A Little Known History of the First State of the United States

Elmira | 10 - 25 - 2021
first state of the united states

Delaware was the first state of the United States. After the declaration of its independence from Great Britain(June 15, 1776), the General Assembly made the legislative body of “The Delaware State.” On 7 December 1787, after 11 years, the state of Delaware was announced as the first state in America. Find out historical facts about the first state in the US.

History of the First State of the United States

Every state of the US is one of the 50 constituent entities that divides its sovereignty from the federal government. Americans are considered citizens of both the federal republic and their respective states’ where they live because of the shared sovereignty between every state and the federal government. Massachusetts, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Virginia use the word ‘commonwealth’ instead of state in their official names.

States are considered the primary subdivisions of the United States. They have all powers not permitted to the federal government, nor forbidden to them by the Constitution of the US. To simply put, state governments have the authority to manage issues of local concerns that include running elections, controlling intrastate commerce, public school policy, building local governments, and non-federal road construction and management. Every state has its unique constitution-based republican principles and government containing executive, judicial and legislative branches.

When Did Delaware Become a State?
  • A. 20 January 1787
  • B. 7 December 1787
  • C. 10 November 1787
  • D. 15 June 1787

The 13 colonies that were part of the Union were known as British territories discovered in the 17th century and 18thc century. These regions fought and won independence from Britain in 1776. They formed The Thirteen Colonies. The colonies remained part of the United States in 1788 with the joining of New Hampshire as the ninth state to endorse the United States Constitution. Every state was formally joined as a member of the Union once it approved the Constitution.

Delaware State History

Henry Hudson was credited for the Delaware discovery in 1609. Next year, Capt. Samuel Argall of Virginia named Delaware for his colony’s governor Thomas West, Baron De La Warr. The effort of Dutch settlement was a failure in 1631. England occupied the area after 1704. Then Delaware fought to be an independent state in the American Revolution and remained the first state to approve the Constitution in 1787. During the Civil War, Delaware did not split from the Union. Delaware is also famous for a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. It is a US pioneer in the food canning industry. Ruth Ann Minner was appointed as Delaware’s first woman governor in 2000. Joe Biden was the first Delaware senator elected to the vice presidency of the US in 2008. 

In What Order Were the States Founded?

States Union Date
1. Delaware December 7, 1787
2. Pennsylvania December 12, 1787
3. New Jersey December 18, 1787
4. Georgia January 2, 1788
5. Connecticut January 9, 1788
6. Massachusetts February 6, 1788
7. Maryland April 28, 1788
8. South Carolina May 23, 1788
9. New Hampshire June 21, 1788
10. Virginia June 25, 1788
11. New York July 26, 1788
12. North Carolina November 21, 1789
13. Rhode Island May 29, 1790
14. Vermont March 4, 1791
15. Kentucky June 1, 1792
16. Tennessee June 1, 1796
17. Ohio March 1, 1803
18. Louisiana April 30, 1812
19. Indiana December 11, 1816
20. Mississippi December 10, 1817
21. Illinois December 3, 1818
22. Alabama December 14, 1819
23. Maine March 15, 1820
24. Missouri August 10, 1821
25. Arkansas June 15, 1836
26. Michigan January 26, 1837
27. Florida March 3, 1845
28. Texas December 29, 1845
29. Iowa December 28, 1846
30. Wisconsin May 29, 1848
31. California September 9, 1850
32. Minnesota May 11, 1858
33. Oregon February 14, 1859
34. Kansas January 29, 1861
35. West Virginia June 20, 1863
36. Nevada October 31, 1864
37. Nebraska March 1, 1867
38. Colorado August 1, 1876
39. North Dakota November 2, 1889
40. South Dakota November 2, 1889
41. Montana November 8, 1889
42. Washington November 11, 1889
43. Idaho July 3, 1890
44. Wyoming July 10, 1890
45. Utah January 4, 1896
46. Oklahoma November 16, 1907
47. New Mexico January 6, 1912
48. Arizona February 14, 1912
49. Alaska January 3, 1959
50. Hawaii August 21, 1959

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