Which founder of Connecticut authored the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, one of the early steps toward democratic governance?

• A. Thomas Hooker
• B. Anne Hutchinson
• C. William Penn
• D. John Adams

Answer: (A)

The main idea is identifying who helped establish an early, written framework for self-government in a colony. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, drafted in 1639, set up a system where the government would be elected and run by representatives, with a governor, and laid the groundwork for more participatory politics.

Thomas Hooker, a Puritan minister who led settlers to the Hartford area, championed governance based on consent and representation rather than just church affiliation. His influence helped shape these orders, making them one of the first written constitutions and a clear move toward democratic governance in America.

Anne Hutchinson is known for challenging Puritan authority in Massachusetts; William Penn founded Pennsylvania and wrote its own framework, but not the Connecticut document; John Adams was a key Founding Father in the later colonial and early U.S. period.