Interviewees:
-
Natalie Belanger
- Public Programs Manager, Connecticut Museum of Culture and History
-
Katherine Hermes
- Professor Emeritus, Central Connecticut State University
- Publisher of Connecticut Explored
The Declaration arrived in Connecticut without great fanfare, largely because the colony had already decided in favor of independence. Connecticut's General Assembly had instructed its delegates on June 14, 1776 to support a declaration of independence from Britain and the formation of a confederacy, while insisting its powers be strictly limited to military and foreign affairs. The Hartford Courant printed the document on its second page about a week after signing, with minimal commentary. The colony's religious geography shaped reception. East of the Connecticut River, where Congregationalism was strongest, people had been ready for independence for some time. West of the river, closer to New York, the Church of England had more adherents and the response was more tepid. Around 1776, Black Connecticans began taking names like Liberty, Freedom, and Freeman—a form of personal declaration. One enslaved man whose Loyalist enslaver fled the colony petitioned the General Assembly for his freedom and was granted it.
