Delaware
Template:US state
Delaware is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.[1] The state is named after Delaware Bay and River, which were named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618).[2] Population estimates by the Census Bureau for 2005 place the population of Delaware at 843,524. Despite being the 45th most populous state, it is the seventh most densely populated state, with a population density of 320 more people per square mile than the national average, ranking ahead of states such as Florida, California, and Texas.[3]
Geography
Delaware is 96 miles long and ranges from 9 to 35 miles across, totaling 1,954 square miles and making it the second-smallest state in the United States, after Rhode Island.
Delaware is bounded to the north by Pennsylvania, to the east by the Delaware River, Delaware Bay, New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean and to the west and south by Maryland. Small portions of Delaware are also situated on the far, or eastern, side of the Delaware River Estuary, and these small parcels share land boundaries with New Jersey.
The state of Delaware, together with the Eastern Shore counties of Maryland and two counties of Virginia, form the Delmarva Peninsula, a geographical unit stretching far down the Mid-Atlantic Coast.
The definition of the northern boundary of the state is highly unusual. Most of the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania is defined by an arc extending 12 miles (19 km) from the cupola of the courthouse in New Castle, and is referred to as the Twelve-Mile Circle. This is the only true-arc political boundary in the United States. This border extends all of the way to the low-tide mark on the New Jersey shore, which continues down the shoreline until it again reaches the twelve-mile arc in the south; then the boundary continues in a more conventional way in the middle of the main channel of the Delaware River Estuary. A portion of this arc extends into Maryland to the west, and the remaining western border is a tangent to this arc that runs a bit to the east. The wedge of land between the arc and the Maryland border was claimed by both Delaware and Pennsylvania until 1921, when Delaware's claim was confirmed.
Wilmington is the state's largest city and its economic hub. It is located within commuting distance of both Philadelphia and Baltimore. Despite Wilmington's size, all regions of Delaware are enjoying phenomenal growth, with Dover and the beach resorts expanding immensely.
Topography
Delaware is on a level plain; the highest elevation does not even rise 450 feet above sea level. The northern part is associated with the Appalachian Piedmont and is full of hills with rolling surfaces. South of Newark and Wilmington, the state follows the Atlantic Coastal Plain with flat, sandy, and, in some parts, swampy ground. A ridge about 75 to 80 feet in altitude extends along the western boundary of the state and is the drainage divide between the two major water bodies of the Delaware River and several streams falling into Chesapeake Bay in the west.
Climate
Since almost all of Delaware is a part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the climate is moderated by the effects of the ocean. The state is somewhat of a transitional zone between a humid subtropical climate and a continental climate. Despite its small size (roughly 100 miles from its northernmost to southernmost points), there is significant variation in mean temperature and amount of snowfall. The southern portion of the state has a somewhat milder climate and a longer growing season than the northern portion. Furthermore, the transitional climate of Delaware supports a surprising variety of vegetation. At Trap Pond State Park in Sussex County, bald cypress grow—this is thought to be one of the northernmost stands of these trees. The vegetation in New Castle County, on the other hand, is more typical of that of the northeastern United States. All parts of Delaware have relatively hot, humid summers.
History
Native Americans
Before Delaware was settled by European colonists, the area was home to the Eastern Algonquian tribes known as the Unami Lenape or Delaware throughout the Delaware valley, and the Nanticoke along the rivers leading into the Chesapeake Bay. The Unami Lenape in the Delaware Valley were closely related to Munsee Lenape tribes along the Hudson River. They had a settled hunting and agricultural society, and they rapidly became middlemen in an increasingly frantic fur trade with their ancient enemy, the Minqua or Susquehannock. With the loss of their lands on the Delaware River and the destruction of the Minqua by the Iroquois of the Five Nations in the 1670s, the remnants of the Lenape left the region and moved over the Alleghany Mountains by the mid-18th century.
Colonial Delaware
The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle in present-day Delaware by establishing a trading post at Zwaanendael, near the site of Lewes in 1631. Within a year all the settlers were killed in a dispute with Native Americans. In 1638 a Swedish trading post and colony was established at Fort Christina (now in Wilmington) by the Dutchman Peter Minuit at the head of a group of Swedes, Finns and Dutch. Thirteen years later the Dutch, reinvigorated by the leadership of Peter Stuyvesant, established a new fort in 1651 at present-day New Castle, and in 1655 they took over the entire Swedish colony, incorporating it into the Dutch New Netherland.
Only nine years later, in 1664, the Dutch were themselves forcibly removed by a British expedition under the direction of James, the Duke of York. Fighting off a prior claim by Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, Proprietor of Maryland, the Duke passed his somewhat dubious ownership on to William Penn in 1682. Penn strongly desired access to the sea for his Pennsylvania province and leased what then came to be known as the "Lower Counties on the Delaware" from the Duke.
Penn established representative government and briefly combined his two possessions under one General Assembly in 1682. However, by 1704 the Province of Pennsylvania had grown so large that their representatives wanted to make decisions without the assent of the Lower Counties and the two groups of representatives began meeting on their own, one at Philadelphia, and the other at New Castle. Penn and his heirs remained Proprietors of both and always appointed the same person Governor for their Province of Pennsylvania and their territory of the Lower Counties. The fact that Delaware and Pennsylvania shared the same governor was not unique. During much of the colonial period New York and New Jersey shared the same governor, as did Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
American Revolution
Like the other middle colonies, the Lower Counties on the Delaware initially showed little enthusiasm for a break with Britain. The citizenry had a good relationship with the Proprietary government, and generally were allowed more independence of action in their Colonial Assembly than in other colonies. Nevertheless, there was strong objection to the seemingly arbitrary measures of Parliament, and it was well understood that the territory's very existence as a separate entity depended upon its keeping step with its powerful neighbors, especially Pennsylvania.
So it was that New Castle lawyer Thomas McKean denounced the Stamp Act in the strongest terms, and Kent County native John Dickinson, became the "Penman of the Revolution." Anticipating the Declaration of Independence, Patriot leaders Thomas McKean and Caesar Rodney convinced the Colonial Assembly to declare itself separated from British and Pennsylvania rule on June 15, 1776, but the person best representing Delaware's majority, George Read, could not bring himself to vote for a Declaration of Independence. Only the dramatic overnight ride of Caesar Rodney gave the delegation the votes needed to cast Delaware's vote for Independence. Once the Declaration was adopted, however, Read signed the document.
Initially led by John Haslet, Delaware provided one of the premier regiments in the Continental Army, known as the "Delaware Blues" and nicknamed the "Blue Hen Chickens." In August 1777, General Sir William Howe led a British army through Delaware on his way to a victory at the Battle of Brandywine and capture of the city of Philadelphia. The only real engagement on Delaware soil was fought on September 3, 1777, at Cooch's Bridge in New Castle County. It is believed to be the first time that the Stars and Stripes was flown in battle.
Following the Battle of Brandywine, Wilmington was occupied by the British, and State President John McKinly was taken prisoner. The British remained in control of the Delaware River for much of the rest of the war, disrupting commerce and providing encouragement to an active Loyalist portion of the population, particularly in Sussex County. Only the repeated military activities of State President Caesar Rodney were able to control them.
Following the American Revolution, statesmen from Delaware were among the leading proponents of a strong central United States government with equal representation for each state. Once the Connecticut Compromise was reached—creating a U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives—the leaders in Delaware were able to easily secure ratification of the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787, making Delaware the first state to do so.
Slavery and race
Many colonial settlers came from Maryland and Virginia which had been experiencing a population boom. The economies of these colonies were largely based on tobacco and were increasingly dependent on slave labor. At the end of the colonial period, slavery in Delaware began a precipitous decline. Shifts in the agriculture economy, the efforts of local Methodists and Quakers, and greater governmental regulation were all factors. Attempts to abolish slavery failed by narrow margins. By the 1860 census there were only about 1,800 slaves in a state of 90,000 people, including nearly 20,000 free African Americans. When he freed his slaves in 1777, John Dickinson was Delaware's largest slave owner with 37 slaves. By 1860 the largest owner had 16 slaves.
The oldest black church in the country was chartered in Delaware by former slave Peter Spencer in 1813 as the "Union Church of Africans," which is now the A.U.M.P. Church. The Big August Quarterly began in 1814 and is the oldest such cultural festival in the country.
During the American Civil War, Delaware was a slave state that remained in the Union (Delaware voted not to secede on January 3, 1861). Delaware had been the first state to embrace the Union by ratifying the constitution and would be the last to leave it, according to Delaware's governor at the time. While most Delaware citizens who fought in the war served in the regiments of the state, some served in companies on the Confederate side in Maryland and Virginia Regiments. Delaware is notable for being the only slave state not to assemble Confederate regiments or militia groups on its own.
Demographics
|
Demographics of Delaware (csv) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
By race | White | Black | AIAN | Asian | NHPI |
AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native - NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | |||||
2000 (total population) | 77.65% | 20.28% | 0.79% | 2.43% | 0.09% |
2000 (Hispanic only) | 4.10% | 0.59% | 0.12% | 0.04% | 0.02% |
2005 (total population) | 76.01% | 21.51% | 0.79% | 3.01% | 0.09% |
2005 (Hispanic only) | 5.39% | 0.58% | 0.14% | 0.04% | 0.02% |
Growth 2000-2005 (total population) | 5.37% | 14.20% | 7.91% | 33.58% | 12.73% |
Growth 2000-2005 (non-Hispanic only) | 3.36% | 14.46% | 4.94% | 34.00% | 15.17% |
Growth 2000-2005 (Hispanic only) | 41.33% | 5.47% | 24.81% | 8.81% | 2.86% |
The five largest ancestries in Delaware are: African American (19.2%), Irish (16.6%), German (14.3%), English (12.1%), Italian (9.3%). Delaware has the highest proportion of African American residents of any state north of Maryland, and had the largest population of free blacks (17%) prior to the Civil War.
The center of population of Delaware is located in New Castle County, in the town of Townsend.[4]
Languages
As of 2000, 90.5% of Delaware residents age 5 and older speak only English at home; 4.7% speak Spanish. French is the third most spoken language at 0.7%, followed by Chinese at 0.5% and German at 0.5%.
In 2006, legislation was proposed in Delaware that would designate English as the official language.[5][6]
Religion
The religious affiliations of the people of Delaware are:
- Methodist – 20%
- Baptist – 19%
- Lutheran – 4%
- Presbyterian – 3%
- Pentecostal – 3%
- Episcopalian/Anglican - 2%
- Seventh-day Adventist - 2%
- Churches of Christ - 1%
- Other Christian – 3%
- Roman Catholic – 9%
- Muslim - 2%
- Jewish - 1%
- Other – 5%
- No Religion – 17%
- Refused - 9%
(source: American Religious Identification Survey, City University of New York)
The A.U.M.P. Church, the oldest African-American denomination in the nation, was founded in Wilmington and still has a very substantial presence in the state.
Economy
Delaware's agricultural output consists of poultry, nursery stock, soybeans, dairy products and corn. Its industrial outputs include chemical products, processed foods, paper products, and rubber and plastic products. Delaware's economy generally outperforms the national economy of the United States.
The gross state product of Delaware in 2003 was $49 billion. The per capita personal income was $34,199, ranking 9th in the nation. In 2005, the average weekly wage was $937, ranking 7th in the nation.[7]
The state's largest employers are:
- government (State of Delaware, New Castle County)
- education (University of Delaware)
- chemical and pharmaceutical companies (E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.,[8] Syngenta, AstraZeneca, and Hercules, Inc.)
- banking (Bank of America, Wilmington Trust, First USA / Bank One / JPMorgan Chase, AIG, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank)
- automotive manufacturing (General Motors, DaimlerChrysler)
- farming, specifically chicken farming in Sussex County (Perdue Farms, Mountaire Farms)
Dover Air Force Base, located in the state capital of Dover, is one of the largest Air Force bases in the country and is a major employer in Delaware. In addition to its other responsibilities, the base serves as the entry point and mortuary for American military persons (and some U.S. government civilians) who die overseas.
The state does not assess sales tax on consumers. The state does, however, impose a tax on the gross receipts of most businesses. Delaware does not assess a state-level tax on real or personal property. Real estate is subject to county property taxes, school district property taxes, vocational school district taxes, and, if located within an incorporated area, municipal property taxes.
Law and government
Year | Republican | Democratic |
---|---|---|
2004 | 45.75% 171,660 | 53.35% 200,152 |
2000 | 41.90% 137,288 | 54.96% 180,068 |
1996 | 36.58% 99,062 | 51.82% 140,955 |
1992 | 35.33% 102,313 | 43.52% 126,054 |
1988 | 55.88% 139,639 | 43.48% 108,647 |
1984 | 59.78% 152,190 | 39.93% 101,656 |
1980 | 47.21% 111,252 | 44.87% 105,754 |
1976 | 46.57% 109,831 | 51.98% 122,596 |
1972 | 59.60% 140,357 | 39.18% 92,283 |
1968 | 45.12% 96,714 | 41.61% 89,194 |
1964 | 38.78% 78,078 | 60.95% 122,704 |
1960 | 49.00% 96,373 | 50.63% 99,590 |
Delaware's fourth and current constitution, adopted in 1897, provides for executive, judicial and legislative branches. The General Assembly consists of a House of Representatives with 41 members and a Senate with 21 members. It sits in Dover, the state capital. Representatives are elected to two-year terms, while senators are elected to four-year terms.
The executive branch is headed by the governor of Delaware. The present governor is Ruth Ann Minner (Democrat), who was elected as the state's first female governor in 2000. Delaware's U.S. senators are Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (Democrat) and Thomas R. Carper (Democrat). Delaware's single U.S. representative is Michael N. Castle (Republican).
Delaware has three counties: Kent County, New Castle County, and Sussex County. Each county elects its own legislative body.
The Democratic Party holds a plurality of registrations in Delaware. Until the 2000 presidential election, the state tended to be a bellwether state, sending its three electoral votes to the winning candidate for over 50 years in a row. Bucking that trend, however, in 2000 and again in 2004 Delaware voted for the Democratic candidate.
Historically, the Republican Party had an immense influence on Delaware politics, due in large part to the wealthy du Pont family. As the DuPonts' political influence has declined, so has that of the Delaware Republican Party. The Democrats have won the past four gubernatorial elections and currently hold seven of the nine statewide elected offices, while the Republicans hold the remaining two. The Democratic Party gains most of its votes from heavily developed New Castle County, whereas the less-populated Kent and Sussex Counties vote Republican.
See also
- Committee of 100 (Delaware)
- Delaware Academy of Medicine
- Delaware census statistical areas
- Delaware Colony
- Delaware corporation
- Delaware State Police
- Delaware state symbols
- Kalmar Nyckel
- List of bands from Delaware
- List of Delaware Hundreds
- Lower Counties on the Delaware
- Music of Delaware
- Notable people from Delaware
- Scouting in Delaware
- Winterthur Museum
- Some neighboring states contain locations named Delaware Township or Delaware County.
Notes
- ↑ While the U.S. Census Bureau designates Delaware as one of the South Atlantic States, most consider it to be a part of the Mid-Atlantic States and/or Northeastern United States. Examples include other U.S. government agencies (such as the Library of Congress, Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, and Department of Energy), and public service organizations (such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Amtrak, and the Princeton Review). Google's categorization scheme includes it in both the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions. - All retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ↑ Delaware - Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ↑ Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places over 100,000 - Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ↑ Population and Population Centers by State: 2000 - Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ↑ [http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:RXJrbZXAAboJ:www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20060524/NEWS/605240357/1006+Del.+English+legislation+unnecessary&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a Del. English legislation unnecessary, critics say] Note: the URL directs to an archival Google cache page - Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ↑ HOUSE BILL NO. 436: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 1 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO STATE LANGUAGE - Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ↑ Del. workers earn 7th-highest salary in U.S. Note: value of $937 per week was for the 4th quarter of 2005. - Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ↑ DuPont is the second largest private employer in Delaware, providing >8,800 jobs. DuPont cuts jobs to grow seeds - Retrieved December 13, 2007.
External links
All links retrieved December 13, 2007.
- State of Delaware homepage
- Delaware Tourism homepage
- Delaware Map Data
- Delaware Population Projections
- The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation & Tall Ship Kalmar Nyckel.
- U.S. Senate site with the full U.S. Constitution and the Thirteenth Amendment "Slavery and Involuntary Servitude"
- USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Delaware
- U.S. Census Bureau
- Delaware Newspapers
- Delaware State Facts
- Delaware Academy of Medicine
- HealthyDE.org
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