The Delaware state seal was first adopted in 1777. The state coat of arms is surrounded by the inscription "Great Seal of the State of Delaware," with three dates below:
1704 - year of the first Delaware General Assembly.
1776 - year independence was declared from Great Britain.
1787 - year Delaware ratified the United States Constitution
(becoming the first state).
The state coat of arms (also displayed on the state flag) was first adopted in 1777 and contains many symbols of Delaware:
Ship - a symbol of Delaware's ship building industry and extensive coastal commerce.
Farmer - represents the central role of farming to the state of Delaware.
Militiaman - recognizes the crucial role of the citizen-soldier to the maintenance of American liberties.
Wheat Sheaf - a symbol of the agricultural vitality of Delaware.
Maize (Indian Corn) - symbolizes the agricultural basis of Delaware's economy.
Water - represents the Delaware River, the state's main artery of commerce and transportation.
Ox - signifies the importance of animal husbandry to Delaware's state economy.
Motto - "Liberty and Independence" was approved in 1847.
Source: State Symbols USA
Delaware-The First State
- Delaware was the 1st state in the USA; it became a state on December 7, 1787
- Delaware was the 1st state to ratify the U.S. Constitution
- Capital-Dover
- State Motto- "Liberty and Independence"
- State Flower-Peach blossom
- State Mineral- Sillimanite
- State Bird- Blue hen chicken
- State Tree- American holly
- State Bug- Ladybug
- State Beverage- Milk
- Major Industries - Business, agriculture, tourism
Origin of the Name Delaware
Delaware is named for the Delaware River and Delaware Bay. These, in turn, were named for Sir Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, the first colonial governor of Virginia, who traveled the river in 1610. The title is likely ultimately derived from the Old French de la werre (“of the war” or a warrior).
The official state flag of Delaware was adopted on July 4, 1913. The flag has a blue field that features a yellow diamond with the state's seal. On the seal, a soldier (with a rifle) and a farmer (with a hoe) look at each other across scrollwork that encloses an ox, a sheaf of wheat, and an ear of corn. Under this is a white ribbon reading, "LIBERTY AND INDEPENDENCE." Above is a sailing ship (representing commerce). Below the seal is the date December 7, 1787, the date that Delaware ratified the United States Constitution (it was the first colony to do so).
How did Delaware get its shape and why isn't it part of Maryland?
"Delaware isn't part of Maryland because at the time King Charles I granted Maryland a charter, in 1631, the area that would later be called Delaware already existed. And it was Dutch. Holland laid claim to the entire region between the Delaware River and Bay on the west and the Connecticut River on the east. England, on the other hand, laid claim to all of North America, which led to conflicts that, in 1674, were resolved when England ousted the Dutch from the last of the North American land."
"Maryland, however, believed it owned this area, since Maryland's royal charter defined its boundaries as including all the land on the Atlantic coast from a point due east of Watkins Point up to the 40th parallel. The fact that the 40th parallel ran right through Philadelphia would cause conflicts with Pennsylvania, but Delaware, from Maryland's point of view, was clearly within its domain."
"The residents of Delaware were opposed to being swallowed by either colony. As members of the Dutch Reformed Church, they were loath to be governed by the Catholic colony of Maryland (papists) or the Quaker colony of Pennsylvania (heathens)."
"Ultimately, the King decided to lease Delaware to Pennsylvania. That way, William Penn got what he wanted: assured access to the Delaware Bay. The residents of Delaware got what they wanted: virtual autonomy. And Maryland got nothing (as it did in every border dispute in which it engaged)."
"England stipulated the borders of Delaware in the 1682 deed from King Charles II to his brother, the future King James II. Charles defined Delaware's northern border as the 12-mile radius surrounding the Dutch settlement at New Castle. The rest of Delaware, he stated, comprised the land south of that circle as far as Cape Henlopen."
"Maryland lodged a formal protest. In response, the King's Board of Trade and Foreign Plantations ruled in 1685 that the charter that created Maryland was intended to include only land uninhabited by Christians at the time the charter was issued (which indeed, the charter does say). The board then sought to clarify the border, but the boundaries turned out to be anything but clear - or even possible.----for avoiding further differences, the tract of land lying between the River and the Bay of Delaware and the Eastern Sea on the one side and Chesapeake Bay on the other, be divided into two equal parts by a line the latitude of Cape Henlopen to the 40th degree of northern latitude."As those involved were soon to discover, the point where the Delaware river crosses the 40° N latitude is the Philadelphia docks. They would also discover that a line bisecting the land between the east coast and the Chesapeake from the latitude of Cape Henlopen to the 40th parallel slices through the 12-mile radius around New Castle."
"Delaware's western border was adjusted to be tangent to it's 12-mile radius. But this line resulted in a sizable wedge among the neighboring borders, and this pocket of uncertain jurisdiction invited all sorts of individuals engaged in behaviors that jurisdictions tend to "jurisdict"."
"To eliminate this problem, the center point of the arc was relocated in 1750 from the steeple of the old Dutch church to the courthouse and the smaller "wedge" that resulted was given to Delaware. The adjustment accounts for the fact that Delaware's northwestern border appears as if it just missed the state's northern arc."
"Cape Henlopen, the specified southern extent of Delaware, is not the southern extent of Delaware. How did Delaware get the extra land? Delaware got it because Lord Baltimore, the second Governor of Maryland, was working from an incorrect map. On this map, Cape Henlopen was located where Fenwick Island is today. The error accounts for Delaware's southern border at Fenwick Island rather than Cape Henlopen, nearly 25 miles to the north Despite Maryland's efforts to have it rectified, Delaware's southern border has remained at Fenwick Island to this day."
"Delaware's eastern border was defined in 1674 when its neighbor to the east, New Jersey, was created The boundary between Delaware and New Jersey was defined by its proprietor, the Duke of York, as the eastern shore of the Delaware River and Bay. Thus the River and Bay were part of Delaware, and to the north, Pennsylvania."
"How the States Got Their Shapes" by Mark Stein ©2008, pages 53-58"Today, however, two small patches on the Jersey side of the river are actually Delaware! Both are the result of river-dredging to maintain sufficient depth for shipping When dredging commenced in the early 20th century, the sediment was deposited alongside the Jersey shore. Eventually, the dumped sediments rose above the water and became part of the New Jersey shore. Technically, however, the two dump sites remained part of Delaware, since they were created from areas within Delaware's river boundary. No controversy ensued most likely because neither area is habitable."
Delaware and World War II
During World War II, Delaware was a United States Army Air Force (USAAF) training center for pilots and aircrews.
The USAAF established Two major airfields under the command of First Air Force, headquartered at Mitchel Army Airfield, New York between 1942 and 1945. They were:
- Dover Army Air Field, 4 miles southeast of Dover, Delaware
- Now:
Dover Air Force Base
- New Castle Army Air Base, 1 mile west of New Castle, Delaware
- Now: New Castle Airport (ILG)
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