Thomas Hooker: A Toast

Thomas Hooker: A Toast

Religious and colonial leader, outstanding speaker, and a major player in the spread of Christianity, these are just some of the ways someone may describe Thomas Hooker. This intelligent human being set the standard for orators and reverends everywhere, whether it be through his lectures or his Sunday morning preaching's. Without this influential man, the history of Connecticut itself would be altered.

Hooker had always been a religious man his whole life. He passion blossomed as he migrated from the Esher parish in Emmanuel, to the Chelmsford Cathedral, and finally to the Americas where he found a home. He finally settled in Cambridge in the Massachusetts Bay Colony where he found his niche at The First Parish in Cambridge. It soon became known "Mr. Hooker's Company" and Hooker fit right in.

Although Hooker was a prestigious clergyman, he still represented democratic views for the common man. Hooker ran into many battles because of this state of mind, one including opposition from a fellow clergyman John Cotton. Thomas Hooker believed that all men should have the same voting rights regardless of property ownership, which received much resistance, thus making him the major leader in the suffrage movement for Puritans everywhere. Because of his dedication and his passion for his beliefs, Hooker gave up his life in Massachusetts and moved to a new and different state of Connecticut. This display of selflessness shows a man willing to give up everything he has worked for to fight for something he believes in.

Although his passion was religion, he also found a love for politics. He began his political journey in Connecticut by first becoming involved in the drafting of the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which is claimed to be one of the first constitutions of the United States.