Blackwell Reference Online

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In April 1631, the Dutch made the first European settlement in Del. (near Lewes) at Swanendael, which was destroyed by Indians a year later. In March 1638, the first Swedes landed near Lewes and claimed the area as N ew S weden ; they placed their capital at Fort Christina (near Wilmington). They competed for control of the local fur trade with N ew N etherland , which annexed the colony (then about 350 persons) on 26 September 1655. England acquired Del. by its conquest of New Netherland in 1664. In 1681 William P enn was awarded Del. as part of P ennsylvania . In 1701 Del. resumed its standing as a separate colony when Penn agreed to let it elect its own legislature, which first met on 22 November 1704. The governor of Pa. also sat as chief executive of Del., which was properly termed the Three Lower Counties on the Delaware. Del. was the smallest colony in 1775 and provided just one of the Continental army's 80 regiments. It was the site of 20 land and 17 sea engagements during the R evolutionary W ar . It was the first state to ratify the Constitution, on 7 December 1787. In 1800 it was the smallest state and had 64,273 inhabitants, of which 78 percent were white (of these 69 percent were English or Welsh) and 22 percent were black. Del. had poor soil for grains, but it emerged as an early center for manufacturing after 1800, with flour milling and the Du Pont family's ... log in or subscribe to read full text