Now Viewing: Role of Connecticut in U.S. History

Protected: From Runaway Slave to American Success: James L. Smith in Norwich
To what extent was the North a “land of opportunity” for people of color in the early 1800s?
Learn More
Indigenous Students and Connecticut’s Mission Schools
How can we achieve a better understanding of the past in the absence of primary sources that represent the full picture?
Learn More

Mary Townsend Seymour: A Hartford Activist Fights for Equity
In what ways have communities of color advocated for equity?
Learn More
Asian American History in the Civil War Era: Connecticut’s Connection to the Trade in Indentured Chinese Workers
How have American conceptions of freedom and equality changed throughout U.S. history for members of various racial, ethnic, religious, and gender minority groups?
Learn More
The Hartford Convention: An Act of Treason?
Was the Hartford Convention an act of treason?
Learn More
Locals Stand Strong: The Battle of Stonington in the War of 1812
What is the significance of a military victory in the face of overwhelming odds, both at the time of the event and when looking back on history?
Learn More
Late 1960s Civil Unrest in Connecticut’s Capital City
What conditions led to civil unrest in the 1960s?
Learn More
The Chinese Educational Mission and How Asian American Stories Reframe American History
How did participating in the Chinese Educational Mission influence both its students and America?
Learn More
Bilingual Education for Spanish Speakers in 1970s Hartford
How have communities advocated for fair and equal access to education in Connecticut?
Learn More
The Black Panthers and the May Day Rally in New Haven
How is the First Amendment used to advocate for justice in America?
Learn More
Eugenics in Connecticut: Legislating Genetic Purity in the Nutmeg State
Are all reforms good?
Learn More
Post-World War II Puerto Rican Farm Labor Migration to Connecticut
How did Connecticut industries influence migration and immigration to the state and the development of new communities?
Learn More
Visions of Change: Colt and the Growth of Industrial Connecticut
What impact did industrialization have on people’s lives in the mid- to late-19th century?
Learn More
Life Along the Salmon Brook: A Connecticut Town in the Early Industrial Era
How did the Industrial Revolution change small towns in Connecticut/New England?
Learn More
Connecticut’s Ratification of the Constitution
How are decisions made about how a nation should be governed?
Learn More
The Fundamental Orders: Rules and Laws for Early Colonial Connecticut
What is the best way to organize a government? How did laws and rules in the colonies both promote and hinder freedom and equality?
Learn More
A Connecticut Lawyer Stands for Human Rights
To what extent is the international community responsible for the protection of human rights?
Learn More
“Women of Connecticut: Are You Helping?” The Reaction to Emergency Food Measures During World War I
Do government campaigns to promote “voluntary” patriotic efforts in a time of war strengthen or weaken American democracy?
Learn More
Connecticut Prepares for War, 1917
How does the role of government change in a time of war?
Learn More
Joining the War Effort, One Peach Pit at a Time
How does an entire society participate in war?
Learn More

Free Speech and Seditious Speech on the CT World War I Home Front
Does free speech exist in a time of war?
Learn More

The Civilian Conservation Corps in Connecticut
How did the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) impact Connecticut?
Learn More




Caleb Brewster & The Culper Ring
In what ways did “ordinary” Americans contribute to the American Revolution?
Learn More
New London’s Role in American Independence
What was Connecticut’s role in the American Revolution?
Learn More
The Inventions of A. A. Hotchkiss And Sons
How did Sharon, Connecticut, manufacturers A. A. Hotchkiss and Sons contribute to major innovations in U.S. history?
Learn More