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Show I THE STORY OF j OUR STATES j I By JONATHAN BRACE f ; ? .j, ............................. . ( by McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) CONNECTICUT i pO N X ECT ICUT 1 stands unique as probably the first I state which . was I created in the world by a written constitution. consti-tution. It was really an offshoot from Massachusetts, for in lii.'U; there was dissatisfaction over the form of government gov-ernment among the I'uritans in Cambridge, Cam-bridge, Wutertown aud Dorchester, the three towns surrounding Boston. A large part of these three towns, ' therefore, decided to journey to the Connecticut valley, as they had heard that there was to be found excellent farm land, and the Dutch from New Netherlands had been forced out the previous year by the erection by the English of a fort at Saybrook at the mouth of the river. The Cambridge people, under the leadership of .their pastor, Hooker, founded Haftford, the Dorchester people settled Windsor, and those from Watertown established Wethersfielil. For a few years they remained re-mained a part of Massachusetts, but early in 1G;!9 the people of these three towns met and drew up a written constitution con-stitution and agreed to govern themselves. them-selves. Meanwhile, in KillS, a large company of colonists under the leadership leader-ship of John Davenport arrived from England and settled the town of New Haven, later spreading to Milford and Stamford. These two distinct colonies were later united and took the name of Connecticut from its principal river. This is an Algonquin Indian name meaning "long river." It became the fifth state to join the Union when it adopted the Constitution on January 9, 17SS. It is sometimes called the Land of Steady. Habits, but is more popularly known as the Nutmeg state from the humorous accusation that its peddlers were accustomed to 'palm off wooden nutmegs to their customers. cus-tomers. The area i of Connecticut is 4,905 square miles, the third smallest of our states. Its p6pulation, however, entitles it to seven electoral votes for President. |