Audiotur Colonization of Delaware

Under the command of Peter Minuit, the New Sweden company's first expedition sailed from Sweden in two ships, the Kalmar Nyckel and the Fogel Grip. 

The ships reached Delaware Bay in March 1638, and the settlers began to build a fort at the site of present-day Wilmington, Delaware. They named it Fort Christina, in honor of Sweden's twelve-year-old queen. It was the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. The descendants of these early colonists constructed Old Swedes Church, also known as Holy Trinity Church, which is one of the oldest houses of worship in America still in use.

Fort Christina’s earthworks were strengthened in 1640 by Governor Peter Hollander Ridder to help defend against the possibility of Dutch or Native American attacks. As additional colonists arrived from Sweden in the years following the landing, homes and farms began to be built outside of the confines of the fort.

The colony of New Sweden remained in constant friction with the Dutch. In 1651, the Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant established Fort Casimir at present-day New Castle, only 7 miles south of Fort Christina. In 1654, the Swedes captured Fort Casimir under the orders of Governor Johan Risingh..

In 1655, the Dutch returned in force and laid siege to Fort Christina. The fort's surrender after ten days ended the official Swedish colonial presence in North America, though most of the colonists remained and were allowed to continue their linguistic and religious practices by the Dutch. Stuyvesant renamed Fort Christina as Fort Altena. The struggle for Fort Christina and Fort Casimir involved hundreds of mercenaries and chartered warships but was not seen as ia war between the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of Sweden. It was rather a struggle between the Dutch West India Company and the Swedish West India Company.

The land remained as part of New Netherland until it became part of the English possessions when an English fleet invaded the area in 1664. William Penn was given the deed by the Duke of York, and from 1682 to 1701 it was governed under Pennsylvania. Under English rule, the original Swedish fortifications fell into disrepair and eventually vanished entirely.

New fortifications were built by the Americans on the same site during the Revolutionary period, and established Fort Union during the War of 1812. Men involved in the defense of the fort included Caesar Augustus Rodney and James A. Bayard Sr.

In 1664 the British gained control of the Delaware Colony. William Penn was given the deed by the Duke of York, and from 1682 to 1701 it was governed under P Pennsylvania. 

The Delaware Colony was divided into three counties in 1682 including New Castle, Sussex, and Kent. In 1701 the Lower Counties, which included Delaware Colony petitioned for independent colonial legislature. Despite being granted its request, the Delaware Colony continued to share Pennsylvania's governor until 1776.                                                                                                              
In 1776 the Delaware Colony's assembly voted to break ties with Pennsylvania and with England as well, essentially declaring its independence in a document signed by representatives from all 13 colonies. It joined in the rebellion against Great Britain, along with the other 12 colonies, and laid the groundwork to becoming a U.S. state.                                                                                                            
The Delaware Colony was the first of the original 13 colonies to ratify the federal Constitution.
The Delaware Colony became a state on December 7th, 1787.