First Colonists In Delaware
The first colonists in Delaware were Swedish settlers led by Dutchman Peter Minuit, who founded New Sweden on March 29, 1638. They established Fort Christina at what is now Wilmington, marking the beginning of the first permanent settlement in the area. This colony, while small in population—never exceeding 400—left a lasting Swedish heritage in Delaware. Notable figures included Johan Bjornsson Printz, the governor from 1643 to 1653, who made Tinicum Island the capital of New Sweden. The colony faced challenges, including Dutch encroachments; in 1655, it was taken over by the Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant. The Dutch control was brief, as Delaware was seized by the English in 1664. It was later transferred to William Penn in 1682, becoming part of Pennsylvania until it gained independence in 1776. Delaware then became the first state to adopt the U.S. Constitution in 1787, reflecting its pivotal role in early American history.
First Colonists In Delaware
First Colonists In Delaware
On March 29, 1638, Swedish settlers under the command of a Dutchman, Peter Minuit, sailed up the Delaware River and founded the colony of New Sweden, erecting Fort Christina where Wilmington now stands. The Fort Christina Monument later marked the landing place at a point called The Rocks. This landing marked the start of the first permanent settlement in what was later to become the state of Delaware.
The history of the original Swedish colony is short but colorful. Although its population never exceeded 300 or 400 people, they and their ancestors bequeathed a considerable Swedish heritage to the region. The most important of the governors of New Sweden who succeeded Minuit was a severe but well-qualified man of profane tongue and mammoth proportions, the 400-pound Johan Bjornsson Printz. He governed the colony from 1643 to 1653, making Tinicum “Island,” at what is now Essington, just southwest of Philadelphia, the capital of New Sweden.
Governor Printz was succeeded by another Swede, Johan Rising, who arrived in 1654 and immediately seized Fort Casimir, which the Dutch (who all along had regarded the Swedish settlements as encroachments) had built between Fort Christina and the sea. The Swedish triumph over the Dutch was short-lived, however, for in 1655 the entire colony of New Sweden was taken over by the Dutch under the autocratic Peter Stuyvesant. Stuyvesant was the governor of New Netherland to the north, which had as its principal settlement New Amsterdam, later New York City.
The tenure of the Dutch was also short. In 1664 the entire Delaware country, along with New Netherland, was seized by the English, since the English were at war with the Dutch in Europe. The area thus came under the sway of the duke of York, later James II. Even though his title to the Delaware region did not actually become legal until later, the duke, on August 24, 1682, transferred the area to William Penn, the Quaker colonist, who sought unimpeded water access for his new colony of Pennsylvania. What would later be Delaware thus became the Three Lower Counties of Pennsylvania.
Delaware remained part of Pennsylvania until 1776, when Delaware became a separate state with the adoption of a state constitution on September 21, after struggling for separate political power during most of its 94 years. The same year, Delaware joined the other colonies in signing the Declaration of Independence. Later, on December 7, 1787, it became the first state to adopt the Constitution of the United States.