Thomas Hooker (probably born 7 July 1586 at Markfield, Leicestershire, England; died 7 July 1647 at Hartford, Connecticut Colony) led roughly one hundred settlers overland from Massachusetts Bay to the Connecticut River in 1636 and founded Hartford, one of the three original River towns of the Connecticut Colony. His sermon to the General Court of the Connecticut River towns in May 1638, arguing that the foundation of authority lies in the free consent of the people, is credited with shaping the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, ratified 14 January 1639 and often cited as an early written constitution establishing a government. Trained as a Puritan minister, this is his constitutional and colonial founding facet; his religious career, including his role as a moderator of the 1637 Newtown synod during the Antinomian Controversy, is covered on DivinityAtlas, the same historical figure viewed from its own domain.
Facts
RolePuritan minister and colonial founder; his 1638 sermon on the free consent of the people is credited with shaping the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. 1 Birth DateDictionary of National Biography gives 7 July 1586 as probable; a secondary source gives 5 July 1586. BirthplaceMarkfield, Leicestershire, England 1 Death PlaceHartford, Connecticut Colony 1 Role
Role (category) Role (category) FAQs
Was Thomas Hooker really the father of American democracy?
Some historians use the title, but Hooker wanted voting guided by the will of God, and he helped formulate the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639).
Some historians have called him that, but Britannica notes that Hooker had no intention of separating church and state, and that he declared the privilege of voting should be exercised according to the will of God. His firmer link to later constitutional history is that he was active in formulating the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut of 1639, which Britannica says later helped shape aspects of the United States Constitution.
Connections
Associated With
His May 1638 sermon on the free consent of the people is credited with shaping the Orders, though he did not draft them himself.
Source Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, 1639 (Avalon Project, Yale Law School)
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Also in Divinity Atlas: the same subject.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Hooker, Thomas (Dictionary of National Biography, 1885 to 1900)
Smith, Elder and Co.Hooker, Thomas entry
HOOKER, THOMAS (1586?-1647), minister at Hartford, Connecticut, son of Thomas Hooker (d. 1635), was born at Markfield, near Leicester, probably on 7 July 1586.
Thomas Hooker: Gender
His sermon to the General Court of the Connecticut River towns in May 1638, arguing that the foundation of authority lies in the free consent of the people, is credited with shaping the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, ratified 14 January 1639 and often cited as an early written constitution establishing a government.
- Wikipedia biography, role/occupation stated in lead section (w-bbfill-history3-0927)
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, 1639 (Avalon Project, Yale Law School)
Avalon Project, Yale Law SchoolAssociated With: Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)
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