Discover Delaware – The first state of the original thirteen states of the USA
The first 13 states of the United States of America were comprised of the original British colonies established between 17th and 18th centuries.
Today, the American flag prominently displays 13 horizontal red and white stripes representing the original thirteen colonies.
The state of Delaware was the first state to be ratified in the Constitution on December 7, 1787.
Fast Facts
- Nickname: The First State
- Statehood: 1787; 1st state
- Capital: Dover
- Biggest City: Wilmington
- Abbreviation: DE
- State bird: blue hen
- State flower: peach blossom
History
- At least 11,500 years ago people were living in the area now called Delaware. They’re thought to have come from Asia by way of a land bridge that’s now underwater. Thousands of years later Native American tribes including the Lenni Lenape and the Nanticoke lived on the land.
- Historians think the first European to arrive was English explorer Henry Hudson, who reached the area’s bay and river in 1609. During the 1600s, Dutch, English, and Swedish colonists settled on the land. These Europeans fought for the land, and in 1674 the English officially regained control of the territory. But in 1776 Delaware declared its independence from England, one of the actions that would result in the Revolutionary War. After the United States had won the war, Delaware became a U.S. state in 1787.
Why is it called Delaware?
- In 1610 explorer Samuel Argall named the bay and river after Virginia’s governor, Lord De La Warr—Delaware!
- Delaware was the first state to ratify, or sign, the U.S. Constitution. So, its nickname is the First State.
Geography
- Delaware sits on an east coast peninsula called the Delmarva. It’s bordered by Pennsylvania in the north; the Delaware River, the Delaware Bay, New Jersey, and Atlantic Ocean in the east; and Maryland in the south and west.