Statehood and Early Development

Delaware remained under the governor of Pennsylvania until the Revolutionary War. Such Delaware statesmen as Thomas McKean, John Dickinson, Caesar Rodney, and George Read became leaders in the movement for independence from England. On September 21, 1776, patriots met at New Castle and wrote a constitution making Delaware a state, with Dover as its capital. During the Revolution, British troops briefly occupied New Castle County, in 1777. On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

During the early 19th century, canals and railways were built. Although the state remained predominantly agricultural, there were the beginnings of industry. Gristmills were built on the Brandywine and Christina rivers, and cloth, paper, and flour began to be manufactured in Wilmington. E. I. du Pont de Nemours, a French immigrant, started to produce gunpowder on the Brandywine in 1802. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal opened in 1829. In 1837, the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad was built across northern Delaware. It gave impetus to industrialization of the region, and towns sprang up along the route. In the years just preceding the Civil War, Wilmington became an important commercial center.