The Connecticut Colony

Children's Literature

The fifth state to approve the U.S. Constitution in 1787, Connecticut remains a scenic and productive area. In The Connecticut Colony, author Michael Burgan presents the story of the early history of this region and its people. As part of the broader "Our Thirteen Colonies" series this book follows a format typical for those works. The text, which is supplemented by numerous illustrations, begins with the story of relationships established between Native American people and the European settlers. In Connecticut, these relationships were marked by particularly bloody battles fought over the control of territory. One particularly ugly incident, which the author highlights, was the massacre of hundreds of Pequots by a combined force of settlers and other tribes. The narrative of this workmanlike book then moves on to the evolution of Connecticut as a British colony. Burgan relates the story of the movement toward rebellion and Connecticut's role in the Revolutionary War. Finally, a brief discussion of the roles played by Connecticut's representatives in the Constitutional Convention and the ratification of that document closes the text. In the end, Michael Burgan provides younger readers with a competent starting of point for the study of one of New England's more beautiful states. This is a sound work and is representative of the quality of the series of which it is a part. 2004, The Child's World, Ages 8 to 10.
— Greg M. Romaneck