Background

Thomas Hooker inspired the people of Connecticut with a rousing sermon: in which he taught that in a just society a people shall rule themselves. The text of the sermon unfortunately no longer exists. However, its influence is clear in the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.

The term "fundamental orders" means the laws upon which all of the other laws are based. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut is the first written constitution; the motto of the state of Connecticut is "The Constitution State" because it had the first constitution.

Source: Hooker and Company Frederic Edwin Church, Wikimedia

Preamble

Like the U.S. Constitution, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut has a preamble, or introduction. Read the text below and then click on the highlighted portions to learn more about its important sections.

Structure of the Fundamental Orders

After the Preamble, the Fundamental Orders list 11 "orders." The text for each numbered order begins, "It is ordered, sentenced, and decreed." The orders include

• the rules for the election of governor, magistrates, and other public officials by secret ballot;
• the creation of a general assembly where representatives of the people make laws; and
• a listing of the powers of the colonial government, most importantly the power to tax.

Lesson Review

The Massachusetts Bay Colony, Connecticut, and Virginia all chose representative government for a variety of reasons, including beliefs that democracy is the fairest form of government, it creates the most respect for law, and it produces more economic prosperity. The Mayflower Compact, Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and the Virginia House of Burgesses all show the people of the colonies choosing their leaders and how they will be ruled, laying the foundation for the future government of the United States of America.