What was the main religion in Delaware?
Apr 07, 2020 · Delaware's official state name is “The First State” because it was the first of the thirteen original colonies to ratify the Constitution in 1787, thus becoming the first state in the nation. Delaware is home to Dover International Speedway, also known as the “Monster Mile,” which hosts two NASCAR races each year.
What is Delaware called the first state?
Nautical chart of the Dutch colony Zwaanendael and Godyn's Bay ( Delaware Bay ), 1639. The Delaware watershed was claimed by the English based on the explorations of John Cabot in 1497, Captain John Smith, and others, and was given the name held as a title by Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, the governor of Virginia from 1610 until 1618.
How did Delaware get its name?
Aug 21, 2018 · According to legend, Delaware was nicknamed “The Diamond State” because Thomas Jefferson referred to it as a “jewel among the states” due to its prime location on the Eastern Seaboard.
What did Delaware do first?
Nov 03, 2006 · What is the original name of Delaware State University? Delaware state college
What was Delaware originally called?
Was Delaware an original colony?
The first European colony in the Delaware Valley was established by Swedish settlers in 1638. Between 1698 and 1699, the descendants of these early colonists constructed Old Swedes Church (also known as Holy Trinity Church), which is one of the oldest houses of worship in America still in use.Aug 21, 2018
What country was Delaware originally part of?
Who was Delaware owned by?
How did the Delaware Colony get its name?
Were there slaves in Delaware?
What side of the Civil War was Delaware on?
Is Delaware considered North or South?
What was Delaware's history?
Their early inhabitants tended to identify more closely with the county than the colony or state. Large parts of southern and western Delaware were thought to have been in Maryland until 1767. All of the state has existed in the wide economic and political circle of Philadelphia .
What tribes lived in Delaware?
Before Delaware was settled by Europeans, the area was home to the Lenni Lenape (also known as the Delaware), Susquehanna, Nanticoke, and other Native American tribes. After the Swedish then the Dutch colonists settled there, the native peoples traded with the settlers for a half century.
How many Confederate prisoners died at Fort Delaware?
Halloway of the 27th Virginia Infantry. Captured at Winchester, Virginia on March 23, 1862, he died at the fort on April 9. By the end of the war, the fort had held almost 33,000 prisoners, roughly 2,500 of whom died as the conditions continued to deteriorate. Half of the deaths were reportedly due to an outbreak of variola (smallpox) in 1863. Other causes of death included: diarrhea (315), inflammation of the lungs (243), typhoid fever and/or malaria (215), scurvy (70), pneumonia (61), erysipelas (47), gunshot wounds (7), and drowning (5). In addition, 109 Union soldiers and 40 civilians also died at the fort during the war.
How many counties are there in Delaware?
The history of Delaware as a political entity dates back to the early colonization of North America by European-American settlers. It is made up of three counties established since 1638, before the time of William Penn. Each had its own settlement history.
Where did the Swedish settle in Pennsylvania?
By 1644, Swedish and Finnish settlers were living along both sides of the Delaware River from Fort Christina to the Schuylkill River. New Sweden 's best known governor, Johan Björnsson Printz, moved his residence to what is now Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania, where he intended to concentrate the settlements.
Which state did not merge with the Lower Counties?
The Lower Counties did continue to share a governor, but the Province of Pennsylvania never merged with the Lower Counties. The Mason–Dixon line forms the boundary between Delaware and Maryland; this begins at the Transpeninsular Line.
Where did the Swedish South Company settle?
They established a Swedish South Company, aimed at settling the territory of New Sweden, and, following much negotiation, he led a group under the flag of Sweden to the Delaware River in 1638. They established a trading post at Fort Christina, now in Wilmington.
Where did the name Delaware come from?
Origin of Delaware State Name. Delaware is not a Native American name. Exploring the Atlantic coast north of Jamestown in 1610, Captain Samuel Argall discovered a large bay which he named in honor of Sir Thomas West, Third Lord de la Warr and the first governor of the Virginia. The title is likely ultimately derived from ...
What is the nickname of Delaware?
Delaware Nicknames. Delaware is known by this nickname due to the fact that on December 7, 1787, it became the first of the 13 original states to ratify the U.S. Constitution. "The First State"became the official State nickname on May 23, 2002 following a request by Mrs. Anabelle O'Malley's First Grade Class at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School.
What was the first state?
First State. Delaware is known by this nickname due to the fact that on December 7, 1787, it became the first of the 13 original states to ratify the US Constitution. " The First State " became the official State nickname on May 23, 2002.
Why is Delaware called the Diamond State?
This nickname, Diamond State, was given to Delaware, according to legend, by Thomas Jefferson because he described Delaware as a "jewel" among states due to its strategic location on the Eastern Seaboard.
How many counties are there in Delaware?
Delaware is divided into three counties, the lowest number of counties of any state. The state was named after the Delaware River which in turn derived its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577-1618), the governor of the Colony of Virginia at the time the river was first explored by Europeans.
Where is Delaware located?
Delaware is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, in the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula and is the second smallest, the sixth least populous, but the sixth most densely populated of the 50 United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, to the northeast by New Jersey, and to the north by Pennsylvania . Delaware is divided into three counties, the lowest number of counties of any state
When was Sweden founded?
It also once had the nickname New Sweden, after the name of the original Swedish settlement of "Nye Sverige", founded in 1638.
What is Delaware's state?
Interesting Facts. The first of the original 13 states to ratify the federal Constitution, Delaware occupies a small niche in the Boston–Washington, D.C., urban corridor along the Middle Atlantic seaboard. It is the second smallest state in the country and one of the most densely populated.
Why is Delaware called the Diamond State?
According to legend, Delaware was nicknamed “The Diamond State” because Thomas Jefferson referred to it as a “jewel among the states” due to its prime location on the Eastern Seaboard.
What is Delaware Bay known for?
Delaware Bay is home to more horseshoe crabs than anywhere else in the world. Mostly unchanged for the past 300 million years, these “living fossils” were collected by Native American Indians for food and used as fertilizer—a practice that was passed along to early colonial settlers and continued until the 1960s.
When was the first European colony in Delaware?
Interesting Facts. The first European colony in the Delaware Valley was established by Swedish settlers in 1638. Between 1698 and 1699, the descendants of these early colonists constructed Old Swedes Church (also known as Holy Trinity Church), which is one of the oldest houses of worship in America still in use.
How tall are the observation towers in Delaware?
After the onset of World War II, several concrete observation towers ranging between 39 and 75 feet tall were constructed along Delaware’s coast to protect the bay and coastal towns from German warships. Eleven towers remain in Delaware and two remain in Cape May, NJ.
The Last Frontier
Delaware’s state nickname is “The First State” because on December 7, 1787, it became the first of the 13 original states to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
Other Nicknames
Delaware has several other nicknames too although The First State is the official nickname.
Overview
Delaware is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the nearby Delaware River, in turn named after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor.
Toponymy
The state was named after the Delaware River, which in turn derived its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618) who was the ruling governor of the Colony of Virginia at the time Europeans first explored the river. The Delaware people, a name used by Europeans for Lenape people indigenous to the Delaware Valley, also derive their name from the same source.
The name de La Warr is from Sussex and of Anglo-French origin. It came probably from a Norman lieu …
History
Before Delaware was settled by European colonists, the area was home to the Eastern Algonquian tribes known as the Unami Lenape, or Delaware, who lived mostly along the coast, and the Nanticoke who occupied much of the southern Delmarva Peninsula. John Smith also shows two Iroquoian tribes, the Kuskarawock and Tockwogh, living north of the Nanticoke—they may have held small portions of land in the western part of the state before migrating across the Chesape…
Geography
Delaware is 96 miles (154 km) long and ranges from 9 miles (14 km) to 35 miles (56 km) across, totaling 1,982 square miles (5,130 km ), making it the second-smallest state in the United States after Rhode Island. Delaware is bounded to the north by Pennsylvania; to the east by the Delaware River, Delaware Bay, New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean; and to the west and south by Maryland. Small p…
Municipalities
Wilmington is the state's most populous city (70,635) and its economic hub. It is located within commuting distance of both Philadelphia and Baltimore. Dover is the state capital and the second most populous city (38,079).
• Kent
• New Castle
Demographics
The United States Census Bureau determined that the population of Delaware was 989,948 on April 1, 2020, an increase since the 2010 United States census at 897,934.
Delaware's history as a border state has led it to exhibit characteristics of both the Northern and the Southernregions of the United States. Generally, the rural …
Economy
According to a 2020 study by Kiplinger, Delaware had the seventeenth largest number of millionaires per capita in the United States, with a ratio of 6.98 percent, 0.7 percent from 2013 in ration but falling eight places in ranking. Delaware had 25,937 millionaires as of 2020. The median income for all Delaware households as of 2020 was $64,805.
Media
Two daily newspapers are based in Delaware, the Delaware State News, based in Dover and covering the two southern counties, and The News Journal covering Wilmington and northern Delaware. The state is also served by several weekly, monthly and online publications.
No standalone television stations are based solely in Delaware. The northern part of the state is served by network stations in Philadelphia and the southern part by network stations in Salisbury, …
Delaware Name Origin and State Nicknames
Origin of Delaware State Name
- Delaware is not a Native American name. Exploring the Atlantic coast north of Jamestown in 1610, Captain Samuel Argall discovered a large bay which he named in honor of Sir Thomas West, Third Lord de la Warr and the first governor of the Virginia. The title is likely ultimately derived from the Old French de la werre("of the war"or a warrior). Appa...
Delaware Nicknames
- Delaware is known by this nickname due to the fact that on December 7, 1787, it became the first of the 13 original states to ratify the U.S. Constitution. "The First State"became the official State nickname on May 23, 2002 following a request by Mrs. Anabelle O'Malley's First Grade Class at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School.