A Little Known History of the 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.

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?