Connecticut was originally settled by Dutch fur traders in 1614. They sailed up the Connecticut River and built a fort near present-‐day Hartford.

The first English settlers were Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony who arrived in Connecticut in 1633 under the leadership of Reverend Thomas Hooker. After their arrival, several colonies were established including the Colony of Connecticut, Old Saybrooke, Windsor, Hartford, and New Haven. Hartford quickly became an important center of government and trade.

Much of the land settled by the colonists was purchased from the Mohegan Indians. The Pequot tribe, however, wanted the land. Soon, violence erupted between settlers and the Pequots in 1637. In what came to be known as the Pequot War, the Pequots were systematically massacred by not only the settlers, but by Mohegan and Naragansett Indians that had previously warred against them. Pequot lands were subsequently divided among the settlers and other tribes. After the Pequot War, Thomas Hooker led in the drafting of the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut in 1639. The document was a plan for government and is sometimes called America's first Constitution. John Haynes was then chosen as Connecticut's first governor. Finally, in 1662, Connecticut was issued a royal charter, which gave the colony a legal basis and approval from the king.

Connecticut was originally a(n) ______________________ colony.
1. English
2. French
3. American
4. Dutch
Based on the first paragraph of the passage, what can we infer about Connecticut?
1. There was a lot of gold there
2. There was a lot of furry animals there
3. There were a lot of settlers there
4. It was extremely cold
Where did the first English settlers in Connecticut come from?
1. England
2. Massachusetts
3. Dutch Territory
4. France
How did the Connecticut Colony grow?
1. Landowners received their land grants from the King of England
2. Land was purchased from the Mohegan Indians
3. Connecticut took land from neighboring colonies
4. The passage doesn’t say
What happened to the Pequot lands?
1. The land was taken by the settlers
2. The land was taken by other tribes
3. Both A and B
4. Neither A or B
Which of the following questions is NOT answered in the last paragraph?
1. What happened to the Pequot lands?
2. What was the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut?
3. Who was Connecticut’s first governor?
4. How did Hartford grow as a center of trade and government?
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut…
1. was drafted by Thomas Hooker.
2. is sometimes called America’s first Constitution.
3. was a plan of government for the Connecticut colony.
4. all of the above
Which of the following is TRUE about the relationships in the Connecticut colony?
1. The Connecticut colony and the Pequots were allies
2. The Mohegans and Connecticut settlers were enemies
3. The Mohegans and the Pequots were allies
4. The Mohegans and Pequots were enemies
Who was Connecticut’s first governor?
1. John Haynes
2. Thomas Hooker
3. The King of England
4. The passage does not say
Which of the following questions would likely be answered by the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut?
1. The location of various Indian tribes
2. When the first settlers came to Connecticut
3. How the leaders of Connecticut would be chosen
4. What crops would be harvested in Spring