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Category: American Revolution

Slavery, Liberty, and Revolutionary Connecticut

Slavery, Liberty, and Revolutionary Connecticut

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Author: Ryan Paolino An enslaved man refused to work further and upon his master’s inspection lashed out with a knife. The slave killed his former master and wounded the master’s son in the cheek. Both the son and mistress escaped without further harm. The Connecticut Journal, as well as the New-Haven Post-Boy, reported that the captive stole the knife and an ax as he escaped into the woods. In 1767 the colony was eight years away from the beginning of…

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A Deeper Look at Loyalists in Newgate Prison

A Deeper Look at Loyalists in Newgate Prison

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Author: Morgan Bengel On May 12, 1781, one woman was permitted to visit her prisoner husband in the mine shaft of New-gate Prison. Upon entering, the door was unlatched and roughly twenty men rushed through in an attempt to escape their living “hell.” Killing six guards on their way, Ebenezer Hathaway and Thomas Smith led the group of prisoners to freedom. As Loyalists, these men were considered enemies of the state. Their escape on May 12 was the largest in…

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The First Official Pistol-maker of the United States during the Revolutionary Era

The First Official Pistol-maker of the United States during the Revolutionary Era

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Author: Allen Kozloski The American Revolution and war with England resulted in the need for firearms. Individual artisans rushed to meet this demand. The colonial assembly passed legislation that reflected this demand: “A bounty of 5 shillings will be paid for each stand of arms ‘with a good lock’ made in the colony.” –Connecticut General Assembly 1775. (North, 1916, 174). One artisan, Simeon North of Berlin, Connecticut, responded to this opportunity, seeing it as his patriotic obligation. In 1781, sixteen-year-old…

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“Newgate: Connecticut’s First State Prison”

“Newgate: Connecticut’s First State Prison”

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Author: Jessica Dabkowski In 1773, Connecticut’s General Assembly chose the copper mines in Simsbury to be the state’s first prison, renaming it Newgate Prison. During the Revolutionary Era, Newgate Prison housed not only political prisoners criminals, such as loyalists. The goal was to create a prison where escape was impossible. However, the overseers soon found out that Newgate was far from inescapable. At the time, corporal punishments were common for those convicted of crimes. Punishments could include branding with a…

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Sodomy Laws in Connecticut

Sodomy Laws in Connecticut

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Author: Nicole Fontaine It is hard to imagine that the “Blue” state of Connecticut once utilized the death penalty for homosexual behavior. In the era of Puritan law, colonial Connecticut and New Haven used England’s 1533 statute against homosexuality as an example. With this statute, homosexual acts became a capital crime (Crompton 277). It was not until the post-revolutionary period that Connecticut and the other colonies loosened their sodomy laws. The colony of Connecticut followed its English predecessors by making…

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The 1776 Election of Hartford’s Black Governor

The 1776 Election of Hartford’s Black Governor

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Author: Chris Menapace From 1749 to 1855, Black communities around Connecticut elected leaders, named “Black Governors.” Little information is available on the men who held the title of Black Governor, but there is evidence of at least 27 individuals from 11 different towns, including Farmington.  This position of leadership among free and enslaved black people was not unique to Connecticut.  Black Governors, sometimes referred to as Black Kings, were elected in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire; yet Connecticut had…

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Daggett’s Charge: The Revolution in New Haven

Daggett’s Charge: The Revolution in New Haven

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Author: Ian Long On the morning of July 5th British ships with troops under the command of Major General William Tryon sailed into New Haven’s harbor, bringing the Revolutionary War to the Connecticut college town. A great deal of local legend has grown up around the events of that unusually hot summer day and no small figure in these stories is that of Dr. Naphtali Daggett. This Yale College professor, like a number of New Haven residents, took up arms…

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Paper and Provisions: Christopher Leffingwell and Connecticut during the American Revolution

Paper and Provisions: Christopher Leffingwell and Connecticut during the American Revolution

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Author: Amirah Neely Connecticut is often referred to as “the Provision State” and the nickname comes from the era of the American Revolution. During this time, Connecticut, the third smallest state, provided more food and cannons for Washington’s army than any other state. Its location between Boston and New York City was ideal for collecting, storing, and transporting goods. The pathways that were used by early traders in Connecticut became the trade routes during the war. When the British gained control…

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Republican Motherhood and Sarah Pierce’s Litchfield Female Academy

Republican Motherhood and Sarah Pierce’s Litchfield Female Academy

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Author: Emily McAdam Before the American Revolution, New Englanders considered learning to be masculine and education for girls unnecessary. However, women’s contributions to the political revolution as protesters, spies, nurses, camp followers, and household and business managers led to a social revolution that not many anticipated. Americans believed that a republic depended on a virtuous and informed citizenry, which gave mothers new importance in the home and justified the existence of educational institutions for girls. Litchfield, Connecticut embodied this revolution…

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The Service of Africans from Connecticut in the American Revolution

The Service of Africans from Connecticut in the American Revolution

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Author: Kenneth Neal The American Revolutionary War era is consistently at the forefront of the consciousness of Americans, whether in touting the contributions of the founding fathers, or boldly asserting rights promised by the Constitution. The present day development of American Revolutionary War consciousness has been shaped by a selective use of the historical written record from the American Revolution that has devoted considerable attention to the subjects of the ‘Founding Fathers’ and ‘Rights’.  A recent collaboration of a number…

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