Delaware Colony facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lower Counties on the Delaware
1664–1776
Flag
Delaware in 1757
Status	Colony of England (1664–1707) Colony of Great Britain (1707–1776)
Capital	New Castle
Common languages	English, Dutch, Munsee, Unami
Government	Semiautonomous proprietary colony
Proprietor
• 1664–1682	Territory contested
• 1682–1718	William Penn (first)
• 1775–1776	John Penn (last)
Legislature	General Assembly
History
• Established	1664
• Independence	1776
Currency	Delaware pound
Preceded by Succeeded by New Netherland State of Delaware
Today part of	United States

The Lower Counties on the Delaware was a special area in North America. It was like a semi-independent part of the Province of Pennsylvania. It also acted much like a British colony, even without official royal approval. This region included three counties located on the western side of the Delaware River Bay.

In the early 1600s, Native American tribes like the Lenape lived here. The first Europeans to settle were the Swedes in 1638. They built a colony called New Sweden at Fort Christina, which is now Wilmington, Delaware. Later, the Dutch took over in 1655. Then, England gained control from the Dutch in 1664. In 1682, William Penn, a Quaker who owned Province of Pennsylvania, leased these three counties. He leased them from James, the Duke of York, who later became King James II.

From 1682 to 1701, these three counties were part of Pennsylvania's government. But in 1701, they asked for their own law-making body, called a legislature, and got it. Even so, they shared the same governor with Pennsylvania until 1776. Many English settlers in Delaware were Quakers. In the early 1700s, many Protestant immigrants from Ulster (now Northern Ireland) arrived. They came through ports like New Castle and Philadelphia. Delaware did not have an official religion back then.

The American Revolutionary War started in April 1775. On June 15, 1776, Delaware's leaders decided to separate from Great Britain. This created the independent State of Delaware. Soon after, on July 4, 1776, Delaware joined 12 other colonies. Together, they formed the United States of America.

Early European Settlements in Delaware

From 1631, when the Dutch first settled, until 1682, this land changed owners often. Because of this, Delaware became a mix of people. They came from different countries and had various religions.

Dutch Exploration and First Attempts at Settlement

The first European to explore the Delaware Valley was Henry Hudson in 1609. He sailed the Dutch ship Halve Maen. Hudson was looking for a shortcut to Asia, called the Northwest Passage. He entered what is now the Delaware Bay and called it the South River. In 1610, Samuel Argall renamed it the Delaware River, after Lord De La Warr.

Later, Cornelius May (1613) and Cornelius Hendrickson (1614) mapped the coast. This helped include the area in the New Netherland colony. The first Dutch settlement was Fort Nassau. It was located up the Delaware River, near modern Gloucester City, New Jersey.

At first, neither the Dutch nor the English wanted to settle here. In 1629, two agents from the Dutch West India Company, Gillis Hossitt and Jacob Jansz, arrived. They bought land from the Native Americans for a new colony. The Dutch believed they were buying the land outright. However, Native Americans often saw these payments as gifts. They expected to share the land, as was their custom. The treaty gave the Dutch a strip of land about 29 miles long and 2 miles deep. This covered much of what is now Sussex and Kent counties in Delaware.

In 1631, the Dutch started the Zwaanendael Colony at Cape Henlopen. They sent 28 men to build a fort. Their goal was to hunt whales and make whale oil. But a misunderstanding with Native Americans led to the deaths of all 28 colonists. Later, David Pietersz. de Vries arrived with 50 more settlers. He made a peace treaty with the Native Americans. Yet, he and the Dutch West India Company felt the area was too risky. So, they took the settlers to New Amsterdam (now New York City) instead.

Swedish Colony of New Sweden

In March 1638, New Sweden became the first lasting European settlement in Delaware. The ship Kalmar Nyckel landed at a place now called Swedes' Landing in Wilmington, Delaware. Peter Minuit, a former governor of New Netherland, led this trip. He knew the Dutch had not settled much in the Delaware River area. New Sweden was diverse, with settlers from Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

The first Swedish fort was Fort Christina, named after Queen Christina of Sweden. It's now Wilmington. The Swedes brought log cabin building to America. Governor Johan Björnsson Printz led New Sweden from 1643 to 1653. Johan Risingh was the last Swedish governor. The Dutch never liked the Swedish colony. In 1651, Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant built Fort Casimir near Fort Christina. This surrounded the Swedish settlement. The Swedes gave up Fort Beversreede, a small fort near modern Philadelphia.

Three years later, New Sweden captured Fort Casimir and renamed it Fort Trinity. But in September 1655, the Dutch fought back. Governor Stuyvesant gathered a strong army and navy. They recaptured the Swedish forts, taking control of the colony again. The Dutch renamed Fort Casimir to New Amstel, which later became New Castle, Delaware. This became their main trading post and government center. Many Europeans moved to the area.

English Takeover of Delaware

In 1664, English Colonel Richard Nicolls captured New Amsterdam. Then, Robert Carr was sent to the Delaware River settlements. He took over New Amstel, which he renamed New Castle, Delaware. Carr's actions ended Dutch control of the colony. The English took over all of New Netherland, calling it New York. From 1664 to 1682, Delaware was claimed by New York. However, the Duke of York and his settlers didn't fully control it. Maryland's owners tried to take advantage of this confusion.

Delaware's Connection to Pennsylvania

William Penn, a Quaker and owner of Pennsylvania, also owned the land that is now Delaware. During the early Revolutionary period, people often called this area 'The Three Lower Counties on the Delaware River.' Sometimes, they just used the names of the three counties.

In 1681, King Charles II gave William Penn the province of Pennsylvania. Penn then also received the lands of Delaware from the Duke of York. Governing Delaware was hard for Penn. Its economy and land were more like the Chesapeake Bay colonies than Pennsylvania. The lowlands grew tobacco. These farms relied on the work of people brought from Africa and their descendants. Penn tried to combine the governments of Pennsylvania and Delaware. But representatives from both areas disagreed a lot. In 1701, Penn allowed them to have separate assemblies. Delaware's assembly met in New Castle, and Pennsylvania's in Philadelphia. Delaware remained a diverse place. People from Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, France, and England lived there.