John Winthrop (1587 – 1649) was a wealthy English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of migrants from England in 1630, and served as governor for 12 of the colony's first 20 years of existence. His writings and vision of the colony as a Puritan "city upon a hill" dominated New England colonial development, influencing the governments and religions of neighboring colonies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Winthrop
Thomas Hooker (1586 – 1647) was a prominent Puritan colonial
leader who founded the Colony of Connecticut after dissenting with Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. He was known as an outstanding speaker and a leader of universal Christian suffrage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hooker
http://josfamilyhistory.com/stories/hooker.htm
The letter discusses a disagreement between the Hooker and Winthrop regarding a proposed confederation of the colonies in 1637.
From the first volume of the collections of the Connecticut Historical Society, now in press.
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