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Native
Americans
Connecticut
has been home to humans for over 10,000 years. This
time period has been categorized into four eras
of Native American history: Paleo-Indian, Archaic,
Woodland, and Historic. The first people to live
in Connecticut were the Paleo-Indians. After the
last ice age, these people migrated across the land
bridge Alaska shared with Asia and settled in the
Northeast. They lived a nomadic lifestyle, surviving
by hunting animals and gathering plants and nuts.
They migrated to different locations throughout
the year in search of food and made camps in river
and stream valleys. Using primitive weapons and
moving with the seasons, the Paleo-Indians learned
to survive in the harsh Northeastern weather and
were able to sustain themselves for thousands of
years.
The
Archaic Period, which lasted from about 9,000 to
3,000 years ago, saw significant changes in the
Native peoples' environment and way of life. The
climate warmed and became more hospitable to diverse
plants and animals. The abundance of edible plants
and animals helped sustain larger human populations.
The Archaic Indians lived similarly to the Paleo-Indians.
They were still nomadic, often returning to the
same camps on a seasonal basis. They hunted and
gathered food, which was more abundant; therefore
easier to find. The major change in ancient Indian
life came during the Woodland period.
The Woodland Period, lasting from 3,000 to
400 years ago, witnessed many Native American advances.
Tools and pottery became more sophisticated, the
bow and arrow was invented, and plants were domesticated.
These improvements allowed for even larger populations
than during the Archaic period. Instead of temporary
camps, villages were created, ending the seasonal
nomadic routine. Corn, beans, and squash were grown
to compliment the hunted and gathered food.
| Connecticut's
modern Indians are defined as the tribes
who occupied the area during the time
of European exploration and settlement
in the 17th century. There were as many
as sixteen different Native American
tribes in Connecticut.(1)
These people lived in small villages,
were partly nomadic, and depended on
agriculture. They first felt the presence
of Europeans before they actually arrived
in their area. In 1633, small pox spread
throughout the Connecticut Indian population
after being transmitted to the Indians
of Massachusetts by Europeans. From
this point on, European contact only
brought the Native Americans more disease,
warfare, and encroachment that decimated
their population. Many of the Indians
fled, while others assimilated. Presently
there are five Indian Reservationsin
Connecticut, although the majority of
people in Connecticut with Native American
heritage don't live on reservations. |
|
Connecticut
Native American Tribes
-
Paugasetts
(Fairfield County)
-
Siwanogs
(Fairfield County)
-
Quinnipiacs
(New Haven)
-
Tunixis
(Hartford)
-
Podunk
(Hartford)
-
Poquinok
(Hartford)
-
Nipmuks
(northeast)
-
Mohegans
(northeast)
-
Pequots
(Coastal-Thames River)
|
Colonial Connecticut: From the
Dutch to the English Settlers
The
Dutch, who were interested in setting up trade with
the Native Americans, were the first Europeans to
explore the area that is now Connecticut. In 1614,
Adrien Block was sent up the Connecticut River in
search of a trading location. The Dutch set up a
trading post, called the House of Good Hope, at
present-day Hartford in 1633. Their interest was
not that of settlement, but of new trade opportunities.
Conversely, the English settlers of Massachusetts
were primarily concerned with settlement, and were
soon spreading into the Connecticut area. The English
colonists first began to explore the Connecticut
lands in 1632, and within a year, settlers had arrived.
The first English settlers came from Plymouth, Massachusetts
and created the town of Windsor. The winter was
harsh, and many returned to Massachusetts. However,
more colonists arrived in the spring, and the settlement
continued to grow. The towns of Hartford and Wethersfield
were founded soon after. Known as the River Towns,
Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield, became the
focal point of Connecticut settlement during the
early 17th century, and provided migrants for other
Connecticut towns.
Early
Connecticut settlement patterns followed two distinct
routes, along the Connecticut River and along the
coast. The first coastal towns included Saybrook,
New Haven, Milford, Greenwich, Fairfield, New London,
and Stonington. Native American relations and border
disputes dictated the expansion of the coastal and
river settlements. The land north of Windsor was
claimed by both Connecticut and Massachusetts, so
settlers ran the risk of being caught in a border
dispute. The colonists did not have peaceful relations
with the Natives who lived south of Windsor, so
settlement did not spread to there until 1646.(2)
Towns began to grow more rapidly as the Native Americans
left the area, resulting in the creation of 24 new
towns between 1650 and 1720. Most of the towns were
in the Connecticut River Valley and were inhabited
by settlers from the towns of Windsor, Hartford,
and Wethersfield.
|
Nationality
|
Population
(1790)
|
|
English
|
223,437
|
|
Scottish
|
6,425
|
|
Other European
|
5,145
|
|
Black
|
2,648
|
|
Total
|
237,655
|
|
| The
early settlers of Connecticut were very
homogeneous, originally migrating from
the counties of southeastern, southwestern,
northern, and central England. The majority
of these people were farmers and servants;
smaller percentages were craftsmen.
The population remained overwhelmingly
English during the 18th century, but
by 1790, Connecticut was home to a significant
number of Scottish settlers. Scots were
present in Connecticut during the early |
|
Colonial period, which is reflected in the Scottish
settlement of Scotland, founded near Windham in
1700. However, the majority of Scottish settlers
arrived later in the 18th century. By 1790, there
were over 6,000 Scots in Connecticut.
Connecticut During the Revolution
Connecticut
was home to both pro-England supporters (Tories/Loyalists)
and patriots. The strong Puritan base and the
colony's reliance on self-government created many
hostilities towards British rule. The people of
Connecticut reacted in severe opposition to the
Stamp Act, Sugar Act, and the Townshend Duties,
all of which were taxes implemented by England
on the Colonies during the 1760s. There was also
a strong pro-England movement in the western part
of Connecticut, which was home to a large population
of Anglicans (adherents to the Church of England).
Loyalty in Connecticut could be viewed regionally;
the strongest Loyalist contingency lied in the
west, and the strongest anti-British sentiment
was found in the east.
In
1766, the eastern anti-England contingency had
taken over the Council, shifting the power away
from the Loyalists. From this point on, Connecticut
showed its support for the colonies by participating
in the non-importation movement, where the colonists
boycotted British goods. Further support was shown
when Connecticut supported Massachusetts during
the Boston Tea Party incident.
After
the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776,
Connecticut's Tories were identified and disarmed.
Over 1,000 Loyalists fled to New York to escape
harsh treatment in Connecticut.(3)
Once the war began, Connecticut contributed men
and provisions for the war effort. Known as the
"Provision State," Connecticut supplied food,
including corn, rye, wheat, oats, barley, flax,
vegetables, and fruit from the fertile Thames
River Valleys.(4)
Clothing, gunpowder and other weaponry were also
among Connecticut's contributions.
Connecticut
was not home to prolonged military engagements,
only small battles. Benedict Arnold's attack on
New London in 1781 became Connecticut's most famous
battle. During this attack, eighty people at Fort
Griswold were killed and the town of New London
was destroyed. Connecticut's Navy achieved more
success than its troops, capturing over forty
British ships throughout the duration of the war.
Connecticut privateers, who were legally sanctioned
pirates, captured hundreds of British ships and
confiscated both men and booty in the name of
war.
Connecticut's
representatives, Roger Sherman, Oliver Ellsworth,
and William Samuel Johnson, were essential to
the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
following the war. Sherman's proposed "Connecticut
Compromise" was crucial in breaking a deadlock
at the convention. The compromise set up what
we know today as the House of Representatives
and the Senate. Connecticut was the fifth state
to ratify the constitution, officially joining
the union in January of 1788.
Click
here to continue
(1) Bruce Fraser.
"Connecticut to 1763," Laptop Encyclopedia of Connecticut
History, <www.ctheritage.org/encyclopedia.htm>
(2)
Albert E. Van Dusen, Connecticut, (New York: Random
House, 1961), 53.
(3) Fraser.
(4) David M. Roth. Connecticut: A Bicentennial
History, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1979),
95.
By
Rickie Lazzerini
Historian
BA History
University of California, Santa Barbara
Index
of Historical Reviews
© 2006 Rickie Lazzerini,
All Rights Reserved
This page may be freely linked to but may not
be reproduced
in any form without prior written consent from
the author.
|
