colony · North America and Oceania

Delaware Colony

1664 CE – 1776 CE · capital New Castle

The Lower Counties on the Delaware, a former Swedish and Dutch settlement area that shared Pennsylvania's governor but kept its own assembly and became the first state.

Origins

The Dutch settlement of Zwaanendael near modern Lewes was destroyed in 1631, and in 1638 New Sweden built Fort Christina at what is now Wilmington. New Netherland conquered the Swedish colony in 1655, and its Fort Casimir, renamed New Amstel, later became New Castle. After the English conquest of 1664 the area was ruled from New York under James, Duke of York.

Rule and society

In 1682 James granted the three counties of New Castle, Kent and Sussex to William Penn, who governed them with the Province of Pennsylvania. The Lower Counties resented domination by Philadelphia and from 1704 met in their own assembly at New Castle, while still sharing the Penn family's governor. Farmers of Swedish, Finnish, Dutch and English descent grew grain and tobacco, and enslaved Africans worked many farms in the south.

Decline and legacy

On 15 June 1776 the assembly declared the Lower Counties separate from both Britain and Pennsylvania, and Caesar Rodney's ride helped carry the vote for independence. As the state of Delaware, it was the first to ratify the United States Constitution in 1787.

Lineage

New Netherland 1614 CE – 1667 CEDelaware ColonyUnited States 1776 CE – present

Connections (2)

Delaware Colony was part of Province of New York1664 CE – 1682 CE
Delaware Colony in personal union with Province of Pennsylvania1682 CE – 1776 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Delaware Colony. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/delaware-colony
MLA: “Delaware Colony.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/delaware-colony. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Delaware Colony.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/delaware-colony.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Delaware Colony’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/delaware-colony (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻