Thomas Hooker, a prominent Puritan minister in the 17th century, expressed his desire for a colony with strict limits on government through his actions in founding the Connecticut Colony. In 1636, he led a group of dissenting Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony to the Connecticut River valley, seeking both religious freedom and a political system that aligned with his beliefs about governance.
Hooker believed that government should be based on the consent of the governed and that it should be limited to protect individual liberties. Upon arriving in Connecticut, he and his followers established the Fundamental Orders of 1638-1639, which is often considered one of the first written constitutions in the Western tradition. This document outlined a framework for government that included provisions for popular election of leaders and a delineation of powers among different branches of government, thus embodying the principles of limited government.
The Fundamental Orders reflected Hooker's vision of a more democratic government compared to the more autocratic structures of some other New England colonies. His efforts in creating a government rooted in the consent of the governed laid the groundwork for the development of constitutional government in America and illustrated his commitment to establishing a political community with strict limits on authority.