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Wilmington, Newark,
Dover, New Castle, Delmar, Delaware City, Dagsboro, Clayton,
Claymont, Cheswold, Camden Wyoming, Bridgeville, Bethel, Bethany
Beach, Bear, Lincoln, Lewes, Laurel, Kirkwood, Kenton, Houston,
Hockessin, Hartly, Harrington, Harbeson, Greenwood, Georgetown,
Frederica, Frankford, Fenwick Island
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Delaware's
history is a long and proud one.
Two groups of Native Americans lived in the Delaware region
when European explorers first visited the area. The Lenape
lived along the Delaware River; English settlers later
called them the “Delaware.” The Nanticoke lived along the
Nanticoke River in the southwestern part of the state.
Early explorations of our coastline were made by the
Spaniards and Portuguese in the sixteenth century, by Henry
Hudson in 1609 under the auspices of the Dutch, by Samuel
Argall in 1610, by Cornelius May in 1613, and by Cornelius
Hendricksen in 1614.
During a storm, Argall was blown off course and sailed into
a strange bay which he named in honor of his governor. It is
doubtful that Lord De La Warr ever saw, or explored, the
bay, river, and state which today bears his name. In 1631,
11 years after the landing of the English pilgrims at
Plymouth, Massachusetts, the first white settlement was made
on Delaware soil.
A group of Dutchmen formed a trading company headed by
Captain David Pietersen de Vries for the purpose of
enriching themselves from the New World. The expedition of
about 30 individuals sailed from the town of Hoorn under the
leadership of Captain Peter Heyes in the ship De Walvis (The
Whale). Their settlement, called Zwaanendael, meaning valley
of swans, was located near the present town of Lewes on the
west bank of the Lewes Creek, today the Lewes and Rehoboth
Canal.
Arriving in the New World in 1632 to visit the colony,
Captain de Vries found the settlers had been killed and
their buildings burned by the Indians.
This settlement is commemorated by the Zwaanendael Museum in
Lewes.
No further attempts at colonization were made on Delaware
soil until 1638, when the Swedes established their colony in
present Wilmington, which was not only the first permanent
settlement in Delaware, but in the whole Delaware River
Valley and North America. In 1637, a colonial charter was
granted under the Swedish child queen, Christina,
encouraging trade, settlement and the spreading of the
gospel. In November of that year, Captain Peter Minuit
sailed from the town of Gothenburg, Sweden with two ships,
Kalmar Nyckel (Key of Kalmar) and Vogel Grip (Griffen),
landed about March 29, 1938. The location of the first
Swedish settlement was at "The Rocks," on the Christina
River, near the foot of Seventh Street. The fort constructed
by the settlers was named for Queen Christina: the village,
Christinahamn. The fort served not only as a safe dwelling,
but also as the center of cultural life in what they called
"New Sweden." Perhaps most importantly, the fort was crucial
economically, protecting the Christina River trade and a
communication link connecting the colonies of New England,
New Amsterdam, and New Sweden with the Maryland and Virginia
colonies.
On water, the Kalmar Nyckel made four successive trips from
Sweden, and returned to solidify the settlement in 1640 and
1641. That is a record unchallenged by any other colonial
vessel. Later, she served the Swedish Navy in the
Swedish-Danish War, then became a merchant ship, and finally
was lost off the City of Kalmar in the late 17th Century.
New Sweden became known as Willingtown (after local merchant
Thomas Willing) in 1731, and ultimately named Wilmington in
1739.
The most important Swedish governor was Colonel Johan
Printz, who ruled the colony under Swedish law for ten
years, from 1643 to 1653. He was succeeded by Johan Rising,
who upon his arrival in 1654, seized the Dutch post, Fort
Casmir, which the governor of the Colony of New Netherlands
had built in 1651, on the site of the present town of New
Castle.
Rising governed the Swedish Colony from his headquarters at
Fort Christina until the autumn of 1655, when Peter
Stuyvesant came from New Amsterdam with a Dutch fleet,
subjugated the Swedish forts, and established the authority
of the Colony of New Netherlands throughout the area
formerly controlled by the Colony of New Sweden. This marked
the end of Swedish rule in Delaware, but the cultural,
social, and religious influence of these Swedish settlers
has had a lasting effect upon the cultural life of the
people in this area and upon subsequent westward migrations
of many generations. Old Swedes (Holy Trinity) Church built
by the Swedes at Wilmington in 1698 was supplied by the
Mother Church with missionaries until after the Revolution.
It is one of the oldest Protestant Churches in North
America.
Fort Christina State Park in Wilmington, with the fine
monument created by the noted sculptor, Carl Milles, and
presented by the people of Sweden, perpetuates the memory of
these first settlers and preserves "The Rocks" where they
first landed.
Following the seizure of the colony of New Sweden, the Dutch
restored the name of Fort Casmir and made it the principal
settlement of the Zuidt or South River as contrasted with
the North or Hudson River. In a short time the area within
the fort was not large enough to accommodate all the
settlers so that a town, named New Amstel (now New Castle),
was laid out.
The year 1681 marked the granting of the Province of
Pennsylvania to William Penn by King Charles II and the
arrival of Penn's agents on the Delaware River. They soon
reported to the proprietor that the new province would be
landlocked if the colonies on either side of the Delaware
River or Bay were hostile. As a result of Penn's petition to
the Crown for the land on the west side of the Delaware
River and Bay below his province, the Duke of York in March
1682 conveyed, by deeds and leases now exhibited by the
Delaware State Archives in the Hall of Records at Dover, the
land included in the Counties of New Castle, St. Jones, and
Deale. On October 27 of the same year, William Penn landed
in America first at New Castle and there took possession
from the Duke of York's agents as Proprietor of the lower
Counties. On this occasion, the colonists subscribed an oath
of allegiance to the new proprietor, and the first general
assembly was held in the colony. The following year the
three Lower Counties were annexed to the Province of
Pennsylvania as territories with full privileges under
Penn's famous "Frame of Government."
Also in this year, the counties of St. Jones and Deale were
renamed Kent and Sussex Counties respectively.
After 1682, a long dispute ensued between William Penn and
Lord Baltimore of the Province of Maryland as to the exact
dominion controlled by Penn on the lower Delaware.
In 1698, the Kalmar Nyckel's settlers constructed the
handsome and substantial Holy Trinity Church, later to be
named Old Swedes, just a few hundred yards upstream from
"The Rocks." Old Swedes still stands today, one of the
oldest continuously functioning churches in the United
States. In addition, Old Swedes Church is the site of
historic observations (such as the 350th Anniversary of the
Swedes' landing, and the U.S. Bicentennial), and serves as a
focal point for many visits from European and American
tourists.
The dispute continued between the heirs of Baltimore and
Penn until almost the end of the colonial period. In 1776 at
the time of the Declaration of Independence, Delaware not
only declared itself free from the British Empire, but also
established a state government entirely separate from
Pennsylvania. Delaware's boundaries were surveyed in 1763-68
by the noted English scientists, Charles Mason and Jeremiah
Dixon.
With the advent to the Revolution nearly 4,000 men enlisted
for service from the small state. The colonial wars had
built up the militia system and supplied a number of capable
officers who led the troops of Delaware in all the principal
engagements from the battle of Long Island to the siege of
Yorktown. The only Revolutionary engagement fought on
Delaware soil was the battle of Cooch's Bridge, near Newark,
on September 3, 1777.
An important stimulus to the recovery of the state's economy
after the war was the invention in 1785 by Oliver Evans of
Newport, Delaware, of automatic flour milling machinery,
revolutionizing the industry.
In the following year, John Dickinson of Delaware presided
over the Annapolis Convention, which called for the Federal
Constitutional Convention, that met in Philadelphia the next
year. When the new Constitution was submitted to the states
for ratification, Delaware was the first of the thirteen
original states to ratify the Constitution of the United
States. This unanimous ratification took place in a
convention of Dover on December 7, 1787, whereby Delaware
became "The First State" of the new Federal Union. Proud of
this heritage, Delawareans continue to honor the traditions
which made them the First State to ratify the United States
Constitution, the document that continues to protect our
nation's justice, strength, and liberty.
Delaware's present constitution was adopted in 1797 and is
the third one the state has had. It has been modernized with
many new amendments since then. Today, Delaware has a
cabinet form of government.
The General Assembly, Delaware's lawmaking body, is
comprised of a House of Representatives, whose 41 members
are elected for two-year terms, and a Senate, whose 21
members are elected for four-year terms. Half of the Senate
seats are contested in each general election.
The State Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and four
associate justices. All members are appointed by the
governor, with confirmation by the Senate, for a term of 12
years.
Several industries grew in importance for Delaware following
the war.
In 1795, the textile industry increased as a cotton mill was
built on Brandywine Creek. In 1802, Frenchman Éleuthére
Irénée du Pont founded a gunpowder mill near Wilmington. The
Du Pont Company soon established Wilmington as the “Chemical
Capital of the World.” Thomas Gilpin built the country's
first papermaking machine in 1817. This industry grew
tremendously in Delaware, as did shipbuilding. Thousands
migrated to Delaware for work. By 1850, its population
reached 91,532.
Although Delaware was considered a slave state, Quakers
living in the state hated slavery. Delaware, located between
the North and Deep South, freed thousands of slaves as they
passed through the state on the Underground Railroad.
Delaware remained in the Union during the Civil War
(1861-1865). More than 12,000 Delawareans fought for the
North and a few hundred fought for the South. At the end of
the war, all slaves were freed.
In 1899, the Delaware Corporation Law lowered corporate tax
and made it easier to create businesses in Delaware. Several
companies were established in Delaware during the early
1900s. Increased tax revenue from these companies allowed
the government to make improvements in education, public
welfare, and roadways. The Du Pont Highway, the country's
first divided highway, was begun in 1911. A state board of
welfare, a state highway department, and a state income tax
were all introduced to Delaware during this time.
During the Great Depression (1929-1939), thousands of
Delawareans lost their jobs. The federal government provided
jobs building roads and parks. World War II (1939-1945) also
helped end the Depression. Delaware provided soldiers, ships
and gunpowder. Du Pont chemist Wallace Carothers discovered
nylon in 1938, which was then used to produce parachutes.
Delaware's economy grew rapidly during the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1951, the Delaware Memorial Bridge opened making travel
to and from the state much easier. Many factories expanded
and large new corporations, such as Chrysler, General Foods,
and General Motors, moved into Delaware. The state's
population also increased dramatically, reaching almost
450,000 in 1960.
Although a southern state, Delaware began desegregation of
schools before the Supreme Court ruled segregation in public
schools unconstitutional in 1954. In 1950, black students
were allowed to attend the University of Delaware. By 1952,
black and white students began attending the same high
schools. All segregation of restaurants and public
facilities ended in 1963. Many black people moved to
Delaware during this time; several settled in Wilmington.
Environmental improvements were made during the 1970s. In
1971, the Coastal Zone Act was passed that banned
construction of industrial plants along the Delaware
coastline. This protected beaches and helped to improve
water and air pollution. In 1973, about 1,500 abandoned
homes in Wilmington were sold for a dollar, with the
requirement to fix up the building. Several new homeowners
moved back to the city. Legislature districts were redrawn
in 1971 and 1981.
A mild economic depression during the 1970s found many
Delawareans without work. The Financial Center Development
Act of 1981 allowed many out-of-state banks to have
headquarters in Delaware. More than 20,000 new jobs were
created. In 1980, the state adopted a constitutional limit
that restricted government spending to 95 per cent of the
government's expected revenue. This improved the state's
economy. The tourist industry also increased. By 1993, more
Delawareans had jobs than ever before.
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