On January 9, 1788, Connecticut ratified the U.S. Constitution, making it the fifth state to join the young United States. English colonists from Massachusetts founded Connecticut’s first permanent European settlement, Windsor, in 1633. Most of these settlers left Massachusetts seeking political and religious freedom. Other settlements quickly followed, including Hartford, New London, Saybrook, and Wethersfield. In 1636, Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windsor united to form the Connecticut Colony, also known as the River Colony.