In 1639, a Connecticut colony organized under Fundamental Orders.

Thomas Hooker, a puritan, followed its teaching but disagreed with limiting votes to only church members. He took a group of people to Connecticut and started a new colony. In this colony, they followed the Fundamental Orders. These rules still did not separate the church from the state but took a step in that direction. Voters did not have to be church members as other colonies stipulated. This set of rules helped inspire the United States Constitution.