Page 41 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

was beyond the charter area of the Massachusetts Bay territory and so Thomas Hooker made the rules for government. Some think they were a model for the later Independence documents.
With the formation of the United States,
and the growth of the metal-working industry in the 19th century, Hartford thrived. In the years following the American Civil War, Hartford was the richest city in the United States. Mark Twain wrote his most famous works, and raised his family in Hartford. In 1868 he wrote, “Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see this is the chief.”
During the early 19th century, the Hartford area was a center of evangelical abolitionists. The most famous abolitionist was Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
During the 19th century, the demand for workers in the factories drew many immigrants newly arrived from Europe. Many Italians and Polish settled here.
The engineering skills of Hartford caused many new firms to locate and grow. The biggest were Colt Guns and Pratt and Whitney engines.
Hartford also grew to be one of the nation’s most important insurance centers.
On July 6, 1944, much of downtown Hartford was destroyed by fire. After World War II, many people came to Hartford from Puerto Rico to work in the factories.
Hartford was an industrial city that grew
in the first industrial age. But Hartford was not well placed to compete with some traditional industries, and these began to decline. While insurance and high-tech manufacturing continued to grow, so many smaller firms closed and the center began to look run down. At the same time, middle classes used automobiles to live in the newly-built suburbs, while the many insurance companies – the major city employers – also moved to new campus sites on the outskirts.
All of this has given Hartford new challenges. Today, Hartford skyscrapers dominate the skyline, but 83% of Hartford’s jobs are filled by commuters from neighboring towns.
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