USA > Connecticut > A history of Connecticut > Part 18
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29
235
JONATHAN TRUMBULL.
1784.]
In the autumn of 1784 the venerable governor of Connec- ticut, rejoicing in the victory that had given peace and liberty to a new nation, asked the people to release him from further service. For more than fifty years he had been in public life. In a touching farewell address to the Legislature, he said, " Contemplating with pleasing wonder and satisfaction, at the close of an arduous contest, the noble and enlarged scenes which now present themselves to my country's view,
TRUMBULL TOMB, LEBANON.
and reflecting at the same time on my advanced stage of life, - a life worn out, almost, in the constant cares of office, -I think it my duty to retire from the busy concern of public affairs, that, at the evening of my days, I may sweeten their decline, by devoting myself with less avocation, and more attention to the duties of religion, the service of my God, and preparation for a future and happier state of exist- ence; in which pleasing employment I shall not cease to remember my country, and to make it my ardent prayer that
-
236
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1787.
Heaven will not fail to bless her with its choicest favors." In this farewell address, he urged upon the people the neces- sity of granting to the National Government clearly defined powers, sufficient for all the purposes of that union that could alone assure their strength and happiness. The few months of life that still remained to this beloved and honored servant of the people were spent in congenial employments at his home in Lebanon. His death was universally la- mented ; and Washington, in a letter to his son,1 said, "A long and well-spent life in the service of his country places Governor Trumbull among the first of patriots." At the close of the Revolution, it was soon evident that a stronger govern- ment was necessary than the league formed by the colonies in 1777, and under which they had acted during the war.2 A convention was called, to meet in the State House at Phila- delphia, in May, 1787. The delegates appointed from Con- necticut were William S. Johnson,3 Oliver Ellsworth,4 and Roger Sherman. The convention was presided over by Gen- eral Washington ; and among the gifted men who took active part in the important deliberations, few exerted a greater in- fluence by their counsel than the representatives from Con- necticut. They were the earnest advocates of a federal, as opposed to a more concentrated and central, form of govern- ment. After long, and often exciting, debates, the present Constitution was adopted on Sept. 17, 1787. Although it " has proved, in its working, a masterpiece of political wis- dom," it met with much opposition before it was accepted by all of the States.
Connecticut was among the first to ratify the Constitution. At a convention which met in Hartford, Jan. 3, 1788, Oliver Ellsworth opened the debate with an address of great ability ; and on the 9th of January the Constitution was accepted by an overwhelming majority.5 Before the close of the year 1788, thirteen of the States had agreed to it, and it went into effect. George Washington was chosen the first
237
THE WESTERN RESERVE.
1789-95.]
President of the Republic, and John Adams as Vice-Presi- dent. The conduct of public affairs was attended with many difficulties. The debts incurred during the war pressed heavily upon the people, and it was some time before the relations of the Govern- ment with the leading nations of Europe were satisfactorily adjusted. The In- dians were still troublesome upon the frontier, and American ships suffered from the attacks of pirates from the coast of North Africa.
Gradually affairs changed for the bet- ter, and Connecticut rejoiced with her sister States in the dawn of days of re- OLIVER ELLSWORTH. newed prosperity and peaceful industry.6 New towns were organized, laws passed for the encouragement of manufac- tures, and arrangements made for the sale of the Western lands that had been reserved by the State in their cession to the United States. These lands were situated in the northern part of the present State of Ohio, and contained about three and a half millions of acres. In 1792 the Legislature granted five hundred thou- sand acres of the western part of this tract to citizens of Danbury, Fairfield, Norwalk, New London, and Groton, to indemnify them for the loss of property caused by the burning of the towns at the hands of the British during the Revolution. The rest of REV. SAMUEL SEABURY, D.D. this tract was sold in 1795, for twelve hundred thousand dollars ; and the Legislature directed that it should be held as a permanent fund, the interest of which should be annually distributed among the several school- societies of the State, according to the list of voters and
238
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1797.
the taxable property in each.7 Under careful management, this fund has increased until it is now more than two millions of dollars.
The people of Connecticut were ardent admirers of Washington, and in sympathy with the principles and policy which he represented. Party spirit ran high throughout the States ; and upon the retirement of Washington, at the close of his second term, John Adams was elected President, by a small majority, over Thomas Jefferson, the leader of the party that then had but a small following in Connecticut. After Adams had been President but a short time, France refused to receive the ambassadors sent by the United States. The war-cloud passed, and a treaty was made with Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800. The death of Washington (Dec. 14, 1799) caused a feeling of universal sorrow, and commem- orative services were held in every part of Connecticut.
1 JONATHAN TRUMBULL (son of the governor) was born in Lebanon, March 26, 1740, and graduated at Harvard Col- lege in 1759. During the Revolution, unti: 1778, he was a paymaster in the army, and was then appointed secretary and first aid to Washington, in whose family he remained till the close of the war. He was chosen a member of Con- gress in 1789, and elected Speaker of that body in 1791. He represented the State in the Senate for one year, and from 1798 until his death (Aug. 7, 1809) was governor of the State.
2 CONGRESS requested the eight States north of Maryland to convene at New Haven in January, 1778. Their deliberations only showed how difficult were the questions to be solved. At the instance of Massachusetts, a convention was held in Hartford in 1780, which ad- vised a convention of all of the States at Philadelphia, and also suggested an impost as a source of revenue. In the letter written by Governor Trumbull at the close of his official service (1784), he
called carnest attention to the views expressed by Washington in his Fare- well Address, and urged " that the grant to the Federal Constitution of powers clearly defined, ascertained, and under- stood, and sufficient for all the great purposes of union, could alone lead from the danger of anarchy to national hap- piness and glory." The Legislature, in 1784, favored the impost on commerce; and Noah Webster, then living at Hart- ford, wrote an article, in which he said that provincial attachments should be made subordinate " to the general inter- est of the continent : as a citizen of the American empire, every individual has a national interest far superior to all others." " The wide-spread movements of 1786 for the issue of paper money," says Bancroft, " never prevailed in Con- necticut. The people, as they were frugal, industrious, and honest, dwelt together in peace, while other States were rent by faction."
3 WILLIAM SAMUEL JOHNSON Was born at Stratford, Oet. 7, 1727, and gradu-
239
BISHOP SEABURY.
ated at Yale College in 1744. He was frequently elected representative to the General Assembly, and was a member of the Stamp-Act Congress in 1765. He was in England in 1766 as the agent of the colony, and remained there until 1771. After his return he was chosen one of the judges of the superior court. During the war he held a conservative position. In 1787 he was elected a United-States senator, and the same year was chosen president of Columbia Col- lege. He held this position until 1800, when he retired to Stratford, where he died, Nov. 14, 1819.
4 OLIVER ELLSWORTH was born in Windsor, April 29, 1745, Graduating at Princeton College in 1766, he began the practice of law at Hartford. Rapidly gaining distinguished eminence in his chosen profession, he was elected a dele- gate to Congress in 1777, and in 1784 was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut. He took a prom- inent part in the convention that framed the Constitution of the United States, and, on the organization of the Govern- ment, was elected a member of the Sen- ate. In 1796 Washington nominated him to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Having discharged the duties of this high office for five years, with great ability, he ac- cepted the appointment of Minister to France. The decline of his health com- pelled him to return home, but he was again honored with a seat in the councils of his native State. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Superior Court, but declined the office, and soon after died, Nov. 26, 1807. Judge Ellsworth was a man of rare accomplishments and emi- nent legal ability, and his life and char- acter that of an exemplary Christian.
5 " CONNECTICUT was the first of the New-England States that ratified the new Constitution. Two of its delegates to the National Convention (Roger Sher- man and Oliver Ellsworth) sent Sept. 25, 1787, a copy of the Constitution to
Samuel Huntington, then governor of the State, who was its zealous friend. At the middle of October the Legisla- lature called a State Convention, to which were elected men of the highest standing in the Commonwealth, - legis- lators, judges, clergymen, etc. The Convention assembled in the State House at Hartford, and immediately adjourned to the North Meeting-house, where the Constitution was read in the presence of a multitude of people, and debated, sec- tion by section, with open doors. No vote, was taken until the whole had been thus read and debated. When, on the 9th of January, 1788, a vote was taken, one hundred and twenty-eight spoke for the Constitution, and only forty against it, - a majority of more than three to one. The decision was received with delight by the people" (Benson J. Lossing).
6 As soon as peace was restored, the Episcopal clergy of Connecticut and New York held a meeting in that city, and on the 21st of April, 1783, made unanimous choice of Samuel Seabury, D.D., as the first bishop of the diocese of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Dr. Seabury was descended from an old colonial family, and, after graduating at Yale College, studied theology in Eng- land, and was ordained by the Bishop of London in 1753. After his election as Bishop of Connecticut, he sailed for England. The fact that it was necessary that a candidate for Episcopal conse- cration should take the oath of allegiance to the king, and, of obedience to the Archbishop of Canterbury, interposed serious difficulties. With the advice of the clergy, Dr. Seabury sought in Scot- land the consecration denied him in England. The ceremony took place at Aberdeen, Nov. 14, 1784. ยท Bishop Seabury died in New London, Feb. 25, 1796.
7 Since 1820 the income of the fund has been divided among the towns ac- cording to the number of children in each between four and sixteen years of age.
240
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1800.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
1800-1817.
CONNECTICUT AT THE DAWN OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
INTHE population of Connecticut in 1800 was two hundred 4 and fifty-one thousand. Hartford, New Haven, New London, Norwich, and Middletown had been incorporated as cities in 1784. At that time New Haven was a scattered village of a little over three thousand inhabitants. The public square, that has long been the pride of the city, was unfenced, and crossed and recrossed by wagon-ruts, and overgrown with bushes and weeds. The most elegant part of the city was at the edge of the harbor ; and it was thought doubtful if the streets would ever be paved, on account of the great expense. The population of Hartford, as late as 1810, was only about four thousand. Commerce was the main source of its wealth, derived, to a great extent, from its trade with the West Indies.
Thomas Jefferson was elected President in 1800, and served two terms (1801-1809). He was the leader of the party that sympathized with France rather than England in the war between those nations. Both nations had forbidden all trade with the other, and claimed the right to seize any vessels engaged in such trade. The result was that American ves- sels were liable to be captured, and their crews imprisoned. More than this, the English claimed the right to search American vessels to discover if there were any British sea-
241
WAR DECLARED.
1812.]
men on board, and take them if found. The feeling against England was intense, and in 1807 Congress decided to cut off all trade with that country. For this purpose an " em- bargo " was laid which forbade American vessels leaving American ports. This Act met with bitter opposition from the authorities of Connecticut. They felt that the remedy applied in this case was worse than the disease. "We maintain," they said, in resolutions passed by the Assem- bly, " that the right freely to navigate the ocean, was, like our soil, transmitted to us as an inheritance from our fore- fathers ; and the enjoyment of this right is secured to us, as a free and sovereign State, by the plighted faith of the United States."
The continuance of the " embargo" was ruinous to the commercial interests of the State. The distress was so great, and the sense of unjust treatment so keen, that the Assem- bly felt called upon to advise a spirit of patience, in the " hope that the General Government would soon abandon a course of measures so distressing to individuals, so debasing to the national spirit and character, and so inefficacious for the protection of the rights and honors of the United States."
On the 18th of June, 1812, the United States declared war against Great Britain. The people of Connecticut looked upon the war as unnecessary, and were not slow in express- ing their opinion in regard to the matter. As a State, they were still acting under the old colonial charter ; and it seemed but natural, that, as the men of an earlier generation con- tended for their rights against the usurpations of royal author- ity, they should again assert those rights, which they thought were endangered by the action of the national authorities.
Now that war was declared, the Assembly, having uttered its protest, authorized the quartermaster-general to purchase " additional arms and artillery." Two regiments of in- fantry and other troops were ordered to be raised, subject only to the order of the commander-in-chief of the militia.
242
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1813-14.
This led to a serious difference with the National Government in answering the call for troops to be under the command of officers of the regular army. Governor Griswold 1 declined to comply with this call, and his action was approved by the Assembly.
The Government at Washington did little to protect the seacoast of Connecticut; and the defence of the property, both of the United States and of the Commonwealth, de- volved upon the militia, who responded with alacrity to the summons that again and again required their service. Lieutenant-Governor John Cotton Smith 2 was elected, in 1813, to fill the place made vacant by the death of Gov- ernor Griswold. During the year the coast was blockaded for some time by British ships-of-war cruising in the vicinity of New London.
In June two United-States frigates and a sloop-of-war, in attempting to reach the sea by way of Long-Island Sound, were turned back by the British squadron, and sought refuge in New-London Harbor. It was thought that the enemy might follow them ; and, fearing lest an attempt would be made to capture the shipping in the harbor, they were taken several miles up the Thames River, and a large body of militia stationed in the city, and other available points, in command of General Williams.
On the evening of April 7, 1814, two or three ships of the blockading squadron anchored at the mouth of the Connecticut. The old fort at Saybrook Point was without a garrison, and the enemy met no opposition in sending two launches and four barges up as far as the present village of Essex. Wind and tide were against them, and they did not reach their destination until almost morning. Warning of their approach had hardly been given when a party of marines came ashore, and, breaking open stores and houses in search of ammunition, set fire to a large amount of valuable shipping.
243
BOMBARDMENT OF STONINGTON.
1814.]
Before noon they started for Saybrook ; but by this time a considerable body of militia had gathered on a neighbor- ing height, and did the best they could to impede their progress by the fire of a few small pieces of artillery. Previous to this attack, the attention of the war depart- ment had been called to the necessity of placing a garri- son in the fort at Saybrook; and it was felt that the neglect to do so had resulted in the serious loss of prop- erty sustained at that time. In answer to the call of the President, in the summer of 1814, for the organization of a large body of troops, to be held in readiness for imme- diate service, Connecticut enlisted her quota of three thou- sand men, and stationed them at points within her borders most exposed to danger.
On the 9th of August two British frigates, a bomb-ship, and brig appeared off the harbor of Stonington. Com- modore Hardy sent word to the town officers that he pro- posed to open fire, and destroy the place, after allowing one hour for the removal of the inhabitants and their effects. The fort on the Point was at once occupied by a little party of volunteers ; and other militia companies were stationed at different places on the shore, where breastworks had been thrown up. Word was sent of the impending attack to General Cushing at New London, but he thought it was only an attempt to draw off his forces from Fort Griswold ; and he ordered a single regiment to march to Stonington, while he strengthened his own position.
The bombardment commenced early in the evening, and was continued until midnight, but did very little injury. At daylight of the following morning the barges from the ships drew up on the east side of the village, and commenced firing rockets at the buildings. The Stonington volunteers dragged one of their guns into position, and, after sinking one of the barges, compelled the others to retire. About sunrise the bomb-ship " Terror " and the brig-of-war again
244
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
[1814.
commenced throwing shells into the town, and discharging rockets.
The militia did not desert their post, but gallantly manned their guns, while others extinguished the fires that were kindled by the rockets. Their ammunition was soon ex- hausted, and they had to wait until a fresh supply came from New London. The powder arrived before noon ; and, again nailing their colors to the staff, they opened fire from the fort with such effect, that the brig, to avoid being sunk, cut her cables, and retired.
After continuing the bombardment until the third day, Commodore Hardy sent a flag on shore. He promised that if Mrs. Stewart, the wife of the British consul at New London, should be sent on board his ship, and a pledge given that no more torpedoes would be set afloat to annoy his ves- sels, he would cease firing on the town. A curt reply was returned, that they asked no favors of him beyond what the rules of honorable warfare required. The ships again opened the bombardment, and continued it until the next day, when they set sail for their old quarters off New London. A large amount of property was injured and destroyed, but not a single life was lost during the attack.
Massachusetts was no less anxious and alarmed than Con- necticut at the defenceless condition of hier seacoast. A letter was prepared, and sent through her authorities, both to Connecticut and Rhode Island, asking them to appoint dele- gates to meet with those of other States to deliberate upon the dangers that threatened them in connection with the war. The object of this gathering was " to devise, if practicable, means of security and defence which may be consistent with the preservation of our resources from total ruin, and adapted to our local situation, mutual relations and habits, and not repugnant to our obligations as members of the Union."
The Legislature was in session when this letter was re-
245
THE HARTFORD CONVENTION.
1814-15.]
ceived. It met with a cordial response on the part of the most able members of that body, and led to the call of the famous convention which met at Hartford, Dec. 15, 1814. The seven delegates who represented Connecticut were men eminent in ability and character.3 In the partisan excitement of the times, their motives were misconstrued, and their loyalty to the Union called in question.
There is no doubt that they were earnestly opposed to the war, but their action was prompted by the belief that the fail- ure of the Government to provide for the protection of the New-England seacoast made it necessary for them to devise plans for their mutual safety. The charge of disloyalty is fully met by the frequent assertion on their part that they desired to recommend only such measures for the safety and welfare of the States they represented as were " consist- ent with their obligations as members of the national Union."
In January, 1815, a special session of the Legislature was called by the governor. His excellency was requested to appoint two commissioners, who should at once proceed to Washington, and seek from the Government authority by which Connecticut might provide for the defence of her own territory, and that a part of the taxes might be used for this purpose. Tidings of peace soon after put an end to the questions that had so seriously distracted the minds of the people. The Hartford Convention had been composed of Federalists ; and the general feeling of alarm throughout the country, which that meeting caused, did very much to break up the Federal party.
1 ROGER GRISWOLD was the son of Governor Matthew Griswold. Born in Lyme, May 21, 1762, he graduated at Yale College in the class of 1780. Hav- ing acquired a high reputation as an ad- vocate at the bar, he was elected, when but thirty-two years of age, a represen-
tative to Congress. President Adams nominated him to be secretary of war in his cabinet, but he declined the position. In 1807 he was appointed a judge of the Superior Court, and in 1811 was elected governor of the State. His administra- tion was cut short by his illness and
246
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
death, which occurred at Norwich in October, 1812.
2 JOHN COTTON SMITH was born in Sharon, 1765, and graduated at Yale, 1783. He was for several years a repre- sentative of Connecticut in Congress, and was appointed judge of the Supreme Court, 1809; lieutenant-governor in the same year, and governor 1813-18. Gov- ernor Smith was a gentleman of the old
school, a ripe scholar, and a devoted Christian. His later years were occupied in the care of his ancestral acres in the town of Sharon, and dispensing the hos- pitalities of his beautiful home.
3 THE delegates from Connecticut were Chauncey Goodrich, John Tread- well, James Hillhouse, Zephaniah Swift, Nathaniel Smith, Calvin Goddard, and Roger Minot Sherman.
247
ADOPTION OF THE PRESENT CONSTITUTION.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
1818-1860.
ADOPTION OF THE PRESENT CONSTITUTION OF CONNECTICUT. - THE GROWTH OF PHILANTHROPIC ENTERPRISES. - TEMPERANCE. - THE ANTI- SLAVERY AGITATION.
CONNECTICUT continued to conduct its affairs under the charter of 1662, even after it became one of the States of the Federal Union. Civil and ecclesiastical forms and in- stitutions had been developed and fostered by its provisions that were very dear to most of the people. In time, how- ever, a strong feeling was aroused against some of the old methods of conducting affairs.
From the founding of the Commonwealth, Congregational churches had been formed in every town, and were a part of their organic life. These churches were directly favored by legislation, and every voter was taxed for their support. With the increase of the number and influence of those who preferred to connect themselves with other denominations, the sentiment gained in strength that all sects should be put upon a footing of equality before the law. This, in connec- tion with questions of public policy that were agitated during the war of 1812, kindled a fierce flame of controversy. The. triumph of the party that desired a change was followed by the adoption of the present constitution in 1818. This con- stitution enacts that " no preference shall be given by law to any Christian sect, or mode of worship." Provision is made for the election and appointment of distinct legislative, ex- ecutive, and judicial officers. The governor must be thirty
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.