2. Motivation  Strategic position.  Right on the coast for easy access.  Control over raw materials/potential markets.  More fertile soil than in the Netherlands.  Large fishing trade.  Substantial fur trade.  Native livestock.  Tobacco as a cash crop.  Land for settlement.  Control over more land.  Profit for private business owners/forced labor.

3. Colonial Rule/ Political Structures  Primarily a Dutch colony/settlement.  Originally a proprietary colony.  Proprietary colony (noun.): Any of certain early North American colonies organized in the 17 th century in territories granted by the English Crown to one or more proprietors who had full governing rights.  Ruled as a constitutional monarchy.  Shared the same governor with Pennsylvania.  1681: William Penn rules Pennsylvania before receiving Delaware to govern.  Early 1700s: Penn separates the colonies into two different assemblies.

5.  1631: Dutch colonization led by Captain David Pietersen de Vries.  1632: Entire Dutch crew killed in a battle with Native Americans.  1638: Swede Peter Minuet settles with a grant from the New Sweden Company.  1655: Dutch regain control from Swedes.  1664: English defeat Dutch to gain control.  1673: Dutch retake control of Delaware.  1674: English triumph over the Dutch.  1682: William Penn controls Delaware alongside Pennsylvania.  1701: Delaware is granted independence.  1704: Delaware elects own assembly.

6.  Delaware has had more claimants than any of the other thirteen colonies.  Though the Dutch found the land before the Swedes, the Swedes created the first permanent settlement in Delaware.  Reached the new land, entitled New Sweden, in 1638.  Fort is built on the current-day city of Wilmington (then named Christina after the queen).  Lands are bought from Native Americans on the west side.  Town is built on the current-day city of Philadelphia.  Dutch claimed all of the Delaware Valley as their own, but Sweden proved to be too powerful over the Netherlands.  The English then came into possession of the colony in 1664.  Lord Baltimore (stated that Delaware would be part of Maryland).  Duke of York (then sold the colony to William Penn).  William Penn (governor of both Delaware and Pennsylvania).  Inhabitants of Delaware (after the Revolution).

7. Economic Activities  Delaware relied on its powerful slave society to trade African slaves with colonies to both the North and South.  Tobacco was cultivated as an important cash crop.  The colony also relied on its trades for:  Grain/wheat.  Fishing.  Fur.  Flax.  Lumber/timber.  Iron.  Ship-building.

8. Labor Challenges  The Swedish attempted to bring slaves from West Africa over to Delaware, but the nation was forced aside by more powerful European nations.  African slavery did not escalate until the Dutch controlled the colony, when Africans were shipped over the Atlantic to work.  This increased greater when the English took control of the colony.  From between 20 to 25 percent of Delaware’s population were enslaved, higher than any other Northern colony.

9. Religious/Social Issues  Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.  Established in 1701 and based in London.  Sought the evangelization of both the indigenous and African people.  Indigenous people were not easily persuaded to convert to the religion.  African slaves were unwilling to adapt to the religion of their oppressors.  Confronted for supporting spiritual freedom and slavery.