9781422286180

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Southern New England: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island

When the English arrived, the area where the Mystic River enters Long Island Sound was the site of a large Pequot village. After the Pequot war ended in 1638, the English established a settlement there. Today, Mystic Seaport is home to the largest maritime museum in the United States. It includes many old buildings, as well as sailing ships from the 19th century.

England to convince King Charles II to give Connecticut an official charter that would permit colonists to select their own political leaders and judges. Winthrop’s mission was a success. In 1665, the New Haven Colony joined the Connecticut Colony, so that its citizens would have the same rights. During the French and Indian War (1754–1763), Great Britain fought with France over the Ohio River Valley in North America. The war was expensive, and after it ended the British government began to impose

The Fundamental Orders are con- sidered the first written Constitution in the colonies. The Orders did not create a democracy as we think of it today, however. The only people allowed to vote were adult white males who owned property and were Puritans. This excluded about 75 per- cent of the colonists. As the population of Connecticut continued to grow, leaders worried that the British might restrict their form of self-government. In 1661, the colony sent John Winthrop Jr. to