Statehood 1776

Delaware

Delaware's colonial history began in 1638 when Swedish settlers established New Sweden at Fort Christina, making it one of the earliest European colonies in the region. The Dutch seized control in 1655, annexing the territory to New Netherland, but English control followed in 1664. William Penn leased the three lower counties in 1682, and though governed as part of Pennsylvania, Delaware eventually gained its own colonial legislature in 1701 while sharing a governor with Pennsylvania until 1776. On June 15, 1776, the Delaware Assembly voted to break all ties with Great Britain, creating the independent State of Delaware.

Statehood
1776
Admitted as
State of Delaware
Historic sites
728
Military engagements
16

Pre-contact era

In the early 17th century, the area that would become Delaware was inhabited by Lenape and possibly Assateague Indian tribes. The source text does not provide further detail on their societies or history prior to European contact.

Colonial history

Settlers were mostly Swedes, Finns, a number of Dutch, and some Germans. Fort Christina was the first settlement, named after Christina, Queen of Sweden.

Delaware was annexed to New Netherland following the Dutch conquest of New Sweden.

In 1682, William Penn leased the three lower counties on the Delaware River from James, the Duke of York. The counties were governed as part of the Province of Pennsylvania from 1682 to 1701, after which they were granted an independent colonial legislature, though the two colonies shared the same governor until 1776. Large parts of southern and western Delaware were thought to have been in Maryland until 1767. Delaware was a semi-autonomous region and was not royally sanctioned.

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Explore Delaware records

728
National Register historic sites
National Register listings ›
16
Military engagements
Military history records ›
1
Civil War regiments
Union, Confederate, USCT ›
8
Indigenous groups
Heritage records ›
2
Notable figures
Born in Delaware ›
59
Colonial-era events
1492 to early statehood ›
Delaware counties
Census population history ›
Sources

State history content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Historic sites data: National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

About Delaware

When did Delaware become a state?
Delaware was admitted to the Union in 1776 as the State of Delaware.
What European powers colonized Delaware?
The territory that became Delaware passed through several colonial periods. Settlers were mostly Swedes, Finns, a number of Dutch, and some Germans. Fort Christina was the first settlement, named after Christina, Queen of Sweden. Delaware was annexed to New Netherland following the Dutch conquest of New Sweden. In 1682, William Penn leased the three lower counties on the Delaware River from James, the Duke of York. The counties were governed as part of the Province of Pen
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