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The Connecticut Colony was founded by Puritans and there was no tolerance for other religions.
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In 1614 a Dutchman named Adriaen Block became the first explorer of the Connecticut Valley.
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The first European settlement in the Connecticut Colony occurred in Windsor, and then in the Hartford and Wethersfield areas in 1633. The settlers were Dutch, having arrived from New Netherlands (present day New York). These settlements combined to form the Connecticut Colony in 1633, founded by Thomas Hooker.
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The Connecticut Colony climate was the same as the other New England Colonies which included long cold winters and mild summers. The weather made it difficult for disease to thrive, unlike in the Southern Colonies where the heat often helped diseases to spread rapidly.
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The Connecticut Colony's landscape was hilly, mountainous, rocky, treed, with lots of rivers and soil unsuitable for farming for most crops.
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Natural resources in the Connecticut Colony included fish, whales, forests (timber), and some farming.
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Despite the poor soil and farming conditions, colonists in the Connecticut Colony were able to grow some crops including beans, corn, pumpkins, squash, and rye.
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The Connecticut Colony, like other New England Colonies, was an exporter of rum.
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The Connecticut Colony colonists prospered in several different sectors including shipbuilding, whaling, fishing, timber, fur trading, livestock, and maple syrup.
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Whaling was important to the colonists as it provided oil for lanterns.
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Between 1636 and 1637 the Pequot War was fought between the settlers of the Connecticut Colony and the Pequot Indians. The war resulted in decimation of the Indians.
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In 1639 The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were written, which are believed to have formed the U.S. Constitution's basis.
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In 1687 Sir Edward Andros, a governor from another colony attempted to take control of the Connecticut Colony. He demanded the charter, but the charter was hidden in an oak tree. It later became known as the 'Charter Oak'.
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Connecticut's state song today is 'Yankee Doodle'.
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The Hartford Courant is the oldest continually running U.S. newspaper, having been established in 1764 in Hartford, Connecticut.
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The Connecticut motto is 'He who transplanted still sustains'.
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Nicknames given to Connecticut over the years include the Constitution State, the Nutmeg State, the Land of Steady Habits, and the Provisions State.
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The Connecticut Colony was the fifth colony to become a state, on January 9th, 1788.
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