Connecticut
Connecticut was a colonial state established to administer lands conquered from Native American nations.
Contents
Geography
The colony was settled along the Connecticut River; thus it was also known as the Connecticut River Colony.
History
The region was first settled in 1633 by the Massachusetts Bay Company on a commission basis.
When the charter expired in 1636, the colony was established.
Charles II granted a royal charter for the colony in 1662. This involved the annexation of the New Haven Colony, which formally was executed by 1664.
Composition
The colony established a self-rule legislature in the General Court, comprised of six magistrates. There were also committees representing the three towns (i.e., Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windsor), each with three members. Suffrage was extended to free men. The colony was effectively a Puritan theocratic state.
The Fundamental Orders were enacted in 1639, reforming the government. A governorship was established with 1-year terms (and a ban on consecutive terms). The magistrates were standardized to 1-year terms. The town committees were replaced with a variable number of deputies per town, elected to 6-month terms. Because the early governors all consistently resided in Hartford, it became the capital.
The Charter of 1662 again reformed government. The legislature became the General Assembly. The magistrates were replaced with twelve assistants, and the number of deputies was significantly reduced.
The legislature adopted a bicameral design in 1698.
Connecticut was a founding state of the U.S. but continued with this colonial charter until 1818, when a new state constitution was finally drafted.