Connecticut Colony Q & A
1) Q. When was this colony founded? Why? By who?
A: The Connecticut colony was founded in 1636 . Connecticut was founded by Thomas Hooker . Connecticut was founded for political, and religious freedom, after a big disagreement with the Massachusetts bay.
2) Q. Which region does this colony belong to? (New England, Middle, Southern)
A: The connecticut colony belonged to the New England region.
3) Q. What kind of jobs did most people have in this colony?
A: Jobs in the Connecticut colony were mostly servants, manual workers, sailors, apprentices, semi-skilled tradesmen and hired hands.
4) Q. If farming was popular, what crops did they grow?
A: Yes, farming was popular in Connecticut . Some of the crops they grew were, wheat, corn, pumpkin, rye, squash and beans. Wheat was difficult to farm because of the lack of good soil.
5) Q. What was daily life like?
A: Most people were farmers, farming was a very difficult job. Most farmers worked from dawn to dusk, with very little breaks. Medicine in the colonial days was not a famous thing. Most surgeries were performed by barber - surgeons. Life was very short back then, most lives averaged at 35 years old. Most people were puritans, the church was a very important part of everyone's daily lives. Church was not an option back in the colonial days, it a was mandatory thing.
6) Q. What kind of clothing did the colonists wear?
A: In the early and mid 1600s there were laws about what people could and could not wear. These rules were called the “Sumptuary Laws.” Only the women in the upper class were allowed to wear newer fashions and silk hoods.The men in the upper class usually wore a couple layers such as, banyans or coats, breeches, hunting shirts, cloaks, and many more. The lower class female citizens would wear plain colored skirts and shirts, while the men wore trousers, coats, and simple shirts.
7) Q. What kind of homes did they build?
A: Lots of the houses built were made in the same, general way. They were constructed of wood and most often had chimneys. They also were commonly shaped in the form of saltboxes. The very first home made was a hut built out of wood.
8) Q. How was the local government run?
A: There were 3 types of systems that ran the government, the Royal, the Charter, and the Proprietary. But, they all worked in a very similar way. When the colonies were first brand new, the settlers brought with them something called the “Common Law”, but after a while it was dispersed everywhere. There was the Legislature, the governor, the administration, the organization and structure, and the council.
9) Q. What did they do for entertainment?
A: The children in the colonial days in Connecticut loved playing with kites, swimming, and fishing. Little girls would enjoy making dolls, but because they didn't have factories that made them, they would use leftover scraps from their parents work. The boys enjoyed getting left over scraps from work to make pretend horses. Some common games played were hopscotch, jumprope, tag, hide-n-seek, and leap frog.
10) Q. How important was religion in this colony?
A: Religion was one of the reasons why Thomas Hooker founded the Connecticut colony. He was a Puritan and felt that religion was very important. It wasn’t your choice whether or not to go to church back then, it was mandatory.