The year 1681marked the granting of the Province of Pennsylvania to William Penn by King Charles II and the arrival of Penn’s agents on the Delaware River．They soon reported to the proprietor（所有者，经营者）that the new province would be landlocked（为陆地所包围的）if the colonies on either side of the Delaware River or Bay were hostile．As a result of Penn’s petition（请愿，情愿书，诉状）to the Crown for the land on the west side of the Delaware River and Bay below his province，the Duke of York in March 1682conveyed，by deeds and leases now exhibited by the Delaware State Archives in the Hall of Records at Dover，the land included in the Counties of New Castle，St．Jones，and Deale．On October 27of the same year，William Penn landed in America first at New Castle and there took possession from the Duke of York’s agents as Proprietor of the lower Counties．On this occasion，the colonists subscribed an oath of allegiance（忠贞，效忠）to the new proprietor，and the first general assembly was held in the colony．The following year the three Lower Counties were annexed（并吞，附加）to the Province of Pennsylvania as territories with full privileges under Penn’s famous “Frame of Government”．
Also in this year，the counties of St．Jones and Deale were renamed Kent and Sussex Counties respectively．
After 1682，a long dispute ensued between William Penn and Lord Baltimore of the Province of Maryland as to the exact dominion controlled by Penn on the lower Delaware．
In 1698，the Kalmar Nyckel’s settlers constructed the handsome and substantial Holy Trinity Church，later to be named Old Swedes，just a few hundred yards upstream（溯流而上的）from “The Rocks”．Old Swedes still stands today，one of the oldest continuously functioning churches in the United States．In addition，Old Swedes Church is the site of historic observations（such as the 350th Anniversary of the Swedes’landing，and the U．S．Bicentennial），and serves as a focal point（焦点）for many visits from European and American tourists．
The dispute continued between the heirs（继承人，后嗣）of Baltimore and Penn until almost the end of the colonial period．In 1776at the time of the Declaration of Independence，Delaware not only declared itself free from the British Empire，but also established a state government entirely separate from Pennsylvania．Delaware’s boundaries were surveyed in 1763－1768by the noted English scientists，Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon．
With the advent to the Revolution nearly 4，000men enlisted for service from the small state．The colonial wars had built up the militia system and supplied a number of capable officers who led the troops of Delaware in all the principal engagements from the battle of Long Island to the siege of Yorktown．The only Revolutionary engagement fought on Delaware soil was the battle of Cooch’s Bridge，near Newark，on September 3，1777．
An important stimulus（促进因素，刺激）to the recovery of the state’s economy after the war was the invention in 1785by Oliver Evans of Newport，Delaware，of automatic flour milling machinery，revolutionizing the industry．
In the following year，John Dickinson of Delaware presided over the Annapolis Convention，which called for the Federal Constitutional Convention，that met in Philadelphia the next year．When the new Constitution was submitted to the states for ratification（批准），Delaware was the first of the thirteen original states to ratify the Constitution of the United States．This unanimous（意见一致的，无异议的）ratification took place in a convention of Dover on December 7，1787，whereby Delaware became “The First State”of the new Federal Union．Proud of this heritage，Delawareans continue to honor the traditions which made them the First State to ratify the United States Constitution，the document that continues to protect our nation’s justice，strength，and liberty．
Delaware’s present constitution was adopted in 1797and is the third one the state has had．It has been modernized with many new amendments since then．Today，Delaware has a cabinet［（有抽屉或格子的）橱柜］form of government．
The General Assembly，Delaware’s lawmaking（立法）body，is comprised of a House of Representatives，whose 41members are elected for two－year terms，and a Senate，whose 21members are elected for four－year terms．Half of the Senate seats are contested in each general election．
The State Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and four associate justices．All members are appointed by the governor，with confirmation（证实，确认，批准）by the Senate，for a term of 12years．
Several industries grew in importance for Delaware following the war．
In 1795，the textile industry increased as a cotton mill was built on Brandywine Creek．Thomas Gilpin built the country’s first papermaking machine in 1817．This industry grew tremendously in Delaware，as did shipbuilding（造船）．Thousands migrated to Delaware for work．By 1850，its population reached 91，532．
Although Delaware was considered a slave state，Quakers living in the state hated slavery．Delaware，located between the North and Deep South，freed thousands of slaves as they passed through the state on the Underground Railroad（地下铁道）．Delaware remained in the Union during the Civil War（1861－1865）．More than 12，000Delawareans fought for the North and a few hundred fought for the South．At the end of the war，all slaves were freed．
In 1899，the Delaware Corporation Law lowered corporate tax and made it easier to create businesses in Delaware．Several companies were established in Delaware during the early 1900s．Increased tax revenue from these companies allowed the government to make improvements in education，public welfare，and roadways．The Du Pont Highway，the country’s first divided highway，was begun in 1911．A state board of welfare，a state highway department，and a state income tax were all introduced to Delaware during this time．