Connecticut 1788 Vintage Men’s T-Shirt

The name “Connecticut” comes from the Mohegan Indian word “Quinnehtukqut.” It means “Long River Place” or “Beside the Long Tidal River.” The first explorer from Europe to come to Connecticut was Adriaen Block, from the Netherlands. After he explored this region in 1614, Dutch fur traders sailed up the Connecticut River (Named Versche Rivier by the Dutch) and built a fort near present-day Hartford, which they called “House of Hope” (Dutch: Huys de Hoop). The first English settlers came in 1633. They were Puritans from Massachusetts, who were led by the Reverend Thomas Hooker. They founded the Connecticut Colony. Colonies were also established at Old Saybrook and New Haven, which later became part of Connecticut. Historically important colonial settlements included: Windsor (1633), Wethersfield (1634), Saybrook (1635), Hartford (1636), New Haven (1638), and New London (1646). Because the Dutch were outnumbered by the English settlers, they left their fort in 1654. Connecticut’s first constitution, the “Fundamental Orders,” was adopted on January 14, 1639, while its current constitution, the third for Connecticut, was adopted in 1965. Connecticut is the fifth of the original thirteen states. The western boundaries of Connecticut have been subject to change over time. According to a 1650 agreement with the Dutch, the western boundary of Connecticut ran north from the west side of Greenwich Bay “provided the said line come not within 10 miles of Hudson River.” On the other hand, Connecticut’s original Charter in 1662 granted it all the land to the “South Sea,” i.e. the Pacific Ocean. This probably added confusion to the early forefathers because the Pacific Ocean is located on the west coast of the United States. Agreements with New York, the “Pennamite Wars” with Pennsylvania over Westmoreland County, followed by Congressional intervention, and the relinquishment and sale of the Western Reserve lands brought the state to its present boundaries.