John Trumbull, The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, June 17,1775,1786, oil on canvas. Knowlton is shown in the white shirt holding a musket – Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Revolution and the New Nation (1754–1820s)
Connecticut played a vital role in the forging of our new nation politically, socially, economically, and militarily. Through a period characterized by conflict, Connecticut provided arms, food, and other provisions to undersupplied armies, as well as leadership in government. While largely spared from British occupation and major battles during the American Revolution, Connecticut still experienced British raids and town burnings. When hostilities erupted with Great Britain again during the War of 1812, the state survived blockades on New London and assaults on Essex and Stonington. Connecticut even hosted delegates from its New England neighbors at the Hartford Convention in December 1814 to draft formal opposition to the War of 1812.
Connecticut representatives played crucial roles in the development of the country’s foundational documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States. Connecticut passed its own new state Constitution in 1818, notably removing state support from the Congregational Church. As the young country grappled with the meaning of freedom and application of representative democracy, Connecticut still limited the right to vote to white men and thousands of people remained enslaved in the state. In 1784, Connecticut passed a gradual abolition act that eventually emancipated all enslaved people born after March 1, 1784.
Featured
Caleb Brewster and the Culper Spy Ring
Caleb Brewster used his knowledge of Long Island Sound to serve as a member of the Culper Spy Ring during the Revolutionary War. …[more]
Learn More
Websites
America 250 | CT. “America 250 | CT Commission Resources,” n.d. Link.
New London County Historical Society. “Connecticut and the War of 1812,” 2016. Link.
Connecticut Lafayette Trail. “Connecticut Lafayette Trail: Commemorating General Lafayette’s Tour of Connecticut in 1824,” n.d. Link.
Fernandez, Juan Miguel. “Connecticut Raids.” Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington, n.d. Link.
CRIS: Connecticut Radio Information System. “Forgotten Voices of the Revolutionary War,” n.d. Link.
National Archives. “The Founding Fathers: Connecticut,” December 13, 2017. Link.
Places
“Connecticut Freedom Trail,” n.d. Link.
“Connecticut Museum of Culture and History.” Accessed May 13, 2012. Link.
“Connecticut River Museum,” n.d. Link.
CT Visit. “Revolutionary Connecticut,” n.d. Link.
Ancient Burying Ground Association. “Soldiers of the Revolutionary War,” n.d. Link.
National Park Service. “Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route,” n.d. Link.
Documents
Lyman, Daniel. “A Sketch of New London & Groton with the Attacks Made on Forts Trumbull & Griswold by the British Troops Under the Command of Brigr. Genl. Arnold, Sept. 6th. 1781.” 1781. Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division. Link.
“Acts and Laws of the State of Connecticut in America.” Timothy Green, Printer to the Governor and State of Connecticut, 1784. WCSU. Link.
National Archives. “Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin Patent Drawing,” 2016. Link.
Abbot, Henry L. “Engraving - Bushnell’s American Turtle,” 1881. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Link.
Grundset, Eric G., ed. “Forgotten Patriots: African American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War.” National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, 2008. Link.
Orderly Book and Journals Kept By Connecticut Men While Taking Part in the American Revolution, 1775-1778. Vol. VII. Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society. Hartford: Connecticut Historical Society, 1899. Link.
Johnston, Henry P., ed. The Record of Connecticut Men in the Military and Naval Service during the War of the Revolution, 1775-1783. Connecticut Military Record, 1775-1848. Hartford: The Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company Printers and Binders, 1889. Link.
Collections
Connecticut Digital Archive. “American Revolution (CHI Featured Topics),” n.d. Link.
Connecticut’s Archives Online. “American Revolutionary War Collection, 1775-1786,” n.d. Link.
Connecticut State Library. “Colonial Service War Records,” n.d. Link.
National Archives. “Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War,” n.d. Link.
Connecticut Digital Archive. “Connecticut Museum of Culture and History: American Revolution,” n.d. Link.
Archives at Yale. “Connecticut--History--Revolution, 1775-1783,” n.d. Link.
Connecticut State Library. “Connecticut’s Western Lands or Western Reserve,” n.d. Link.
Connecticut Historical Society Museum & Library. “French and Indian War Collection, 1743-1763,” n.d. Link.
Connecticut State Library. “Revolutionary War Service Records,” n.d. Link.
Books
Smith, Venture. “A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa: But Resident Above Sixty Years in the United States of America.” C. Holt, 1798. Link.
Articles
Connecticut Explored. “200th Anniversary of the Constitution of 1818.” Fall 2018. Link.
Normen, Elizabeth J. “George Washington in Connecticut.” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2022. Link.
Schecter, Barnet. “John Trumbull: Picturing the Birth of a Nation.” Connecticut Explored, Winter /2007 2006. Link.
Normen, Elizabeth J. “The Mohegan Petition in 1789: ‘One Dish and One Fire Will Not Do.’” Connecticut Explored, Spring 2021. Link.
