Colonies of Connecticut and New Haven Unite
The unification of the Colonies of Connecticut and New Haven marked a significant chapter in early American colonial history. This process began in 1662 when John Winthrop Jr. secured a royal charter that granted Connecticut control over the New Haven area, which had been independently established by Puritans seeking refuge from religious persecution. New Haven, founded in 1638 under leaders like Reverend John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton, initially resisted this incorporation, striving to maintain its independent governance based on strict citizenship requirements linked to church membership.
Despite its efforts, New Haven's autonomy waned, especially following the English conquest of New Netherland in 1664, which shifted the political landscape. The New England Confederation, initially supportive of New Haven's grievances, ultimately sided with Connecticut due to fears of Catholic expansion. The culmination of these events led to the first general court of the united colonies meeting on May 11, 1665, effectively merging their governance structures and communities. This transition not only reflected the dynamics of colonial politics but also highlighted the complexities of religious and civic identities during this era.
Colonies of Connecticut and New Haven Unite
Colonies of Connecticut and New Haven Unite
The first general court of Connecticut to include representatives from the towns that had comprised New Haven Colony met on May 11, 1665. This was more than three years after John Winthrop Jr. had obtained a royal charter granting Connecticut jurisdiction over the area previously controlled by New Haven.
Prior to 1662, neither Connecticut nor New Haven had a royal charter. Colonization of both areas took place without the legal sanction of the king. It was the natural migration of Massachusetts inhabitants that accounted for the settlement of Connecticut. In 1635 the attraction of the colony's rich farmlands caused an exodus from Dorchester and Watertown to the area around Hartford. The following year, the Reverend Thomas Hooker arrived, and under his guidance a compact of government was drawn up. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut closely followed the system of government then operative in Massachusetts. The only major deviation from the Massachusetts model was the provision for citizenship. In Massachusetts, membership in the Puritan Congregational Church was a prerequisite for admission to political privileges, but in Connecticut, the only requirement was acceptance by the majority of householders in the township. Since the original settlers were staunch Puritans, however, only those with similar religious beliefs proved “acceptable,” and in practice Congregational Church members also controlled Connecticut. The Fundamental Orders remained the sole basis of the colony's government for more than 20 years. Not until 1660 was any effort made to obtain royal recognition.
The colony at New Haven was likewise established without a royal charter. Under the leadership of the Reverend John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton, a merchant, Puritans fleeing religious persecution in England arrived in New England in 1637. They stopped briefly at Boston, but the religious controversies then raging in that town made them unwilling to stay. Instead, the followers of Davenport and Eaton decided to found a new settlement. In the spring of 1638, without royal knowledge of their activity, they established New Haven on the shore of Long Island Sound. Other towns quickly sprang up around the original settlement, and in 1643 the common need for protection caused Stamford, Guilford, and Milford to join with New Haven. The new colony limited citizenship to church members. Many of New Haven's leading citizens were merchants, and under their influence the colony quickly expanded. By 1662 it controlled a number of new settlements on the sound, several towns on Long Island, and a struggling colony in Delaware.
The English civil war afforded the Connecticut and New Haven colonies protection for two decades. The parliamentary government executed King Charles I in 1649, and Oliver Cromwell and his Puritans held the reins of power until 1660. Royal authority was reestablished with the restoration of Charles II to the throne in that year, and any colonial government that ignored the crown thenceforth risked its own existence.
Connecticut was quick to curry favor with the king. In 1662 the colony sent John Winthrop Jr. to England to negotiate for a charter. New Haven failed to take similar action. It could not afford the luxury of sending an emissary to the king, and its reputation as a refuge for Charles I's regicides made it unlikely that Charles II would have turned a favorable ear even if such a delegate had appeared at court. The charter that Winthrop received in 1662 incorporated New Haven into the Connecticut Colony. New Haven, however, refused to accept this action and for nearly two years struggled to maintain its independent existence. It petitioned the colonial organization known as the New England Confederation to redress its grievances against Connecticut, and at first that body upheld New Haven. However, the English conquest of New Netherland in 1664 ended any hope of continued independence. The Roman Catholic duke of York controlled New Netherland, and his charter could be interpreted so as to include the New Haven area within his jurisdiction. Fearing the expansion of the adjoining Catholic domain, the confederation quickly reversed itself, and in September 1664 agreed to Connecticut's control of the New Haven region. In November 1664 royal commissioners, disregarding the Duke of York's claim, established Long Island Sound as Connecticut's southern boundary.
New Haven reluctantly agreed to these terms on December 15, 1664. A formal act of submission was passed on January 5, 1665, and on May 11 the first general court of the combined colonies was held.