1600's

Origin of the State name - Named after the Delaware River whose name was given by Captain Samuel Argall from that of Sir Thomas West (Lord de la Warr) who was Virginia Company's first governor.

1609

Henry Hudson, an Englishman, under commission the Dutch East India Company and seeking a Northwest passage to China and Japan, discovered Delaware Bay

1610

Captain Samuel Argall, an English sea captain, names the bay and river after Lord De La Warr, the governor of Virginia

1631

Dutch colonists settle at Zwaanendael ( modern Lewes )

1632

Settlement at Zwaanendael is destroyed by Native Americans

1638

Swedish settlement led by Peter Minuet starting the the New Sweden Colony

1639

The first African on the Delaware, Black Anthony, is brought from the Caribbean

1655

The Dutch defeat the Swedes on the Delaware, ending the New Sweden Colony. Delaware becomes a part of New Netherland

1663

1663 - 1664: Anglo-Dutch Wars in disputes over rights to slaves, ivory, and gold and domination of the area

1664

Sir Robert Carr drives the Dutch off the Delaware and Delaware becomes an English colony

1681

William Penn was granted land from England, that included Delaware, and established the colony of Pennsylvania

1756

1756 - 1763 - The Seven Years War (French and Indian War) due to disputes over land is won by Great Britain. France gives England all French territory east of the Mississippi River, except New Orleans. The Spanish give up east and west Florida to the English in return for Cuba

1763

1763 - 1767 Legal battles were settled by a survey, which resulted in the Mason-Dixon line, surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon

For additional facts and information about Colonial America click hereto the Delaware Colony

1775

1775 - 1783: The American Revolution creates the United States of America. The Revolution was due to the British burden of taxes and total power to legislate any laws governing the American colonies. George Washingtonled the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War (American War of Independence)

1776

July 4, 1776 - United States Declaration of Independence

1778

July 10, 1778 - France declares war against Britain and makes an alliance with the American revolutionary forces

1783

September 3, 1783 - The Treaty of Paris is signed by the victorious United States and the defeated Great Britain

1787

Statehood - The Date that Delaware was admitted to the Union - December 7, 1787. Constitution - Delaware was the 1st State to be admitted to the Union. State Motto - " Liberty and Independence "

1812

1812 - 1815 - The War of 1812 between U.S. and Great Britain, ended in a stalemate but confirmed America's Independence

1861

1861 - 1865: The American Civil War.In 1859 John Brown raided Harpers Ferry and set in motion events that led directly to the outbreak of the Civil War. outbreak of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president and in 1861 the South Secedes. The initial Secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These eleven states eventually formed the Confederate States of America. The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War.

1865

The surrender of Robert E. Lee on April 9 1865 signalled the end of the Confederacy

1865

1865 December 6 - The Abolishment of Slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, thus officially abolishing slavery

1898

1898-1901 The Spanish American War. On December 10, 1898 the Treaty of Paris the US annexes Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines.

Delaware Timeline

Origin of the name of the State - Delaware was named after the Delaware River whose name was given by Captain Samuel Argall from that of Sir Thomas West (Lord de la Warr) who was Virginia Company's first governor.

Privacy Statement

Cookie Policy

© 2017 Siteseen Ltd