Connecticut State Nickname: The Constitution State

This unofficial nickname became popular in the 1800s. Stories say Connecticut peddlers sold wooden nutmegs carved to look like real ones. These traveling salesmen supposedly tricked customers who did not know that nutmeg seeds must be ground into powder. No solid proof shows this actually happened. Another explanation suggests sailors brought nutmeg seeds back from voyages and people thought Connecticut produced the spice. The nickname stuck even though Connecticut never grew nutmegs. People from Connecticut are sometimes called Nutmeggers today.

Connecticut earned this name during the American Revolution. The colony supplied enormous quantities of food, cannons, and ammunition to the Continental Army. Governor Jonathan Trumbull was the only sitting colonial governor who supported the Patriot cause from the start. Washington wrote to him repeatedly asking for provisions. Connecticut's logistical support was substantial enough that contemporaries took note of it as a defining characteristic of the state.

This nickname appeared in newspapers and books around 1800. It meant Connecticut residents followed strict moral rules based on Puritan beliefs. People saw Connecticut as a place with strong values and proper behavior. The name also had a negative side. Critics said Connecticut refused to change and kept electing the same wealthy politicians from old families. The state kept its colonial charter as its government plan until 1818, long after other states wrote new constitutions.