The History of Connecticut

1. The History of Connecticut Written By Mr. Wood’s 4th Grade Class

2. Native Americans • Native Americans were the first people to live in Connecticut. • Native Americans traded things with the pilgrims. • Native Americans argued a lot with the pilgrims and they also got in fights. • Native Americans used weapons to hunt, such as spears, arrows, and knives.

3. European Explorers • European Explorers were people who explored new lands. • In the early 1600s, European Explores sailed to the coast of North America. • The European Explorers wrote about a land filled with animals that could be trapped for their fur. • The European Explorers said that the rivers and oceans were filled with fishes.

4. Adriaen Block Adriaen Block was a European explorer who found a new island and he named it after his last name. Adriaen Block was the first European to explore Connecticut. In 1614 , Captain Adriaen Block explored the Connecticut river. He met some Indian people on his journey. They were friendly to him. When Captain Block ran into some rapids on the river, he turned around and followed the river back to Long Island Sound.

5. Puritans • Puritans were one of the first people in Connecticut. • They came to Connecticut for religious reasons. • Puritans lived in England and came to Connecticut because they thought the money for the church was going to the English government. They also left because they had a feeling that God wanted them to move. • The Puritans traveled until they came to Connecticut.

6. Colonial Girls • Some of the things colonial girls did were chores. • Girls would cook, clean, serve, garden, sew, and spin thread. They also would wash clothes, make soap, and take care of siblings. They would start at an early age. • When they weren’t working they would play games like leap frog, hop scotch, horse shoes, and hop-skip-and-jump.

7. Colonial Boys • Some of the things colonial boys did were chores. • Boys would chop wood, feed the animals, clean the barn, and pick berries. They also would run errands and bring in wood for the fire. They would decide what they wanted to do for a living at an early age. • Like girls, boys liked to play games.

8. Pequot War • At first the Pequot and the settlers got along. • The settlers cut down a lot of trees and scared away a lot of animals, the Pequots were losing their home. • The settlers killed Native Americans the Pequots wanted revenge. • The Pequots killed English traders and several other English men. • A war broke out between the settlers and the Pequot. At the end of the war the settlers burned down the Pequot’s homes. • Over 600 Pequots were killed in this huge massacre.

9. Charter Oak Tree • The king gave the charter to the colonists to create their own government. The colonists had freedom. • Later on the king died and his son took over. He wanted the charter back. • When the king sent Edmund Andros to get the charter, the lights blew out and when they were relit, the charter was gone. • Some say that it was a colonist who blew out the candles, got the charter, and passed it to another colonist. It was then hidden in an oak tree. • After that happened, the colonists took Edmund Andros as a prisoner and put him on a ship and sent him back to England. This chair was made from the wood of the Charter Oak tree.

10. Revolutionary War • The Revolutionary War was a war for independence. • The war was between the Colonists and the British. • The war took place here in Connecticut! • The French helped the colonist win the war.

11. Nathan Hale • Nathan Hale is a hero of Connecticut. • He was a good friend of General Washington. • Nathan Hale volunteered to spy on the British to learn about their plans. • Nathan Hale was caught by the British. • Before Nathan Hale died he said his famous last words, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

12. Benedict Arnold • Benedict Arnold was a colonial captain who captured British forts. • The colonists trusted him 100%. Benedict was put in charge of an American fort. • The British offered him a great deal of money. • The British took over the American fort. Benedict Arnold was a traitor.

13. AMISTAD • The Amistad was a ship that was used to capture Africans and bring them to Cuba. • The slaves took over the ship and killed the cook and the captain. They were trying to go back to Africa, but instead the crew zigzagged and ended up in Connecticut. • The slaves were in a trial to see if they were innocent or guilty. Finally, they were freed.

14. Prudence Crandall • Prudence Crandall is our state heroine. A heroine is a woman who is admired for something she did. • She made a school and she let a black girl join. • Prudence Crandall and her students faced hard times and even violence. • Prudence Crandall never gave up because she believed in what was right.

15. Samuel Colt • Samuel Colt bought land near the Connecticut River to build a factory. • He made the front of his factory fancy, so that boats could see it from the water. • Samuel Colt invented the six gunner. It was a hand gun that held six bullets.

16. Civil War • Wealthy people in the South owned slaves and that is one of the reasons that started the Civil War. • The two sides were the Union and the Confederacy. • The battle was from 1861-1865. • The leader of the Union was Abraham Lincoln.

17. Mark Twain • Mark Twain’s real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. • Mark Twain grew up in Missouri near the Mississippi River. He loved the river so much that he became a steamboat pilot. • Mark Twain was a famous author who wrote Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. • Mark Twain lived in a house with his wife and three daughters in Hartford, Connecticut.

18. The Industrial Revolution • The Industrial Revolution was a time when a lot of people started to change their community. • People started to make new things like buttons and other things like clocks. • The Industrial Revolution changed transportation. People started to make steam boats and trains. • Many people from other countries came to Connecticut to get a job.

19. Immigrants • Immigrants are people who move to a new country to live. • Immigrants that didn’t go to school took jobs that didn’t require education. • Most immigrants were so poor that they had to live in the worst parts of the cities. • Most immigrants came to Connecticut for better opportunities and jobs.

20. World War 1 • World War 1 was a war between most of the countries of the world. • The war started in Europe in 1914. • England, France, Russia, and Italy joined together against Germany, Austria, Turkey, and other countries. America joined the English side. • The war was over when Germany finally surrendered. • A peace treaty was signed on November 11th, 1918.

21. The Great Depression • A depression is a time when people can’t earn enough money to support their family. • The depression in the 1930’s was the worst depression in the U.S.A. That’s why it is called The Great Depression. • People stood in lines for free food, many people became homeless. • The Great Depression lasted 10 years. The president of the United States was Franklin D. Roosevelt.

22. World War 2 • World War 2 was a war between most countries of the world. It began in 1939. • Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany, did terrible things during World War 2. • The United States created the first Atomic bomb during the war. • The United States and our Allies won World War 2!

23. Connecticut Today • Connecticut is the third smallest state. It is 5,009 square miles. Connecticut is bordered by New York on the west, Rhode Island on the east, Massachusetts on the north, and Long Island Sound on the south.

24. Connecticut Today Hartford is the capital of Connecticut. The laws of Connecticut are made in Hartford.

25. Connecticut Today • Our state bird is the Robin. • Our state insect is the Praying Mantis. • Our state mineral is the Garnet. • Our state flower is the Mountain Laurel.

26. Connecticut Today • There are more than 3,400,000 people living in Connecticut today. We are all citizens of Connecticut.