samuel Parsons participated in the defense of New York.

On June 14, 1776, the Connecticut Assembly ordered its congressional delegation to vote for independence. In July, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. It was signed by Roger Sherman, William Williams, Samuel Huntingdon and Oliver Wolcott from Connecticut. In October, the Connecticut Assembly approved the declaration and released the inhabitants of the colony from the oath of allegiance to the King of England. But Connecticut did not adopt its constitution and its government continued to operate according to the principles of the Charter of 1662. All the laws of the colony remained unchanged and all the officials remained in their places. Governor Jonathan Trumbull was the only colonial governor who remained in office during the revolution.

 

The War of Independence

In the fall of 1776, the British captured New York City, and in the spring of 1777, they learned that the Americans were storing large stockpiles of weapons and food in the city of Danbury in western Connecticut. On April 25, a British detachment under the command of William Tryon landed on the coast of Connecticut. They managed to occupy and destroy Danbury, but during their retreat, they were attacked by local militia. This skirmish became known as the Battle of Ridgefield. These events increased anti-British sentiment in the state. In 1778, Indians allied with the British attacked the Wyoming Valley, inhabited by settlers from Connecticut, where they killed almost 300 Americans during the Battle of Wyoming. Washington had to organize a special campaign against the Iroquois: the Sullivan Expedition began in the summer of 1778. On February 29, 1779, the British army raided the town of Greenwich, and in July they sacked New Haven. In 1780, Connecticut General Benedict Arnold defected to the British, and in 1781, his command instructed him to organize a raid on the city of New London. On September 6, Arnold landed in Connecticut, sacked New London and attacked Fort Griswold. During the battle, known as the Battle of Groton Heights, the fort was taken, the garrison surrendered, but was killed by the British.

In July 1780, General George Washington arrived in Connecticut to negotiate with Count Rochambeau, commander of the French contingent in America. Their meeting took place in Hartford. In May 1781, Washington again came to Connecticut to meet with Rochambeau and Governor Trumbull. This meeting took place in Wethersfield, at the home of Joseph Webb.

During the war, Connecticut had a population of 20,000, but the state was able to put 40,000 men under arms, albeit for short terms of service. Connecticut learned of the end of the war on April 24, 1783, celebrated it with ceremonies, and the Assembly immediately repealed all martial laws.

 

Interwar Period

Confederate Period

The war increased abolitionist sentiments in the state, so in 1784 a law was passed that any black or mulatto born in Connecticut after March 1, 1784, was considered free. At that time, slave labor was no longer profitable in Connecticut, and the number of slaves had been gradually decreasing since 1774. The 1790 census showed that there were 2,759 black slaves and 2,801 free blacks living in the state.

Even in colonial times, a charter issued by the king gave Connecticut rights to lands west to the Pacific Ocean. On this basis, it laid claim to lands up to the Mississippi River. On June 15, 1777, Maryland delegates proposed to Congress that they take control of the western lands and subsequently form separate states from them, but no one accepted this proposal at that time. In February 1779, Maryland repeated this proposal. It was debated until February 1780, and eventually New York was the first to renounce its claims to the western territories. Connecticut followed suit, offering to renounce all but the area south of Lake Erie. Washington did not accept the offer, but it was approved by Congress and finalized in 1786, and became known as the Connecticut Western Reserve. Some of the land was given to Connecticut citizens who had suffered from British raids, and the rest was sold to private individuals, with the money used to fund schools and colleges.

After the war, Connecticut faced overpopulation, with the population increasing by nearly 30,000 between 1782 and 1790. This led to migration to western Massachusetts and Vermont, and then to New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, where they founded several towns with Congregational churches and other institutions familiar to them. Another problem in the state was the numerous debts of farmers and dissatisfaction with the work of the Confederate government. To resolve these issues, a Constitutional Convention was convened in Philadelphia in 1787. Connecticut delegates were Roger Sherman, Oliver Ellsworth, and William Samuel Johnson. When the convention began arguing about the principles of electing representatives to Congress, Sherman proposed the so-called "Connecticut Compromise": the House of Representatives would be formed proportionally to the population of the states, and the Senate would include two senators from each state. On October 1, 1787, the text of the Constitution was published in Connecticut newspapers, and Ellsworth began publishing articles explaining its essence.

That same October, it was decided to convene a ratification convention, elections were held in November, and on January 4, 1788, the convention met in Hartford. The Constitution was read, and each of its points was discussed in detail. On January 9, 128 delegates voted in favor and 40 voted against. Connecticut became the 5th state of the United States.

The first senators in the United States Congress from Connecticut were Johnson and Ellsworth. In October 1788, the Assembly resolved to hold elections to the U.S. House of Representatives, the elections took place in December, and in January 1789, the Assembly announced the winners, who were Roger Sherman, Jonathan Sturgis, Benjamin Huntingdon, Jonathan Trumbull (the Younger), and Jeremiah Wadsworth.

 

Early National Period (1789-1818)

New England was the stronghold of the Federalist Party.

Because of the power of the Federalists, the Republicans worked harder to win. In 1806, state leadership sent municipal leaders instructions for the impending election, which would help coordinate the first modern "get out the vote" campaign.

Connecticut was prospering during this time; its ports were busy, and the first textile mills were built. The American embargo and British blockade during the War of 1812 hurt the export business, and strengthened the Federalists, who opposed the war and the embargo. The scarcity of imports from Britain spurred the rapid development of factories to replace textiles and machinery. Eli Whitney of New Haven was a leader of the engineers and inventors who made the state a world leader in machine tools and industrial technology. The state was noted for its political conservatism, characterized by the Federalist Party and Yale College headed by Timothy Dwight. Leading intellectuals were Noah Webster, who compiled his famous dictionary in New Haven, and Timothy Dwight. Religious tensions polarized the state, as the Congregational Church, allied with the Federalists, failed to maintain its hold on the state. The failure of the Hartford Convention in 1814 hurt the Federalists, who were defeated by the Republicans in 1817.

 

Modernization and Industry

Until that time, Connecticut had followed the Charter of 1662, and with the independence of the colonies 40 years earlier, most of the Charter's principles were no longer relevant. In 1818, a new Constitution was adopted that was the first written legislation to separate church and state in Connecticut, and gave equality to all religions. The powers of the governor were expanded, and the independence of the courts was increased by allowing their judges to serve for life.

Connecticut had the raw materials of running water and navigable waterways, and with the Yankee work ethic, it became an industrial leader. From the birth of the patent system in 1790 until 1930, Connecticut was the state with the most patents per capita, at a rate three times the normal rate. Connecticut's first known invention was a lapidary machine, invented by Abel Buell of Killingworth in 1765.

 

Abolition and Integration

Beginning in the 1830s, in a process that accelerated after the complete abolition of slavery in Connecticut in 1848, African Americans began moving to urban centers attracted by the jobs and new opportunities they offered, forming new neighborhoods such as Little Liberia in Bridgeport.

In 1832, Quaker teacher Prudence Crandall established the first integrated school in the United States when she accepted Sarah Harris, an African American, into her Canterbury Boarding School for Women in Canterbury, Connecticut. Many residents protested and lobbied for Harris's dismissal, but Crandall refused. Families of students withdrew their daughters from the school. As a result, Crandall stopped teaching whites and opened her school to blacks only. In 1995, the Connecticut General Assembly named Prudence Crandall an official state hero.

 

Civil War Era

Connecticut producers played a key role in supplying Union forces with rifles, cannons, ammunition, and military supplies during the Civil War. The state provided 55,000 men, united in 30 full infantry regiments with two in the United States Colored Troops. Connecticut also provided three batteries of light artillery and a cavalry regiment. The Navy attracted 250 officers and 2,100 sailors. Many Connecticut men became Union generals; Gideon Welles was a moderate who was Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy. Connecticut troops suffered heavy casualties; 2,088 died in action, 2,801 from disease, and 689 in prison camps.

Politics became contentious during the war. The surge of national unity in 1861 prompted thousands of men to report for service. But as the war became a crusade against slavery, many Democrats became reluctant. Democrats began to support peace and embrace the "Copperheads," who were willing to let the South secede. The gubernatorial election was close, but the Republicans emerged victorious.

Industrialization, population density, flat terrain, proximity to urban centers, and the wealth of its inhabitants made Connecticut a favorable site for railroad construction. After the Civil War, many small companies merged into the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, called "the Consolidated." This railroad attempted to monopolize all modes of transportation, including urban and interurban streetcars and freighters and steamers on the Long Island Sound.

 

20th century

Railroads

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad dominated transportation in Connecticut after 1872. New York's leading banker, J. P. Morgan, had grown up in Hartford and was very interested in the New England economy. Beginning in the 1890s, Morgan began financing the major New England railroads and divided their territories so that they would not compete with each other. In 1903, he appointed Charles Mellen president of the railroad. His goal was to buy and consolidate the major New England railroads, with the support of Morgan's financing, unite their operations, lower their costs, electrify busy routes, and modernize the system. With less competition and lower costs, there would be better revenues. The New Haven Railroad bought 50 minor companies, including steamship companies, and built a network of electric streetcars that would provide intercity transportation throughout southern New England. By 1912, the New Haven Railroad operated 2,000 miles of track and employed more than 120,000 employees. It virtually monopolized traffic between New York and Boston.

Morgan's quest for a monopoly angered reformers during the Progressive Era, especially Boston lawyer Louis Brandeis, who had opposed the New Haven Railroad for years. Mellen's abrasive tactics alienated him from the general public and led to high prices for acquisitions and construction. Losses increased as efforts were made to reduce maintenance costs. Debt rose from $14 million in 1903 to $242 million in 1913. Also in 1913, the federal government filed an antitrust suit against the company, and it was forced to give up its streetcar systems. The advent of automobiles, trucks, and buses after 1910 cut into revenues. The line went bankrupt in 1935 and was reorganized and downsized, went bankrupt again in 1961, and in 1969 merged with the Penn Central system, which also went bankrupt. The remnants of the system are part of Conrail.

The automobile revolution came about more quickly than anticipated, especially the railroads. In 1915, Connecticut had 40,000 automobiles; five years later it had 120,000. There was a more rapid growth in trucks, which grew from 7,000 to 24,000. Local government began to improve roads, and entrepreneurs opened dealerships, gas stations, repair shops, and motels.

 

Politics

Republicans dominated state politics after 1896, and controlled the legislature, where the one-representative-per-municipality rule ensured that small rural municipalities could win the vote against the growing cities. While Republicans developed factions, they coalesced for elections. Democrats suffered greater internal dissent over certain issues, especially the liberalism of William Jennings Bryan, and were therefore weaker in general elections. Rural Democrats battled urban Irish for control of the state party. Most industrial workers voted Republican, except for Irish Catholics who were Democrats, so most industrial cities voted Republican.

In 1910, Democrats chose Simeon Baldwin, a prominent professor at Yale Law School, as their candidate for governor. Republicans were divided between supporters of President Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt, and Democrats won the presidential, gubernatorial, and congressional elections in Connecticut, and managed to control the state Senate. Only the House of Representatives remained controlled by Republicans because of their power in rural areas. The state did not participate much in the Progressive Era, and Democrats passed only one liberal law, which established a workers' compensation system. In 1914, the Republicans regrouped and regained control of state politics. J. Henry Roraback was the Republican boss in the state from 1912 until his death in 1937. His political machine, Lockard said, was "efficient, conservative, mean-spirited, and in complete control." Until the New Deal coalition of the 1930s brought ethnic voters to the Democratic Party, Roraback was unsurpassed because of his strong rural organization, funding from the business community, conservative politics, and hierarchical party organization. Connecticut was the last state to adopt the party primary system, and it was only used in the case where a loser wanted to challenge the state convention election.

 

World War I

When World War I broke out in 1914, Connecticut's large machinery industry received large contracts from Britain, Canada, France, and the American forces. The largest munitions companies were Remington in Bridgeport, Winchester in New Haven, and Colt in Hartford, in addition to the large federal arsenal in Bridgeport.

The state vigorously supported the United States war effort in 1917 and 1918 with large purchases of war bonds, an expansion of the war industry, and a focus on farm-based food production. Thousands of groups were mobilized for the war effort, and were coordinated by the Connecticut State Defense Council. Young men were eager to serve voluntarily or through conscription.

Late in the war, the worldwide epidemic of the "flu of 1918" reached the state. Death rates were high because the state was a travel center and very urban, so germs spread faster, and there were also many recent immigrants in dense areas. Between 8,500 and 9,000 people died, almost one percent of the population, and about a quarter of the population contracted the disease.

 

Immigrants and Ethnicity in the Early 20th Century

The factories in Bridgeport, New Haven, Waterbury, and Hartford were magnets for European immigrants. The largest groups were Italians, Poles, and other Eastern Europeans. They brought unskilled and Catholic labor to a historically Protestant state, and a sizable number of Jewish immigrants also arrived. By 1910, nearly 30% of Connecticut's population was foreign-born.

These ethnic groups supported World War I (the few German-Americans tried to keep a low profile, because they faced clear hostility because of their ethnicity). Ethnic organizations supported an Americanization program for recent immigrants. Because transatlantic travel became impossible for citizens between 1914 and 1920, the influx of new immigrants ceased. Italians, Poles, and others had to cancel plans to return to their hometowns. Their standard of living improved as better-paying jobs in the munitions industry became available. They settled in the United States, becoming permanent residents. Rather than identifying with their former peoples, Italians took on a new pride in being both American and Italian. Their American-born, bilingual children flourished economically in the prosperous 1920s. Poles enlisted in large numbers, and generously supported the war bond effort. They were motivated in part by the government's commitment to support Polish independence, which occurred after the war.

In the 1920s, nativists began to oppose the new immigrants as a threat to the state's traditional values. The Ku Klux Klan had some followers in the state in the 1920s, reaching about 15,000 members before its national disintegration in 1926.

 

The Great Depression and World War II

Rising unemployment in urban and rural areas produced distrust of Connecticut leaders, and so Connecticut Democrats saw an opportunity to return to power. A major leader of the movement was Governor Wilbur Lucius Cross (1931–1939), a Yale English professor, who emulated much of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies by creating new public services, contributing to infrastructure projects, and instituting the minimum wage. The Merritt Parkway was built in this period as part of the infrastructure investment.

In 1938, the Democratic Party in Connecticut faced controversy, and the Republicans elected Governor Raymond E. Baldwin. Connecticut became a very competitive state between the two parties.

On September 21, 1938, the most destructive storm in New England history struck eastern Connecticut, killing hundreds of people. The eye of the Long Island Express passed west of New Haven and devastated the Connecticut coastline between Old Saybrook and Stonington, which lacked the protection of Long Island. The hurricane caused extensive damage to infrastructure, homes, and businesses in the region. In New London, a 500-foot sailboat collided with a warehouse complex, causing a large fire. Heavy rains caused the Connecticut River to flood downtown Hartford and East Hartford. About 50,000 trees fell across roads.

The Great Depression quickly gave way to an economic boom as the United States invested in its defense industry before and during World War II. Roosevelt's call for the United States to be the Arsenal of Democracy caused a rapid expansion in industries related to munitions production, such as aircraft engines, radios, radar, proximity fuses, rifles, and many other products. Aircraft engines were built, parachutes were sewn, and submarines were constructed. In addition, traditional munitions industries continued to manufacture guns, ships, uniforms, ammunition, and artillery. Connecticut manufactured 4.1 percent of all U.S. military armaments produced during the war. Although most munitions production ended in 1945, new industries had emerged because of the war, and production of advanced electronics and aircraft components continued.

 

Postwar prosperity

Connecticut's suburbs prospered as many moved into new housing via subsidized highways, but its town populations peaked in the 1950s and began to decline thereafter. Connecticut built the first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), and other essential weapons for the Pentagon. By the early 1960s, the thriving labor market gave the state the highest per capita income in the country. The high standard of living could be seen in the suburban neighborhoods that developed outside the major cities. The construction of major highways like the Connecticut Turnpike, subsidized by federal investment, turned small towns into sites for residential and commercial development, a trend that continues to this day.

Fairfield County, Connecticut's Gold Coast, was a favorite residence for many executives who worked in New York. Connecticut attracted many corporate headquarters from New York, especially in the 1970s when Connecticut had no state income tax. Connecticut offered abundant office space, a high standard of living for those who did not want to live in New York, and excellent public schools. The state did not offer tax incentives for corporations to relocate their headquarters.

Connecticut's industrial workers were well paid, and many were employed in defense industries, building nuclear submarines in shipyards at Electric Boat, helicopters at Sikorsky, and jet engines at Pratt & Whitney. Unions were very powerful after the war, reaching their peak in the early 1970s. Since then, unions have experienced a sharp decline in size and influence, as factories closed, and the state lost jobs. Public sector unions, including teachers, police, and municipal and state employees, have become more powerful.

Deindustrialization left many industrial centers with empty factories and high unemployment. As wealthier whites moved to the suburbs, African Americans and Latinos began to make up a larger percentage of the urban population. African Americans and Latinos inherited deteriorating inner cities that were not priorities for the state or its companies. By the 1980s, urban obsolescence and crime were major issues. These poor conditions became catalysts for militant movements to gentrify poor neighborhoods and desegregate school systems in cities surrounded by mostly white suburbs. In 1987, Hartford became the first American city to elect a black woman mayor, Carrie Saxon Perry.

 

Postwar Politics

Connecticut had very strong state parties. Party bosses controlled its legislative delegations and ran conventions to choose nominees. The old "WASP" population still held power in rural areas, but Catholics were 44 percent of the state's population and dominated all industrial towns. With many minority groups loyal to the Democrats and unions at their peak, the Democratic Party strongly supported the coalition of the New Deal and liberalism. The Republican Party was slightly liberal, characterized by Senator Prescott Bush, a potentate whose son and grandson were elected president. Connecticut had difficulty projecting its identity with no major league teams and its media market dominated by out-of-state broadcasters. The Democratic Party boss had Ella Grasso as a contact with the liberal faction of the party. He promoted her from the legislature to the Secretary of State to Congress to the governorship.

Bailey's success in controlling statewide candidates suffered a setback in 1970, when Republican gubernatorial candidate Thomas Meskill defeated a mediocre Democrat. More complex was the situation for Senator Thomas Dodd, a Democrat censured by the Senate for his abuse of campaign funds. Dodd lost the Democratic primary, but ran as an independent and split the vote. The result was that liberal Republican Lowell Weicker won the Senate seat. Bailey was more successful in securing the reelection of Senator Abe Ribicoff to the governorship in 1974. In 1950, Ribicoff was elected as Connecticut's first Jewish, non-"WASP" governor. He was reelected until defeated in 1988, and was reelected in 1990 as an independent.

In 1974, Democrats elected Ella T. Grasso, the daughter of Italian immigrants and the first woman elected governor. She was re-elected in 1978. She faced a severe crisis in 1978 when the "Blizzard of '78" dumped more than 30 inches of snow on the state, paralyzing highways and roads. Grasso "shut down the state" by proclamation, and banned all use of public roads by businesses and citizens, thereby shutting down all businesses. In practice, the decision confined Connecticuters to their homes. This relieved emergency services of having to help the many stuck cars, and allowed services to proceed for those trapped. The crisis ended on the third day, and Grasso won praise for her leadership and courage.

 

At the end of the 20th century

Dependence on the defense industry was an economic problem at the end of the Cold War. The resulting budget crisis helped elect Lowell Weicker as governor as a third party in 1990. Despite campaigning against the state income tax, Weicker's solution to the crisis was exactly that, and it was effective in balancing the budget, but it was not at all popular. Weicker retired after a single term.

With their lands "reconquered," the Pequots began plans to build a large casino complex on their reservations. Foxwoods Casino was completed in 1992, and its huge revenues made the Pequot reservation in Mashantucket one of the wealthiest in the country. With their new money, new educational and cultural initiatives were established, including the construction of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. The Mohegan reservation gained political recognition and soon afterward, in 1994, opened another successful casino (Mohegan Sun) near Uncasville City Hall. The economic downturn that began in 2007 severely hurt revenues, and by 2012 both casinos were deeply in debt.

Casinos are an example of the shift in the economy's direction from manufacturing to entertainment, financial services and the pharmaceutical industry.

 

21st century

The September 11, 2001, attacks killed 65 Connecticutans, most of whom were Fairfield County residents and worked at the World Trade Center. A state memorial was later established in Westport.

Many political scandals rocked Connecticut in the early 21st century. These included the impeachment of Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim on 16 counts of corruption and Waterbury Mayor Philip A. Giordano on 18 counts of sexually abusing two sisters.

In 2004 Governor John G. Rowland resigned during a corruption investigation. Rowland subsequently pleaded guilty to federal charges, and his successor M. Jodi Rell focused her administration on reforms.

In April 2005, Connecticut passed a law to allow same-sex marriage. However, the law required that such unions be called "civil unions," and that only unions between people of different sexes could be called marriages. In October 2008, the Connecticut Supreme Court ordered that same-sex marriage be allowed.

In July 2009, the Connecticut legislature overrode a veto by Governor M. Jodi Rell and passed SustiNet, the first significant public-option health care reform in the United States.

The criminal justice system also faced the first execution in the state since 1960, that of serial killer Michael Ross in 2005, and was also rocked by the Cheshire home invasion murders in July 2007. Because the alleged perpetrators of the murders were out on parole, M. Jodi Rell promised a full investigation of the state's criminal justice policies.

On April 11, 2012, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted to eliminate capital punishment in the state.

In 2011 and 2012, Connecticut experienced three major storms in just 14 months, all of which caused serious property damage and power outages. Hurricane Irene struck Connecticut on August 28, 2011, killing three residents. Damage totaled $235 million, and 20 homes were destroyed in East Haven. Two months later, the "Halloween Nor'easter" unleashed extensive snow on the state. Hurricane Sandy had high winds when it hit Connecticut on October 29, 2012, and killed four men. Sandy's winds pushed storm surge onto coastal streets, toppled trees, and caused power outages for 98 percent of homes and businesses in its path. Hurricane Sandy caused more than $360 million in damage.

On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people, 20 children and 6 adults, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the Sandy Hook village of Newtown, Connecticut, and then committed suicide.

 

Economy

The total gross domestic product as of 2010 was $237 billion. The per capita income in 2007 was $64,833, placing the state fourth behind the District of Columbia, Delaware, and Alaska. There is, however, a large disparity in income across the state. For example, New Canan has one of the highest per capita incomes in America, while Hartford is one of the ten cities with the lowest per capita incomes in America. Like Bridgeport, New Haven County and other cities in the state, Hartford is surrounded by affluent suburbs. The unemployment rate as of December 2012 was 8.2%.

New Canan is the wealthiest city in Connecticut, with a per capita income of $85,459. The cities of Darien, Greenwich, Weston, Westport, and Wilton also have per capita incomes of over $65,000. Hartford is the poorest municipality in Connecticut, with per capita income of $13,428 in 2000. There are other small, low-income towns located mostly in the eastern part of the state.

 

Education

Connecticut's first public schools were founded during the 1650s, when the then-English colony mandated that every settlement with more than 50 families offer educational services—hiring a person from the community to teach children to read and write—without Families will need to pay directly for such services. In addition to that, the construction of a high school was declared mandatory in every city with more than one hundred families.

All educational institutions need to follow rules and regulations set by the Connecticut Department of Education, made up of nine members appointed by the governor for terms of up to four years in length. These nine members in turn appoint a tenth member to serve as the commissioner of education - Chairman of the department - for terms of up to four years in duration. This department directly controls the state's public school system, which is divided into different school districts. Each major city (city), various secondary cities (towns), and each county is served by a school district. In cities, the responsibility for managing schools lies with the municipal school district, while in less densely populated regions, this responsibility lies with school districts operating throughout the county as a whole. Connecticut allows the operation of charter schools — independent public schools, which are not managed by school districts, but which depend on public budgets to operate. School attendance is mandatory for all children and adolescents over six years of age, until the completion of secondary education or until the age of fifteen.

In 1999, the state's public schools served approximately 554,000 students, employing approximately 39,000 teachers. Private schools served about 70.1 thousand students, employing approximately 6.9 thousand teachers. The state's public school system consumed about $5.08 million, and public school spending was approximately $9.6 thousand per student. About 87.5% of the state's inhabitants over 25 years of age have a high school diploma.

The first library in the state was founded in 1701. It was part of the then Collegiate Institute, now Yale University. The state's first municipal public library was founded in 1733, in Durham. It currently has 194 public library systems, which annually move an average of 8.4 books per inhabitant.

Connecticut's first institution of higher education was the Collegiate Institute—now Yale University—founded in 1701. Yale University is the third oldest institution of higher education in the country, behind only Harvard University and William and Mary College.

 

School education

The Connecticut Board of Education operates the public school system for children. Members of the board of education are appointed by the governor of the state. The statistics for each school are available to the public through an online database system called CEDAR.

Private schools
Greenwich Country Day School
Fairfield Country Day School
Notre Dame Catholic High School
Hopkins School
Choate Rosemary Hall
Miss Porter's School
Northwest Catholic High School
Colleges and universities
Connecticut had its first law school, Litchfield Law School, operating from 1773 to 1833 in Litchfield. Hartford Public High School (1638) is the third oldest high school in the country after Collegiate School (1628) in Manhattan and Boston Latin School (1635).

Private
Yale University (1701)
Trinity College (1823)
Wesleyan University (1831)
University of Hartford (1877)
Poston University (1890)
Connecticut College (1911)
University of New Haven (1920)
Albertus Magnus College (1925)
Bridgeport University (1927)
Quinnipack University (1929)
St. Joseph University (1932)
Mitchell College (1938)
Fairfield University (1942)
Sacred Heart University (1963)

Public
University of Central Connecticut (1849)
University of Connecticut (1881)
Eastern Connecticut University (1889)
University of Southern Connecticut (1893)
Western Connecticut University (1903)
United States Coast Guard Military Academy (1915)
Charterock College (1973)

 

Administration and politics

The current Constitution of Connecticut was adopted in 1965. Previous constitutions were adopted in 1639 and 1818. The Constitution of 1639—officially called the "Fundamental Mandates"—was the first Constitution adopted in what is now the United States. Amendments to the Constitution are proposed by the Connecticut Legislature, and to be approved, they need to receive at least 51% favorable votes from the state Senate and House of Representatives, and two-thirds of the votes of the population Connecticut election, in a referendum. The population of the state can also propose amendments to the Constitution by collecting a certain number of signatures. When these signatures are accepted by the government, to be approved, they need to receive the approval of at least a quarter of the members of both houses of the Connecticut Legislature, and at least 51% of the votes of the electoral population. Amendments can also be proposed and introduced by constitutional conventions, which need to receive at least 51% of the votes of both chambers of the Legislative Branch and two-thirds of the votes of the electoral population, in a referendum.

The chief executive branch official is the governor. He is elected by the state's voters for terms of up to four years, and can be re-elected as many times as he can. Voters also elect the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of State and three other state Executive officials.

The General Assembly, the legislative branch of the state, is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate has a total of 36 members, while the House of Representatives has a total of 151 members. Connecticut is divided into 36 senatorial districts and 151 representative districts. The voters of each district elect a senator/representative, who will represent each district in the Senate/House of Representatives. The term of office of senators and representatives is four years.

The highest court of the state's judiciary is the Connecticut Supreme Court, composed of seven justices. Other courts of the state Judicial Branch are the Court of Appeals, the Superior Court and the Probate Courts, each with 11, 150 and 132 judges, respectively. Judges of all state courts except Probate Courts are chosen by the Connecticut Legislature for terms of up to eight years. The judges of the Probate Courts are elected by the population of the state for terms of up to four years in length.

It is divided into eight counties. Unlike other American states, Connecticut counties do not have a county seat. The main administrative entity, apart from the state government, are the governments of the 169 municipalities (towns) of the state. Certain more densely populated regions of these municipalities form boroughs (districts). Connecticut has 19 cities (cities).

More than half of the government's budget is generated by state taxes. The remainder comes from budgets received from the national government and loans. In 2002, the state government spent 20,117 million dollars, having generated 16,993 million dollars. The government debt is 20,784 million dollars. The debt per capita is $6,009, the value of state taxes per capita is $2,611, and the value of government expenditures per capita is $5,816.

Connecticut has primarily supported the Republican Party since it was created in 1854, and politically the state was dominated by Republicans until the 1960s. Of 20 governors elected between 1856 and 1932, fifteen were Republicans and five were Democrats. Since the 1930s, however, the Democratic Party has grown stronger in the state. Thus, since the 1960s, the Democrats, in the 12 elections held until 2004 in the country's presidential elections, seven have been mostly dominated by Democrats.

 

Demography

According to the 2000 national census of the United States Census Bureau, the population of Connecticut was 3,405,565, a growth of 3.6% relative to the state's 1990 population of 3,287,116. . A forecast made in 2005 estimates the state's population at 3,510,297 inhabitants, a growth of 6.7% in relation to the state's population in 1990, 3.1%, in relation to the state's population in 2000, and of 0.3% in relation to the estimated population in 2004.

The natural population growth between 2000 and 2005 was 67,427 inhabitants (222,222 births minus 154,795 deaths), the population growth caused by immigration was 75,991 inhabitants, while interstate migration increased by 41,718 inhabitants. Between 2000 and 2005, the population grew by 223,181 inhabitants, and between 2004 and 2005, by 11,331 inhabitants.

In 2004, 11.4% of the state's population (approximately 400,000 inhabitants) had been born outside the country, with estimates indicating that 10% of these are illegal immigrants (1.1% of the state's population).

 

Economy

The gross domestic product was $187 billion. The state's per capita income, meanwhile, was $75,398, the highest among the 50 US states. The unemployment rate is 2.9%.

The primary sector accounts for 1% of Connecticut's GDP. The state has 3,800 farms, which occupy about 10% of the state. Agriculture and livestock together account for 1% of the state's GDP, and employ approximately 37 thousand people. Milk and cherries are the main products produced by the agricultural industry, which produces more than 25% of all cherries consumed in the country. The effects of fishing and forestry are not very representative in the state's economy, together employing nearly two thousand people. The annual value of fishing in the state is 28 million dollars.

The secondary sector accounts for 20% of the GDP. The total value of products manufactured in the state is $28 billion. The main industrialized products manufactured in the state are transportation equipment, chemical products, machinery, electronic components and computers, industrialized foods and printed materials. The manufacturing industry accounts for 17% of the state's GDP, employing approximately 285 thousand people. The construction industry is 3% of the state's GDP and employs approximately 99 thousand people. The effects of mining are unimportant; This sector employs about 1.9 thousand people.

The tertiary sector contributes 79% of the state's GDP. Connecticut is a great hub for the insurance industry. The provision of financial and real estate services accounts for more than 28% of the state's GDP, employing approximately 231 thousand people. Hartford is the financial center of the state, being the largest insurance sector center in the United States, and the second largest in the world (behind only London). About 22% of the state's GDP is generated through the provision of community and personal services. This sector employs about 682 thousand people. Wholesale and retail trade accounts for 14% of the state's GDP, and employs approximately 410 thousand people. Government Services are 9% of GDP, employing approximately 225 thousand people. Transportation, telecommunications and public utilities employ 84 thousand people, and account for 6% of the GDP. 46% of all electricity consumed annually in the state is generated in oil-fired thermal plants, and 1% in hydroelectric plants. 52% is imported from neighboring states and the Canadian province of Quebec.

 

Infrastructure

Transportation

In 2002 it owned 893 kilometers of railway tracks. The Amtrak company provides passenger rail transportation service in Hartford and various small cities located along the state's coastline with the Atlantic Ocean. In 2003 it had 33,939 kilometers of public roads, of which 557 kilometers were interstate highways, part of the United States federal highway system.

 

Media

Connecticut's first newspaper, and the oldest in the country still published, was the Connecticut Courant (now the Hartford Courant), which was first published in 1764, in Hartford. Currently, about 110 newspapers are published in the state, of which 19 are daily newspapers.

The state's first radio station was founded in 1922, in Hartford. The first television station was founded in 1948, in New Haven. Connecticut currently has 77 radio stations—of which 29 are AM and 48 are FM—and 13 television stations.

The global sports network ESPN is based in the city of Bristol, located in this state.

 

Culture

Sport

The Hartford Whalers played in the National Hockey League from 1979 to 1997, after which they moved states. The Hartford Dark Blues played in the National Baseball League in 1876.

The Hartford Blues played in the National Football League in 1926. Meanwhile, the New York Giants played at home in the Yale Bowl in New Haven in the 1973 and 1974 seasons, during the construction of Giants Stadium.

The Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association played some home games at the Hartford Civic Center between 1975 and 1995. The Connecticut Sun has played the WNBA since 2003 in the town of Uncasville.

In terms of college sports, the UConn Huskies play in the American Athletic Conference of the NCAA Division I, achieving multiple national championships in American football and men's and women's basketball. Meanwhile, the Harvard Crimson and Yale Bulldogs of the Ivy League maintain one of the oldest American football rivalries, having faced each other for the first time in 1875.

Since 1952, the PGA Tour has held an annual golf tournament in Hartford, currently called the Travelers Championship. Meanwhile, the New Haven Tournament has been part of the WTA Tour since 1998 and the ATP Tour since 2005. For its part, the Lime Rock Park road course has hosted races for the IMSA GT Championship, American Le Mans Series and Rolex Sports Car Series.

 

State symbols

Tree: White oak (Quercus alba)
Nicknames:
Constitution State
Arsenal of the Nation (unofficial)
Nutmeg State (unofficial)
Fossil: Eubrontes giganteus
Flower: Kalmia latifolia
Insect: Praying mantis
Motto: Qui transtulit sustinet
Mammal: Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
Mineral: Garnet
Music: Yankee Doodle
Bird: American robin (Turdus migratorius)
Fish: American shad (Alosa sapidissima)
Slogan: Full of Surprises