About Inventions from Colonial Life in Connecticut
Colonial Connecticut's natural resources, combined with its prosperous agricultural economy, helped to lay the foundation for a state that would lead the new nation in pioneering innovative technology. The inventions that came from the new state would play a vital role in the country's emerging industrial age. Post-colonial inventions, such as America's first boat powered by a steam engine, the Navy's submarine or Eli Whitney's cotton gin, had their roots in Colonial Connecticut.
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Time Frame
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America's colonial period began in 1607, with the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown. The colonial period ended with the beginning of the Revolutionary War in 1775.
The Dutch made attempts to settle the region now known as Connecticut in 1614, when Dutch explorer, Adriaen Block claimed land as part of their colony of New Netherlands.
The Dutch did not act on the claim until 1633, the same year the English founded their first Connecticut colonial settlement in Windsor. The Dutch continued to make claims in the region until 1674, when they were driven from the area by the English.
Geography
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The state of Connecticut was one of the original colonies that helped to form the United States of America. Connecticut is one of the United States' most northeastern states, located south of Massachusetts, with its eastern coastline border along the Long Island Sound, off the Atlantic Ocean. The original English settlers of Colonial Connecticut came from colonies in Massachusetts, who were seeking political and religious freedom.
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History
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Many early Connecticut colonists were farmers and often made their own household utensils and farm implements. By the late 1600s they began exporting those farming products to other colonies and outlying areas.
Brothers Edward and William Pattison were the colony's first manufacturer of tinware, and began selling their crafted products door to door, which credited them for inventing the Yankee Peddlers.
As Connecticut emerged from the colonial period to statehood, it was recognized as the leading state in the country for the highest number of patents per capita. Famous post-colonial inventors such as Eli Whitney, Charles Goodyear and Samuel Colt became household names.
Features
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As colonial farmers began to prosper, the demand for products created by artisans increased and encouraged new inventions. The region's streams and agricultural culture spurred the construction of grist mills, which fostered the development of mechanical skills and power transmission equipment which was necessary to operate the millstones and water-wheels. Connecticut's natural resources and progressive culture provided a favorable environment for new ideas and innovations.
Identification
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The lapidary machine, an instrument used in preparing gems, was invented in Connecticut around 1765 by goldsmith and engraver, Abel Buell. The world's first combat submarine was invented in 1775, at the end of the colonial period and beginning of the Revolutionary War. Called the Turtle, its Connecticut inventor, David Bushnell, powered the submarine by a hand-cranked screw propeller with the intention to navigate underwater and attach a mine to the hull of a British ship. Although the plan did not work, it was the first known use of the screw to water propulsion.
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