Connecticut << kuh NEHT ih kuht >> is the third smallest state of the United States. Only Delaware and Rhode Island have smaller areas. In spite of its small size, Connecticut is an important industrial state and a favorite vacationland. Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, is an important manufacturing center and a regional retail center. The Hartford area also has a large number of insurance companies. Bridgeport is the state’s largest city.
Connecticut’s most valuable manufactured products include chemicals, computer and electronic equipment, metal products, and transportation equipment. The state is one of the nation’s leading producers of aircraft parts, helicopters, and submarines.
The mighty Connecticut River cuts through the center of the state. The river flows into Long Island Sound, Connecticut’s outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. The word Connecticut comes from an Algonquian word meaning on the long tidal river. The state’s biggest industrial cities are west of the Connecticut River. They stretch from Hartford in central Connecticut to Stamford near the southwestern border of the state. New York City lies south of Connecticut. Thousands of Connecticut residents commute to work there.
Connecticut’s rural areas and small towns contrast sharply with its industrial cities. Many towns in Connecticut center around a green (public park). Near the green may stand a small white church, a town meeting hall, a tavern, and several colonial houses. Forests, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and a sandy shore add to the beauty of the state.
The people of Connecticut played an important role in U.S. history. For many years, colonial Connecticut was governed under the Fundamental Orders, sometimes regarded as the first written constitution. The Fundamental Orders later served as one of the models for the Constitution of the United States. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Connecticut delegates helped work out the Great Compromise or Connecticut Compromise. It broke a deadlock over how many representatives each state should elect to Congress. This compromise and the Fundamental Orders earned Connecticut the nickname of the Constitution State.
Connecticut’s people also made important contributions to the nation’s industrial development. Eli Whitney helped make Connecticut the birthplace of mass-production manufacturing. Working in Hamden, he showed the advantages of using interchangeable parts in gunmaking. Whitney’s methods led to the high-speed industrial production of today.
Steel manufacturing in the United States began in Hartford County. Connecticut workers were also the first Americans to make bicycles, dyed silk, friction matches, printing type, repeating pistols, rubber shoes, and vulcanized rubber. The first insurance policies providing coverage for accidents, automobiles, and aircraft were written in Hartford. The Nautilus, launched in Groton in 1954, was the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine.
People
Population.
The 2020 United States census reported that Connecticut had 3,605,944 people. The population had increased 1 percent over the 2010 figure, 3,574,097. According to the 2020 census, Connecticut ranks 29th in population among the 50 states.
About 95 percent of the people of Connecticut live in metropolitan areas (see Metropolitan area). The state has five metropolitan areas—Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, New Haven, Norwich-New London-Willimantic, and Waterbury-Shelton.
Bridgeport is Connecticut’s largest city. Other large cities, in order of population, include Stamford, New Haven, Hartford, and Waterbury.
Connecticut’s largest population groups include people of English, German, Irish, Italian, and Polish descent. African Americans and Hispanic Americans each account for over 10 percent of the state’s population.
Schools.
Connecticut’s Yale University, founded in 1701, is the third oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Only Harvard University and the College of William and Mary are older. The Litchfield Law School (later called Tapping Reeve Law School) was the first institution in the United States devoted entirely to teaching law. Tapping Reeve, a judge, founded the school in his home in 1774. In 1784, he moved the school to a building next to his home. The school operated until 1833. In 1817, Thomas H. Gallaudet founded the first free American school for the deaf, in Hartford. The school now operates in West Hartford as the American School for the Deaf. 
Before 1650, schools in Connecticut were voluntary. A law passed in 1650 required Connecticut towns with at least 50 families to hire someone from the town to teach the children to read and write. Towns with at least 100 families were required to establish a school for more advanced study.
A commissioner of education and a State Board of Education oversee Connecticut’s public school districts. The governor appoints the board members to four-year terms. The commissioner, who is appointed by the governor on the recommendation of the board, serves a four-year term. The board has two nonvoting student members who serve one-year terms.
Connecticut law requires children to attend school from age 5 to 18.
Libraries.
The Yale University Library, founded in 1701, is the oldest library still operating in Connecticut. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. The Scoville Memorial Library in Salisbury was founded in 1803 as the Bingham Library for Youth. In 1810, Salisbury began using taxes to support the library. It may have been the first free, tax-supported public library in the United States. Today, Connecticut has large public libraries in Bridgeport, Greenwich, Hartford, New Haven, and Waterbury. All citizens can access the state’s digital library on the Internet. The State Library in Hartford is the principal library for all branches of state government. It contains the state archives and comprehensive collections of newspapers and materials in law and legislation; maps; state, federal, and local government; and Connecticut history and genealogy.
Museums.
Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History has world-famous natural history exhibits. The Yale University Art Gallery is the oldest university art museum in the United States. The university also operates the Yale Center for British Art. The Barnum Museum in Bridgeport owns many items that belonged to the Connecticut-born showman P. T. Barnum. Most of the museum was closed in 2010 after it was badly damaged by a tornado, but many of its artifacts remain on display at an adjacent gallery. Exhibits at Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea include historic ships and photographs. The American Clock & Watch Museum in Bristol displays timepieces made in the 1700’s and 1800’s. The New Haven Museum (formerly the New Haven Colony Historical Society) exhibits a model of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. It also owns valuable prints and early American portraits. The Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center in Mashantucket brings to life the story of the Mashantucket Pequot tribal nation. Connecticut Science Center, in Hartford, has numerous hands-on exhibits. 
Visitor’s guide
Southern Connecticut’s seashore offers vacationers swimming, fishing, boating, and beautiful scenery. Inland, many summertime visitors hike and ride horseback across the state’s wooded hills and valleys. Many people fish in Connecticut’s rivers, streams, and lakes. Camping is a popular activity in both private campgrounds and state parks and forests. During winter, the state’s snow-covered hills provide skiing and other winter sports. Tourists and students of American history also may visit many historic sites, museums, and colonial buildings in cities and towns throughout the state.
One of the best-known annual events in Connecticut is the Dogwood Festival held in Fairfield in May. Visitors to the festival enjoy the beautiful dogwood trees that bloom in the city and tours of scenic gardens and historic houses. Country fairs are held in various Connecticut towns from early August to mid-October. During the winter, Connecticut’s history is brought to life by sleigh rides through the countryside, antique shows and craft shows, and special holiday festivities.
Land and climate
Land regions.
Connecticut has five main land regions: (1) the Taconic Section, (2) the Western New England Upland, (3) the Connecticut Valley Lowland, (4) the Eastern New England Upland, and (5) the Coastal Lowlands.
The Taconic Section
covers the northwestern corner of Connecticut between the Housatonic River and the New York border. This region also extends north into Massachusetts. The Taconic Section includes the highest point in Connecticut, on the south slope of Mount Frissell.
The Western New England Upland
occupies most of western Connecticut, and parts of Massachusetts and Vermont. In Connecticut, it lies from 1,000 to 1,400 feet (300 to 427 meters) above sea level. The land slopes from northwest to southeast. Many rivers flow between the region’s ridges and steep hills.
The Connecticut Valley Lowland
extends through the center of Connecticut and north into Massachusetts. It averages 20 miles (32 kilometers) in width. Basalt ridges, including Hanging Hills, Mount Lamentation, and Talcott Mountain, rise from 300 to 600 feet (91 to 180 meters) above the valley.
The Eastern New England Upland
covers most of eastern Connecticut. The entire upland stretches from Connecticut to Maine. In Connecticut, it is heavily forested, and has narrow river valleys and low hills. Few of the hills rise as high as 1,200 feet (366 meters). The land slopes gradually from northwest to southeast.
The Coastal Lowlands
are part of a larger region of the same name that covers the New England coast. In Connecticut, the region is a narrow belt, from 6 to 16 miles (10 to 26 kilometers) wide, along the southern shore. The coastal lowlands are somewhat lower and smoother than the rest of the state’s regions. The lowlands are broken by low ridges and by beaches and harbors along the coast.
Coastline.
Connecticut’s 618-mile (995-kilometer) shoreline includes bays and mouths of many rivers. The Connecticut shore has many fine harbors, including Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, New Haven, and New London. Long Island, a part of New York that lies south of Connecticut, helps protect Connecticut’s shore from Atlantic storms.
Several small islands lie off the Connecticut coast. The largest, Mason Island, covers about 11/2 square miles (3.9 square kilometers) near Mystic. Other islands include the Norwalk Islands off Norwalk and The Thimbles near Branford.
Mountains.
Connecticut’s highest mountains are all in northwestern Litchfield County. The highest point in the state, on the south slope of Mount Frissell, has an altitude of 2,380 feet (725 meters). The top of Mount Frissell is in Massachusetts. Other mountains include Bear Mountain (2,355 feet, or 718 meters), Mount Gridley (2,200 feet, or 671 meters), Mount Riga (2,000 feet, or 610 meters), and Bradford Mountain (1,962 feet, or 598 meters).
Rivers, waterfalls, and lakes.
The Connecticut River flows south through the center of the state. It is Connecticut’s chief river. Some oceangoing ships can sail on the Connecticut as far north as Hartford, 50 miles (80 kilometers) inland. The Housatonic River and its chief tributaries, the Naugatuck and Shepaug rivers, drain the Western New England Upland. The Thames and the Quinebaug are the chief rivers of eastern Connecticut. Connecticut has many small waterfalls. Kent Falls, the largest, plunges about 200 feet (61 meters) along a distance of about 1/4 mile (0.4 kilometer) near Kent.
Over 1,000 lakes dot the landscape. Most are small lakes that were formed by glaciers thousands of years ago. Several of the largest ones are used as reservoirs. Others provide recreation activities. The largest lake, Lake Candlewood, was created artificially to store water for generating power. Other lakes include Bantam, Pachaug, Shenipsit, Twin Lakes, and Waramaug.
Plant and animal life.
Forests cover more than 60 percent of Connecticut. Trees include ash, beech, birch, elm, hemlock, hickory, maple, oak, and pine.
The mountain laurel, Connecticut’s state flower, grows throughout the woodlands and along roads. Many people in western Connecticut call this evergreen flowering shrub ivy. Dogwood grows throughout the state. Bayberry, sheep laurel, and sweet fern cover many fields in the state.
Connecticut’s animal life consists chiefly of small creatures, though the population of white-tailed deer increased significantly in the late 1900’s. Animals prized by hunters and trappers include foxes, hares, minks, muskrats, otters, and rabbits. Freshwater ducks are the most common game birds. Partridges, ring-necked pheasants, and ruffed grouse are also hunted. Orioles, sparrows, thrushes, and warblers live in the state.
Connecticut waters in Long Island Sound have many clams, menhaden, lobsters, and oysters. Shad is the leading fish of the state’s inland waterways. Trout and other game fish are plentiful in the lakes and streams.
Climate.
Connecticut’s weather is rarely very cold or very hot. January temperatures average 28 °F (–2 °C), and July temperatures average 73 °F (23 °C). The state’s lowest temperature, –32 °F (–36 °C), was recorded in Falls Village on Feb. 16, 1943, and in Coventry on Jan. 22, 1961. The record high temperature in Connecticut, 106 °F (41 °C), was set in Danbury on July 15, 1995. 
Although Connecticut is a small state, its climate and weather can vary greatly from one area to another. For example, the same storms that deposit large amounts of snow in the hills of northern Connecticut may produce only light rain along the coast, less than 50 miles (80 kilometers) away.
Yearly precipitation in Connecticut averages about 50 inches (127 centimeters). The average amount of yearly rainfall is distributed fairly evenly throughout the state.
Snowfall averages from about 25 inches (64 centimeters) yearly in the southeast part of Connecticut to about 35 inches (89 centimeters) in the western and central parts. The highest places in the northwest sometimes receive 80 inches (200 centimeters) of snow annually.
Economy
Service industries, taken together, make up the greatest portion of Connecticut’s gross domestic product—the total value of all goods and services produced in a state in a year. However, manufacturing is also an important economic activity. Manufacturing is centered in Fairfield, Hartford, and New Haven counties. Military vehicles and chemicals are among the state’s most valuable manufactured products.
Finance, insurance, and real estate combine to form the leading service industry of Connecticut. A large number of insurance companies are in the Hartford area. Many corporations have headquarters in the state, particularly in the areas near New York City. Trade and tourism thrive in many parts of Connecticut. Tourists flock to the state’s many scenic areas and historic sites.
Natural resources.
Unlike many other states, Connecticut does not depend chiefly on its own natural resources for the raw materials of its industries. The state has many forests, but they are not commercially important. The state lacks large deposits of valuable minerals.
Soil.
Some of the soils at low elevations are dry. But they produce good vegetable and tobacco crops, especially along the Connecticut River. Much of the soil in the uplands is stony. It is best suited for growing grass that can be made into hay or growing corn that can be used to feed dairy cattle.
Minerals.
Stone—especially a kind of basalt called traprock—and sand and gravel are Connecticut’s leading mined products. Clays are also mined in the state.
Service industries
account for the largest portion of both Connecticut’s gross domestic product and its employment. Connecticut’s service industries are concentrated mainly in the metropolitan areas.
The finance, insurance, and real estate industry contributes more to Connecticut’s gross domestic product than any other industry. Many insurance companies are in the Hartford area.
State government offices are centered in Hartford. Many hotels, restaurants, and retail establishments are in the Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven areas. ESPN, a major sports network, is headquartered in Bristol.
Manufacturing.
Chemicals and transportation equipment are among Connecticut’s most important manufactured goods. Cleaning products are the leading chemical products. Danbury and New Haven are centers of chemical production. Most of the transportation equipment is made for military uses. Connecticut is a leading producer of aircraft parts, helicopters, and submarines. Aircraft parts are made in the Hartford area. Helicopters are manufactured in the Stratford area. Groton is a national center for submarine production.
Connecticut ranks high among the states in the production of cutlery, hardware, and surgical and medical instruments. Bakery goods, candy, and dairy products are the leading food products. Computer equipment is manufactured in the southeastern part of the state. Xerox Corporation, based in Norwalk, is a leading producer of electronic office equipment.
Agriculture.
Farmland covers about 10 percent of Connecticut’s land area. Greenhouse and nursery products are the leading source of agricultural income. Milk and eggs are the next most important farm products. Dairy cattle are primarily raised in eastern Connecticut. Most egg farms are also in the eastern part of the state.
Corn and hay are the state’s leading field crops. Connecticut farmers raise an expensive variety of tobacco that is used to make cigar wrappers. They also produce apples, berries, peaches, and pears.
Mining.
Crushed stone and sand and gravel are Connecticut’s chief mined products. Most of the crushed stone is obtained from traprock quarries in Hartford and New Haven counties. Connecticut also mines clay, granite, and limestone.
Fishing industry.
Shellfish, which include lobsters, oysters, and scallops, provide most of the fishing income. Flounder, hake, and squid also supply some of the income. Fish farms produce oysters and other shellfish.
Electric power and utilities.
Nuclear power plants and plants that burn natural gas account for most of the state’s electric power. Renewable sources account for much of the remaining power.
Transportation.
Connecticut has an extensive system of roads and highways. The Connecticut Turnpike crosses the state between the New York border, near Greenwich, and the Rhode Island border, in Killingly.
The Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut’s first important railroad, began service between New Haven and Meriden in 1838. Today, freight railroads operate on hundreds of miles of rail line in the state. Passenger trains carry many Connecticut commuters to and from their jobs in New York City.
Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks is Connecticut’s major airport. The state’s busiest seaports are Bridgeport, New Haven, and New London.
Communication.
The Connecticut Courant (now The Hartford Courant) began publication in 1764. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the nation. The Hartford Courant, the Connecticut Post of Fairfield County, the New Haven Register, and the Republican-American of Waterbury are among the state’s chief newspapers.
Government
Constitution
of Connecticut was adopted in 1965. It replaced an earlier Constitution adopted in 1818. Colonial Connecticut’s first constitution was the Fundamental Orders of 1639. Connecticut governed itself under the Fundamental Orders until it received a royal charter in 1662. The charter was the constitution until 1818.
An amendment (change) to the Constitution may be proposed by the legislature or by a constitutional convention. An amendment proposed by the legislature must be approved by a majority of the members of each house, and by a majority of electors voting on the amendment in a general election. If the amendment is approved by a three-fourths majority of each house, electors vote on it in the next general election. If it is approved by a majority of less than three-fourths of each house, it must be approved again by a majority in a regular session of the legislature after the next general election held in an even-numbered year. Then it is voted on in a general election.
A constitutional convention may be called by a two-thirds vote in each house of the legislature. In general elections held every 20 years, a majority of electors also may vote to hold a convention. An amendment proposed by a convention must be approved by a majority of the electors.
Executive.
The governor of Connecticut is elected to a four-year term and may be reelected any number of times. The voters also elect the lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, secretary of state, and state treasurer. All of these offices have four-year terms. The governor, with the approval of either house of the legislature, appoints most other top executive officials.
Legislature,
called the General Assembly, consists of a 36-member Senate and a 151-member House of Representatives. Voters in each of Connecticut’s 36 senatorial districts elect one senator. Voters in each of the state’s 151 assembly districts elect one representative. Senators and representatives serve two-year terms. 
Regular sessions begin on the Wednesday after the first Monday in January in odd-numbered years and on the Wednesday after the first Monday of February in even-numbered years. The sessions must end by the Wednesday after the first Monday in June in odd-numbered years and by the Wednesday after the first Monday in May in even-numbered years. Special sessions have no time limits. They may be called by the governor or by a majority of each house.
In 1965, Connecticut reapportioned (redivided) its legislature to provide equal representation based on population. It also provided for reapportionment after each federal census. For a discussion of reapportionment in the state, see The mid-1900’s section of this article.
Courts.
Connecticut’s judicial system consists of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the state; the Appellate Court; the Superior Court; and probate courts. The Superior Court is the only general trial court. There are 7 Supreme Court justices, 9 Appellate Court judges, and dozens of Superior Court judges. The justices and judges of the higher courts are nominated by the governor and appointed by the General Assembly to eight-year terms. Connecticut has more than 50 probate courts. These courts handle wills and other family matters. Probate court judges are elected to four-year terms.
Local government
in Connecticut is centered in 169 towns. Connecticut towns are similar to townships in other states. The towns may include several communities and large rural areas under one government.
Many small Connecticut towns use the town meeting form of government. This pure form of democracy allows citizens to take a direct part in their local government. Each year, town voters meet to elect officials, approve budgets, and decide other business. See Town meeting.
Some towns have heavily populated areas called boroughs and cities. Most of the 10 boroughs have a government that is independent of the town government. In most of the 20 cities, the city and town governments operate as a unit—called a city government. The most common city government is the mayor-council type. Some cities use the council-manager form. Connecticut cities operate under state charters. All chartered cities have home rule—that is, they are free to amend their own charters.
Connecticut has nine planning regions, each represented by a council of governments. Councils are made up of municipal leaders who meet to discuss issues of regional importance.
Connecticut and Rhode Island are the only states that do not have county governments. The two states do have geographical areas called counties, however.
Revenue.
Taxation provides about three-fifths of the state government’s general revenue (income). Much of the rest comes from federal grants and programs. General sales and personal income taxes bring in the largest percentage of the state’s tax revenue. Other major sources of tax revenue include taxes on corporate income, motor fuels, public utilities, and tobacco. Connecticut also receives revenue from the sale of business licenses and motor vehicle licenses and from legalized gambling.
Politics.
Connecticut gave early support to the Republican Party after the party was formed in 1854. In presidential elections between 1856 and 1932, Connecticut voted for 15 Republicans and only 5 Democrats. The voters chose about three times as many Republicans as Democrats for governor during the same period. The Democrats gained strength during the 1930’s. Since 1960, registered Democratic voters have outnumbered registered Republicans in Connecticut.
History
Early days.
The Indigenous (native) people who lived in what is now Connecticut before the Europeans came belonged to several tribes of the Algonquian family. The Pequot, the most powerful tribe, lived in the south near the Thames River. The Mohegan, a branch of the Pequot tribe, lived near present-day Norwich. Other Connecticut tribes included the Niantic, Paugusset, Quinnipiac, Saukiog, Siwanog, Tunxis, and Wangunk.
Dutch exploration.
Adriaen Block, a Dutch explorer, sailed up the Connecticut River in 1614. Block claimed Connecticut for the Dutch as part of their colony of New Netherland. The Dutch did not act on this claim until 1633 when they built a small fort—called the House of Hope—on the present site of Hartford. But the Dutch never settled permanently in Connecticut. They claimed parts of Connecticut off and on until 1674, when the English finally drove them out of the area.
English settlement.
English colonists from Massachusetts established Connecticut’s first permanent settlements. Windsor, the first one, was founded in 1633. Other early settlements included Hartford, New London, Saybrook, and Wethersfield. Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windsor united in 1636 to form the Connecticut Colony (also called the River Colony). In 1638, New Haven was founded as an independent colony. It was originally a Puritan theocracy (church-ruled state). Beginning in 1643, other towns—including Branford, Guilford, Milford, Stamford, and Southold, on Long Island—joined the New Haven Colony.
Many early Connecticut settlers left Massachusetts in search of political and religious freedom. The most famous of these settlers was Thomas Hooker, a Congregational minister and the chief founder of Hartford. In 1638, Hooker preached a sermon calling for government based on the will of the people. The Connecticut Colony put his principle into practice in 1639, by adopting the Fundamental Orders as its law. The Fundamental Orders gave voters the right to elect government officials. The Fundamental Orders are regarded by some people as the first written constitution.
The Pequot War.
Connecticut colonists feared the Pequot tribe because the Pequot had attacked their settlements. The Pequot feared the colonists as a threat to Pequot supremacy in the region. Captain John Mason, aided by Mohegan and Narragansett warriors, led a small army against the Pequot in Mystic in 1637. The soldiers burned a Pequot fort, killing hundreds of people. Also in 1637, colonists defeated the remaining Pequot near Fairfield. See Indian wars (The Pequot War (1637)).
Expanding the colony.
By 1660, many new towns had joined the Connecticut Colony, including Fairfield, Farmington, Middletown, New London, Norwalk, Saybrook, and Stratford. In 1662, John Winthrop, Jr., of the Connecticut Colony got a charter from the king of England. The charter gave the colony a strip of land 73 miles (117 kilometers) wide from Narragansett Bay to the Pacific Ocean. People of the time did not know that the distance to the Pacific Ocean was so great. This strip included the New Haven Colony. At first, New Haven objected to being part of the Connecticut Colony. But in December 1664, New Haven agreed to unite. The unification process was completed in April 1665.
Colonial life.
The earliest Connecticut colonists were farmers. Most of them raised only enough food for their own needs. Each family made most of its own clothing, household utensils, and farm tools.
During the late 1600’s, Connecticut began exporting farm products to other lands, especially to the Caribbean region. Manufacturing started in Connecticut during the early 1700’s. Clockmaking, shipbuilding, and silversmithing were the first important industries. Two brothers, Edward and William Pattison, made the first tinware in North America in the 1740’s. The Pattison brothers became the first of Connecticut’s famous Yankee peddlers. These house-to-house salesmen traveled in small carts selling a variety of Connecticut products. They were such shrewd businessmen that stories arose accusing them of selling wooden nutmegs. The stories gave Connecticut the nickname of the Nutmeg State.
Defending the colony.
Sir Edmund Andros, named by the English king as governor of several other New England colonies, twice tried to gain control of Connecticut. In 1675, he sent troops to seize a fort in Saybrook. But his forces withdrew because Connecticut resisted strongly and the soldiers wanted to avoid a bloody battle. In 1687, Andros arrived in Hartford and demanded Connecticut’s charter. But the people refused to give it to him. They supposedly hid the charter in a large oak tree, later called the Charter Oak.
The Revolutionary War.
During the 1760’s, Britain (now the United Kingdom) passed a series of laws that caused unrest in Connecticut and the other American Colonies. Some of these laws set up heavy taxes and restricted colonial trade. A few Connecticut colonists urged loyalty to Britain. But the great majority supported independence, and on June 14, 1776, Connecticut passed a resolution favoring it. About three weeks later, on July 4, the colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. On July 9, 1778, Connecticut ratified (approved) the Articles of Confederation, the forerunner of the U.S. Constitution.
After the Revolutionary War began in Massachusetts in 1775, hundreds of Connecticut men joined the patriot forces. Governor Jonathan Trumbull and Nathan Hale rank among the most famous Connecticut patriots. Trumbull was the only colonial governor to hold office throughout the Revolution. He was a close friend and trusted adviser of General George Washington, who called him Brother Jonathan (see Brother Jonathan). Nathan Hale was hanged by the British as a spy. His dying words won him lasting fame: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
During the Revolutionary War, Connecticut’s long coastline lay open to attack from British-controlled Long Island, only a few hours away by boat. The British launched five major assaults and countless minor raids against the state. Although Connecticut lacked sufficient forces to protect its own coast, the state was asked to supply large detachments to the Continental Army to help defend the Hudson River in New York. The conflict over whether state or national defense should be more important created serious disputes among Connecticut’s political leaders throughout the war.
At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Connecticut’s delegates supported the establishment of a strong national government. They played an important role in bringing about the Great Compromise (sometimes called the Connecticut Compromise). Convention delegates from large states wanted a state’s representation in Congress to be based on population. Delegates from small states wanted all states to have equal representation in Congress. The compromise provided for representation in proportion to population in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate. It enabled the large and small states to join in supporting a central government that had substantial powers. Connecticut ratified the U.S. Constitution on Jan. 9, 1788, becoming the fifth state to join the Union. 
During the 1780’s, Connecticut gave up claims to most of the western land that the colony had been granted in the 1662 charter. Connecticut kept only its claim to the Western Reserve. Most of this land in northeastern Ohio was sold to the Connecticut Land Company in 1795. The money from the sale was used for education.
The 1800’s.
Until the 1850’s, most of Connecticut’s people continued to work on farms. But before 1900, Connecticut had become a thriving industrial state.
Connecticut owes much of its industrial importance to the inventors who worked there. Perhaps the most important of these inventors was Eli Whitney. Whitney is best known for his cotton gin. But he also helped develop the modern system of mass production. While working in Hamden in the early 1800’s, Whitney built machine tools that made interchangeable gun parts. Until that time, all gun parts were made by hand and part of one gun usually would not fit another gun. 
In 1808, Eli Terry of East Hartford became the first person to make clocks by mass production. In 1810, Rodney Hanks and his nephew, Horatio Hanks, built the nation’s first silk mill in Mansfield. Samuel Colt of Hartford invented the first successful repeating pistol, and obtained a U.S. patent for it in 1836. Colt made pistols and other firearms in his Hartford factory. In 1839, Charles Goodyear of Connecticut found a way to vulcanize (strengthen) rubber. Goodyear patented his vulcanization method in 1844. People from Connecticut also pioneered in making bicycles, cigars, copper coins, nuts and bolts, pins and needles, silk thread, and rubber shoes.
Improved transportation helped Connecticut grow industrially. Fifteen railroad companies were organized in the state between the 1830’s and 1850’s. Steamships began serving Connecticut ports in the early 1800’s. With these facilities, industries could import large quantities of raw materials inexpensively. Connecticut’s industrial growth also was aided by thousands of Canadian and European immigrants. These workers provided relatively inexpensive factory labor.
Connecticut strongly supported the Union during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Over 50,000 men joined the Union forces, and the state’s industries helped produce arms, munitions, and other military needs.
The early 1900’s.
Many immigrants settled in Connecticut during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. By 1910, about 30 percent of the state’s population was made up of people who were born outside the United States. Most of these people settled in cities. By 1910, almost 90 percent of Connecticut’s people lived in urban areas.
In 1910, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy was moved to New London from headquarters in Maryland and Massachusetts. The U.S. Navy opened a submarine base in nearby Groton in 1917. After the United States entered World War I in 1917, many of the nation’s largest munitions factories operated in Connecticut. About 67,600 people from Connecticut served in the armed forces during the war.
Connecticut industry continued to grow during the 1920’s. At the same time, the Republican Party controlled Connecticut politics. The Great Depression of the 1930’s slowed industry and caused widespread unemployment in Connecticut. The Depression swung many Connecticut voters over to the Democratic Party. Democrat Wilbur Cross won election as governor four times during the 1930’s. Economic conditions improved when the Depression eased in the late 1930’s.
The mid-1900’s.
During World War II (1939-1945), Connecticut was an important supplier of war materials. The state’s factories made airplane engines, propellers, shell cases, and submarines.
Connecticut industry kept pace with the nuclear age and space age during the 1950’s and 1960’s. In 1954, the Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, was built and launched at Groton. In the late 1960’s, the Groton shipyard began to build nuclear submarines that were armed with more powerful missile weapons. A nuclear energy plant for the production of electric power began to operate at Haddam Neck in 1968. 
Also in the 1960’s, Stratford plants produced reentry vehicles for spacecraft, and Middletown factories made small tape recorders to send signals into outer space. In 1969, when U.S. astronauts became the first people to walk on the moon, they carried oxygen and other supplies in backpacks made in Connecticut.
The 1950’s and 1960’s brought changes in the state government. In 1955, the Connecticut legislature approved new laws that gave voters a direct voice in choosing candidates for state elections. In 1964, Connecticut redrew the boundaries of its congressional districts. Six new districts with more equal populations were created for congressional elections.
Also in 1964, a federal court ruled against Connecticut’s 327-year-old system for electing state legislators. Under this system, each town, regardless of its population, could elect at least one legislator. As a result, 10 percent of the voters could elect a majority of the legislators. This was possible because many thinly populated areas elected as many legislators as did heavily populated areas. In 1965, Connecticut reapportioned (redivided) its legislative districts to provide representation based on population. The Democrats, who were stronger in the large population centers, gained power.
Connecticut adopted its present constitution in 1965. The Constitution requires that the legislature be reapportioned after each federal census.
During the 1950’s and 1960’s, many communities tore down slum sections and replaced them with new buildings. The construction of Hartford’s Constitution Plaza turned a slum into an attractive business district. State spending for education, welfare, and other citizen services also rose rapidly during this period.
The late 1900’s.
In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, the state legislature passed laws to reduce air and water pollution. In 1979, the legislature passed a law prohibiting the construction of additional nuclear power plants. Existing plants were allowed to continue operating. However, the plant at Haddam Neck closed in 1997.
In the late 1900’s, population growth and rapid industrial growth brought many problems, including crowded cities and highways and soaring costs for education and housing. In 1979, the legislature developed a system that provided increased state aid for needy school districts. In the 1980’s, Connecticut used part of its revenues to rebuild bridges and expand educational services. The end of the Cold War in the late 1900’s resulted in fewer government contracts for military equipment. This led to reduced employment in the state.
State revenue developments.
The state government adopted the state’s first individual income tax in 1971. But after public protests, the state government repealed the tax and raised taxes on cigarettes, gasoline, and general sales. The government established a lottery in 1971 to raise additional revenue. The government later developed more sources of revenue by permitting betting on greyhound racing and by legalizing other forms of gambling. In 1991, the government again adopted an individual income tax. Casino gambling began in the state in 1992.
The early 2000’s.
In 2004, Governor John Rowland, who had headed Connecticut since 1995, resigned from office. He had been under pressure to resign since December 2003, when he admitted that he had lied when he denied accepting gifts from people who did business with the state. Several months after his resignation, in December 2004, Rowland pleaded guilty to a charge of corruption. He was fined and sentenced to a prison term of one year and one day.
In 2008, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled, in a split decision, that same-sex couples in the state have a constitutional right to marry. The court’s ruling struck down a 2005 state law that allowed gay people to enter into civil unions but limited marriage to the union of a man and a woman.
In December 2012, one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. A gunman killed 20 young students and 6 employees at the school. The school was torn down in 2013 and replaced in 2016.
