Connecticut State Flag
Connecticut became the fifth state in the United States by ratifying the Constitution in 1788. The state’s name means, “beside the long tidal river.” Connecticut is forty-eighth in size, but it is the twenty-ninth most populous state. Hartford is the state capital, but Bridgeport is the state’s largest city. Children could visit an Internet site at: Connecticut. Idea: The state’s song is Yankee Doodle. Children could play the song on kazoos.
American School for the Deaf (originally called the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons) was founded in Hartford, Connecticut. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc started the school, still thriving, in 1817. Children can learn more about the history of education for the deaf at the school’s website at: https://www.asd-1817.org/. Children can learn more about American Sign Language at: http://www.handspeak.com/.
John Hart
John Hart, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, died in 1779 in Hopewell, New Jersey. He was born around 1711 in Stonington, Connecticut, but his exact date of birth is unknown. He represented New Jersey at the signing. When the British attacked New Jersey, they placed a bounty on Hart. He was forced to hide. When he was finally able to return to his farm, he found that his wife had died and that his children had moved. Children could learn more at: John Hart.