Designated the Constitution State in 1959, Connecticut has the honor of having what is likely the first Constitution in history, the Fundamental Orders of 1638–1639. As chief justice of the State Supreme Court Simeon Baldwin said, “Never had a company of men deliberately met to frame a social compact for immediate use, constituting a new and independent commonwealth, with definite officers, executive and legislative, and prescribed rules and modes of government, until the first planters of Connecticut came together for their great work.” The independent spirit of this amazing document’s writers has lived on throughout the centuries, and the state’s rich history grows from that proud tradition.