Date of Entry – Stately Knowledge: Facts about the United States| ipl: Information You Can Trust

FAQs

What was the first state in order?

Delaware

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What was the first state on earth?

The first states of sorts were those of early dynastic Sumer and early dynastic Egypt, which arose from the Uruk period and Predynastic Egypt respectively at approximately 3000BCE.

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What were the 5 first states?

Dates of Succession to the Union

1	Delaware	1787
2	Pennsylvania	1787
3	New Jersey	1787
4	Georgia	1788
5	Connecticut	1788

46 more rows

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What was the last state to join America?

Alaska and Hawaii were the last states to join the Union — both in 1959.

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What’s the oldest country?

The first cities appeared thousands of years ago in areas where the land was fertile, such as the cities founded in the historic region known as Mesopotamia around 7500 B.C.E., which included Eridu, Uruk, and Ur.

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What is the 52 state in USA?

USA has had 50 states since 1959. The District of Columbia is a federal district, not a state. Many lists include DC and Puerto Rico, which makes for 52 “states and other jurisdictions”. Maybe that’s the root of the myth?

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Does the US have 50 or 52 states?

States of the U.S.

There are fifty (50) states and Washington D.C.The last two states to join the Union were Alaska (49th) and Hawaii (50th). Both joined in 1959. Washington D.C. is a federal district under the authority of Congress. Local government is run by a mayor and 13 member city council.

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Why does the American flag have 52 stars?

How many stars and stripes are on the flag? There are 50 stars representing the 50 states and there are 13 stripes representing the 13 original colonies. from The CIA World Factbook.

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Why is Washington DC not a state?

In the Constitution, seats in Congress and votes in the Electoral College are all allocated among the states ? but the district is not a state. In its early years, the United States did not have a permanent capital, and Congress met in a few different cities.

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How old did America turn today?

How old is America today? As of 2021, the United States of America is 245 years old.

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Who is the oldest person alive?

The oldest known living person is Lucile Randon of France, aged 118 years, 208 days. The oldest known living man is Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, of Venezuela, aged 113 years, 103 days. The 100 oldest women have, on average, lived several years longer than the 100 oldest men.

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Who is the oldest person alive 2021?

World’s oldest man living confirmed as Juan Vicente Pérez aged 112 | Guinness World Records.

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Who started America?

In 1776, in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress declared the independence of the colonies as the “United States”. Led by General George Washington, it won the Revolutionary War. The peace treaty of 1783 established the borders of the new nation.

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What was US called before 1776?

On September 9, 1776, the Continental Congress formally declares the name of the new nation to be the ?United States? of America. This replaced the term ?United Colonies,? which had been in general use.

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Dates of Statehood | Order of Succession – State Symbols USA

Dates of Statehood | Order of Succession National (U.S.) States: Order of Succession Dates of Succession to the Union From “The First State” (Delaware in 1787), to the last state (Hawaii in 1959), each state has an individual history, topography, and cultural heritage – each is a unique entity as well as part of the nation. The original motto of the United States was “E Pluribus Unum” (Latin for “one from many”), which refers to the welding of a single federal state from a group of individual political units. “E Pluribus Unum” remains on the seal of the United States. Below are the dates each state either ratified the constitution (the first 13 states) or were admitted to the Union by Congress (37 states). Together all 50 states makes up the United States of America: 1 Delaware 07-DEC 1787 2 Pennsylvania 12-DEC 1787 3 New Jersey 18-DEC 1787 4 Georgia 02-JAN 1788 5 Connecticut 09-JAN 1788 6 Massachusetts 06-FEB 1788 7 Maryland 28-APR 1788 8 South Carolina 23-MAY 1788 9 New Hampshire 21-JUN 1788 When New Hampshire ratified the Constitution the document became law meeting the two-thirds requirement of the 13 states. 10 Virginia 25-JUN 1788 11 New York 26-JUL 1788 12 North Carolina 21-NOV 1789 13 Rhode Island 29-MAY 1790 14 Vermont 04-MAR 1791 15 Kentucky 01-JUN 1792 16 Tennessee 01-JUN 1796 17 Ohio 1-MAR 1803 18 Louisiana 30-APR 1812 19 Indiana 11-DEC 1816 20 Mississippi 10-DEC 1817 21 Illinois 03-DEC 1818 22 Alabama 14-DEC 1819 23 Maine 15-MAR 1820 24 Missouri 10-AUG 1821 25 Arkansas 15-JUN 1836 26 Michigan 26-JAN 1837 27 Florida 03-MAR 1845 28 Texas 29-DEC 1845 29 Iowa 28-DEC 1846 30 Wisconsin 29-MAY 1848 31 California 09-SEP 1850 32 Minnesota 11-MAY 1858 33 Oregon 14-FEB 1859 34 Kansas 29-JAN 1861 35 West Virginia 20-JUN 1863 36 Nevada 31-OCT 1864 37 Nebraska 01-MAR 1867 38 Colorado 01-AUG 1876 39 North Dakota 02-NOV 1889 40 South Dakota 02-NOV 1889 41 Montana 08-NOV 1889 42 Washington 11-NOV 1889 43 Idaho 03-JUL 1890 44 Wyoming 10-JUL 1890 45 Utah 04-JAN 1896 46 Oklahoma 16-NOV 1907 47 New Mexico 06-JAN 1912 48 Arizona 14-FEB 1912 49 Alaska 03-JAN 1959 50 Hawaii 21-AUG 1959 Videos

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List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union – Wikipedia

List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union Map of the United States with names and borders of states The order in which the original 13 states ratified the 1787 Constitution, then the order in which the others were admitted to the Union A state of the United States is one of the 50 constituent entities that shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside, due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the federal government.[1] Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names. States are the primary subdivisions of the United States. They possess all powers not granted to the federal government, nor prohibited to them by the Constitution of the United States. In general, state governments have the power to regulate issues of local concern, such as: regulating intrastate commerce, running elections, creating local governments, public school policy, and non-federal road construction and maintenance. Each state has its own constitution grounded in republican principles, and government consisting of executive, legislative, and judicial branches.[2] All states and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state is represented by two senators, and at least one representative, while the size of a state’s House delegation depends on its total population, as determined by the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census.[3] Additionally, each state is entitled to select a number of electors to vote in the Electoral College, the body that elects the President of the United States and Vice President of the United States, equal to the total of representatives and senators in Congress from that state.[4] Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50. Each new state has been admitted on an equal footing with the existing states.[5] The following table is a list of all 50 states and their respective dates of statehood. The first 13 became states in July 1776 upon agreeing to the United States Declaration of Independence, and each joined the first Union of states between 1777 and 1781, upon ratifying the Articles of Confederation, its first constitution.[6] (A separate table is included below showing AoC ratification dates.) These states are presented in the order in which each ratified the 1787 Constitution and joined the others in the new (and current) federal government. The date of admission listed for each subsequent state is the official date set by Act of Congress.[a] List of U.S. states[edit] State Date(admitted or ratified) Formed from 1  Delaware December 7, 1787[8](ratified) Colony of Delaware[b] 2  Pennsylvania December 12, 1787[10](ratified) Proprietary Province of Pennsylvania 3  New Jersey December 18, 1787[11](ratified) Crown Colony of New Jersey 4  Georgia January 2, 1788[8](ratified) Crown Colony of Georgia 5  Connecticut January 9, 1788[12](ratified) Crown Colony of Connecticut 6  Massachusetts February 6, 1788[8](ratified) Crown Colony of Massachusetts Bay 7  Maryland April 28, 1788[8](ratified) Proprietary Province of Maryland 8  South Carolina May 23, 1788[8](ratified) Crown Colony of South Carolina 9  New Hampshire June 21, 1788[8](ratified) Crown Colony of New Hampshire 10  Virginia June 25, 1788[8](ratified) Crown Colony and Dominion of Virginia 11  New York July 26, 1788[13](ratified) Crown Colony of New York 12  North Carolina November 21, 1789[14](ratified) Crown Colony of North Carolina 13  Rhode Island May 29, 1790[8](ratified) Crown Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 14  Vermont March 4, 1791[15](admitted) Vermont Republic[c] 15  Kentucky June 1, 1792[16](admitted) Virginia (nine counties in its District of…

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Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the Constitution

Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the ConstitutionIn Dover, Delaware, the U.S. Constitution is unanimously ratified by all 30 delegates to the Delaware Constitutional Convention, making Delaware the first state of the modern United States.Less than four months before, the Constitution was signed by 37 of the original 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention meeting in Philadelphia. The Constitution was sent to the states for ratification, and, by the terms of the document, the Constitution would become binding once nine of the former 13 colonies had ratified the document. Delaware led the process, and on June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, making federal democracy the law of the land. Government under the U.S. Constitution took effect on March 4, 1789.On December 7, 1989, the boxer Sugar Ray Leonard triumphs over a lackluster Roberto Duran in a unanimous 12-round decision at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Leonard became a sensation in the boxing world during the 1980s, providing a superstar presence that boxing lacked after …read moreAt 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious …read moreEarly in the morning, Indonesian forces launch a massive invasion of the former Portuguese half of the island of Timor, which lies near Australia in the Timor Sea. The Portuguese departed East Timor in August 1975, and Indonesian troops soon began infiltrating the border from …read moreThe first execution by lethal injection takes place at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Charles Brooks, Jr., convicted of murdering an auto mechanic, received an intravenous injection of sodium pentathol, the barbiturate that is known as a “truth serum” when …read moreOn December 7, 1941, at around 1:30 p.m., President Franklin Roosevelt is conferring with advisor Harry Hopkins in his study when Navy Secretary Frank Knox bursts in and announces that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor. The attack killed more than 2,400 naval and military …read moreHaving spied the Pacific Ocean for the first time a few weeks earlier, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark cross to the south shore of the Columbia River (near modern-day Astoria) and begin building the small fort that would be their winter home. Lewis, Clark, and their men …read moreOcean’s Eleven, a caper film featuring an all-star ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia and Julia Roberts, opens in theaters. Ocean’s Eleven was a remake of the 1960 film of the same name, which featured so-called …read moreTwo earthquakes hit Armenia on December 7, 1988, killing 60,000 people and destroying nearly half a million buildings. The two tremors, only minutes apart, were measured at 6.9 and 5.8 in magnitude and were felt as far away as Georgia, Turkey and Iran. It was 11:41 a.m. when the …read moreColin Ferguson opens fire on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train from New York City, killing 6 and injuring 19. Other train passengers stopped the perpetrator by tackling and holding him down. Colin Ferguson was a mentally ill man from Jamaica who spent years on the West Coast …read moreOn December 7, 1862, northwestern Arkansas and southwestern Missouri are secured for the Union when a force commanded by General James G. Blunt holds off a force of Confederates under General Thomas Hindman at the Battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas. Hindman assembled a force at …read more

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States by Order of Entry into Union – Infoplease

States by Order of Entry Into the Union The first (and last) U.S. statesThe original 13 colonies were a group of British territories in North America. Among the Thirteen colonies, Virginia was the first to be settled by English people. Depending on how we define “states” in this instance, the first state to create its own constitution was Connecticut. The first state to be settled by Europeans at all would be Florida; St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest continuous European settlement in the U.S.However, the states of today are legally distinct from the colonies. The first state in the sense of “one of the current 50 states of America” would be the first one to enter into the Union by adopting the U.S. Constitution.Replacing the Articles of ConfederationMany people mistakenly believe that the United States Constitution was created after the Revolution. But, the country was first governed under the Articles of Confederation, drafted in 1781 (the same year as Yorktown). The Articles proved insufficient to meet the challenges the country faced. Legislators met to discuss revisions to the Articles, but the representatives decided that it would be better to replace them entirely with a new document. That document became the Constitution, the details of which were hammered out at the Constitutional Convention.To adopt the Constitution as the new law of the land, it had to be ratified by 2/3 of the states in the Confederation (as per its own Article VII). Ratification required that each state elect representatives to a ratification convention within the stateThe American states assumed their present forms in 1788, when the ninth and final necessary state ratified the United States Constitution. The date each state joined the Union is shown in the table below (usually coinciding with a territory being granted statehood). Five states were added during the 20th century. Alaska and Hawaii were the last states to join the Union — both in 1959.Joining the UnionArticle 4, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution lays out how a new state can join the Union:New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.StateEntered UnionYear SettledDelawareDec. 7, 17871638PennsylvaniaDec. 12, 17871682New JerseyDec. 18, 17871660GeorgiaJan. 2, 17881733ConnecticutJan. 9, 17881634MassachusettsFeb. 6, 17881620MarylandApr. 28, 17881634South CarolinaMay 23, 17881670New HampshireJune 21, 17881623VirginiaJune 25, 17881607New YorkJuly 26, 17881614North CarolinaNov. 21, 17891660Rhode IslandMay 29, 17901636VermontMar. 4, 17911724KentuckyJune 1, 17921774TennesseeJune 1, 17961769OhioMar. 1, 18031788LouisianaApr. 30, 18121699IndianaDec. 11, 18161733MississippiDec. 10, 18171699IllinoisDec. 3, 18181720AlabamaDec. 14, 18191702MaineMar. 15, 18201624MissouriAug. 10, 18211735ArkansasJune 15, 18361686MichiganJan. 26, 18371668FloridaMar. 3, 18451565TexasDec. 29, 18451682IowaDec. 28, 18461788WisconsinMay 29, 18481766CaliforniaSept. 9, 18501769MinnesotaMay 11, 18581805OregonFeb. 14, 18591811KansasJan. 29, 18611727West VirginiaJune 20, 18631727NevadaOct. 31, 18641849NebraskaMar. 1, 18671823ColoradoAug. 1, 18761858North DakotaNov. 2, 18891812South DakotaNov. 2, 18891859MontanaNov. 8, 18891809WashingtonNov. 11, 18891811IdahoJuly 3, 18901842WyomingJuly 10, 18901834UtahJan. 4, 18961847OklahomaNov. 16, 19071889New MexicoJan. 6, 19121610ArizonaFeb. 14, 19121776AlaskaJan. 3, 19591784HawaiiAug. 21, 19591820You May Also Be Searching ForLargest States in the U.S. by AreaState Capitals and Largest CitiesU.S. History Timeline Presidents of the Continental Congresses History of the American Flag

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Date of Entry – Stately Knowledge: Facts about the United States

Date of Entry – Stately Knowledge: Facts about the United States| ipl: Information You Can Trust Return to Stately Knowledge Home “E Pluribus Unum” (Latin for “one from many”), the original motto of the United States, refers to a group of individual political units fusing into a single federal state. From Delaware, the first state to join the newly-created Union in 1787, to Hawaii, the latest one to join in 1959, each state comes with a unique history, geography and cultural heritage. Each state of the US is an individual entity as well as an inseparable part of the country. Statehood is granted when the entity ratifies the US Constitution. The table below shows the date each state joined the Union. RANK STATE DATE OF STATEHOOD 1 Delaware December 7, 1787 2 Pennsylvania December 12, 1787 3 New Jersey December 18, 1787 4 Georgia January 2, 1788 5 Connecticut January 9, 1788 6 Massachusetts February 6, 1788 7 Maryland April 28, 1788 8 South Carolina May 23, 1788 9 New Hampshire June 21, 1788 10 Virginia June 25, 1788 11 New York July 26, 1788 12 North Carolina November 21, 1789 13 Rhode Island May 29, 1790 14 Vermont March 4, 1791 15 Kentucky June 1, 1792 16 Tennessee June 1, 1796 17 Ohio March 1, 1803 18 Louisiana April 30, 1812 19 Indiana December 11, 1816 20 Mississippi December 10, 1817 21 Illinois December 3, 1818 22 Alabama December 14, 1819 23 Maine March 15, 1820 24 Missouri August 10, 1821 25 Arkansas June 15, 1836 26 Michigan January 26, 1837 27 Florida March 3, 1845 28 Texas December 29, 1845 29 Iowa December 28, 1846 30 Wisconsin May 29, 1848 31 California September 9, 1850 32 Minnesota May 11, 1858 33 Oregon February 14, 1859 34 Kansas January 29, 1861 35 West Virginia June 20, 1863 36 Nevada October 31, 1864 37 Nebraska March 1, 1867 38 Colorado August 1, 1876 39 North Dakota November 2, 1889 40 South Dakota November 2, 1889 41 Montana November 8, 1889 42 Washington November 11, 1889 43 Idaho July 3, 1890 44 Wyoming July 10, 1890 45 Utah January 4, 1896 46 Oklahoma November 16, 1907 47 New Mexico January 6, 1912 48 Arizona February 14, 1912 49 Alaska January 3, 1959 50 Hawaii August 21, 1959 Washington, D.C. February 21, 1871 The 13 colonies that first became part of the Union were British territories founded in the 17th and 18th centuries. They fought for, and won independence from Britain in 1776 and went on to form The Thirteen Colonies. The colonies became part of the United States in 1788 with the merging of New Hampshire as the ninth state to ratify the United States Constitution. Each state was formally accepted as a member of the Union once it ratified the Constitution. Each state has had a unique trajectory and a different reason for joining the Union. In the 19th century, Americans, impelled by a sense of “Manifest Destiny,” felt it was their duty to bring the entire continent under the banner of the United States. From 1812 to 1850, the United States entered an expansionist phase when 14 new states joined the Union, bringing the total number of states to 31. Five more states joined the Union in the 20th century. Alaska and Hawaii were the last – both were admitted together in 1959. In some cases, new states were formed after they chose to separate from existing states. Kentucky, for example, broke away from Virginia due to political differences and disagreements. Maine separated from Massachusetts in order to maintain the balance of free states and slave states after Missouri joined the Union. Some states were quickly absorbed into the Union, while others found it more difficult. California, for instance, was allowed to enter the Union as early…

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States in Order of Admission to the United States of America

States in Order of Admission to the United States of America When did each state become a member of the United States? These states are listed in the sequence in which they ratified the Constitution of 1787 and were admitted to the United States of America. For each state, a satellite image (Landsat 7) and certain geography facts are displayed. The date of statehood, capital, total area, percentage of land covered by water, highest point of height, and mean elevation are all provided for each state. 1. Delaware 1787: December 7 (Ratification date – one of the original U.S. colonies) Delaware is known as the First State because it was the first state to ratify, or sign, the United States Constitution. CapitalDoverArea1,982 mi2 (5,130 km2) 49th rankMean Elevation60 ft  (20 m) Lowest in USHighest ElevationNear the Ebright Azimuth: 447.85 ft (136.50 m)% of State Area that is water21.5 2. Pennsylvania 1787: December 12 (Ratification date – one of the original U.S. colonies) The term “Keystone State” comes from the fact that Pennsylvania serves as a geographic link between the Northeastern and Southern United States, as well as the Atlantic and Midwest coasts. CapitalHarrisburgArea46,055 mi2 (119,283 km2) 33rd rankMean Elevation1,100 ft  (340 m)Highest ElevationMount Davis: 3,213 ft  (979 m)% of State Area That is Water2.7 3. New Jersey 1787: December 18 (Ratification date – one of the original U.S. colonies) Large portions of New Jersey’s northwestern and southern regions are very rural. The fertile, loamy soil of the state’s Inner Coastal Plain area makes the terrain suitable for agriculture, earning New Jersey the nickname “Garden State.” CapitalTrentonArea8,722.58  mi2 (22,591.38 km2) 47th rankMean Elevation250 ft  (80 m)Highest ElevationHigh Point: 1,803 ft  (549.6 m)% of State Area That is Water15.7 4. Georgia 1788: January 2 (Ratification date – one of the original U.S. colonies) Georgia was the last and southernmost of the original Thirteen Colonies to be established. Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution on January 2, 1788. CapitalAtlantaArea59,425  mi2 (153,909 km2) 24th rankMean Elevation600 ft  (180 m)Highest ElevationBrasstown Bald: 4,784 ft  (1,458 m)% of State Area that is Water2.6 5. Connecticut 1788: January 9 (Ratification date – one of the original U.S. colonies) Connecticut is the southernmost state in the United States’ New England area. State nicknames for Connecticut include “Constitution State”, the “Nutmeg State”, the “Provisions State”, and the “Land of Steady Habits”. CapitalHartfordArea5,567  mi2  (14,357 km2) 48th rankMean Elevation500 ft  (150 m)Highest ElevationMA border on south slope of Mount Frissell: 2,379 ft (725 m)% of State Area that is Water12.6 6. Massachusetts 1788: February 6 (Ratification date – one of the original U.S. colonies) Nicknames for Massachusetts are: The Bay State (official), The Pilgrim State; The Puritan State, The Old Colony State, and The Baked Bean State. CapitalBostonArea10,565  mi2 (27,337 km2) 44th rankMean Elevation500 ft   (150 m)Highest ElevationMount Greylock: 3,489 ft (1,063.4 m)% of State Area That is Water25.7 7. Maryland 1788: April 28 (Ratification date – one of the original U.S. colonies) Some of Maryland’s nicknames are Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State. Maryland is the only U.S. state with no natural lakes. CapitalAnnapolisArea12,407 mi2 (32,133 km2) 42nd rankMean Elevation350 ft  (110 m)Highest ElevationHoye-Crest: 3,360 ft (1,024 m)% of State Area That is Water21 8. South Carolina 1788: May 23 (Ratification date – one of the original U.S. colonies) The natural environment of South Carolina is separated into three natural geographic areas: the Atlantic coastal plain, the Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge Mountains, which run east to west. CapitalColumbiaArea32,020 mi2 (82,931 km2)40th rankMean Elevation350 ft  (110 m)Highest ElevationSassafras Mountain: 3,560 ft (1,085 m)% of State Area That is Water6 9. New Hampshire 1788: June 21 (Ratification date – one of the original U.S. colonies) The nickname, “The Granite State” comes from the New Hampshire’s large granite rocks and quarries. With a general coastline length of 18.57 miles (29 km), New…

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Original thirteen states – Ballotpedia

Original thirteen states From Ballotpedia Jump to: navigation, search The United States of America initially consisted of 13 states that had been British colonies until their independence was declared in 1776 and verified by the Treaty of Paris in 1783: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.[1] The following table lists, in alphabetical order, the years in which each state was established, first as a colony and later as a state in the Union party to the United States Constitution. State Year Colony Founded Year of Statehood Connecticut 1633 1788 Delaware 1631 1787 Georgia 1732 1788 Maryland 1634 1788 Massachusetts 1620 1788 New Hampshire 1623 1788 New Jersey 1660 1787 New York 1624 1788 North Carolina 1663 1789 Pennsylvania 1682 1787 Rhode Island 1636 1790 South Carolina 1670 1788 Virginia 1607 1788 Connecticut Connecticut was founded by European settlers from Massachusetts in 1633.[2] It ratified the Constitution and became a state in January 1788.[3] Delaware Dutch colonists established the first European settlement in Delaware at the town now called Lewes in 1631.[4] Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in December 1787.[5] Georgia England’s King George II granted a charter establishing the colony of Georgia in 1732, making it the last of the original 13 states to be established.[6] Georgia became a state in January 1788.[7] Maryland The charter for the colony of Maryland was granted in 1632 and the first expedition landed in 1634. Maryland ratified the U.S. Constitution and became a state in April 1788.[8] Massachusetts One of the six New England colonies, the first Massachusetts colony was established when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620.[9] There were originally two colonies in Massachusetts, the Plymouth Colony or the Old Colony established by the Pilgrims, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony settled by a group of Puritans in 1630. The two colonies (as well as the colony in Maine) were merged by charter in 1691.[10][11] Massachusetts ratified the Constitution and became a state in February 1788.[9] New Hampshire New Hampshire was unofficially established as a fishing settlement in 1623. A land grant in the area was subsequently given the official name of New Hampshire in 1629.Cite error: Invalid tag; invalid names, e.g. too many New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, doing so just before Virginia in June 1788.[12] New Jersey The first permanent European settlement in New Jersey was established in 1660.[13] New Jersey ratified the U.S. Constitution in December 1787.[14] New York The first permanent settlement in New York was established by the Dutch in 1624.[15] New York ratified the constitution and became a state in July 1788.[16] North Carolina The charter for the Carolinas was issued in 1663, though Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina had previously been settled by colonists from Plymouth in 1587. They later vanished and it is still not known what became of them. North Carolina became a state in November 1789.[17][18] Pennsylvania Pennsylvania was established as a Quaker colony in 1682.[19] Along with Delaware and Connecticut, Pennsylvania ratified the U.S. Constitution and became a state in December 1787.[20] Rhode Island Roger Williams founded the colony of Rhode Island in 1636 after being banished from the…

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The Constitution – The White House

The Constitution – The White House Why a Constitution? The need for the Constitution grew out of problems with the Articles of Confederation, which established a “firm league of friendship” between the States, and vested most power in a Congress of the Confederation. This power was, however, extremely limited—the central government conducted diplomacy and made war, set weights and measures, and was the final arbiter of disputes between the States. Crucially, it could not raise any funds itself, and was entirely dependent on the States themselves for the money necessary to operate. Each State sent a delegation of between two and seven members to the Congress, and they voted as a bloc with each State getting one vote. But any decision of consequence required a unanimous vote, which led to a government that was paralyzed and ineffectual. A movement to reform the Articles began, and invitations to attend a convention in Philadelphia to discuss changes to the Articles were sent to the State legislatures in 1787. In May of that year, delegates from 12 of the 13 States (Rhode Island sent no representatives) convened in Philadelphia to begin the work of redesigning government. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention quickly began work on drafting a new Constitution for the United States. The Constitutional Convention A chief aim of the Constitution as drafted by the Convention was to create a government with enough power to act on a national level, but without so much power that fundamental rights would be at risk. One way that this was accomplished was to separate the power of government into three branches, and then to include checks and balances on those powers to assure that no one branch of government gained supremacy. This concern arose largely out of the experience that the delegates had with the King of England and his powerful Parliament. The powers of each branch are enumerated in the Constitution, with powers not assigned to them reserved to the States. Much of the debate, which was conducted in secret to ensure that delegates spoke their minds, focused on the form that the new legislature would take. Two plans competed to become the new government: the Virginia Plan, which apportioned representation based on the population of each State, and the New Jersey plan, which gave each State an equal vote in Congress. The Virginia Plan was supported by the larger States, and the New Jersey plan preferred by the smaller. In the end, they settled on the Great Compromise (sometimes called the Connecticut Compromise), in which the House of Representatives would represent the people as apportioned by population; the Senate would represent the States apportioned equally; and the President would be elected by the Electoral College. The plan also called for an independent judiciary. The founders also took pains to establish the relationship between the States. States are required to give “full faith and credit” to the laws, records, contracts, and judicial proceedings of the other States, although Congress may regulate the manner in which the States share records, and define the scope of this clause. States are barred from discriminating against citizens of other States in any way, and cannot enact tariffs against one another. States must also extradite those accused of crimes to other States for trial. The founders also specified a process by which the Constitution may be amended, and since its ratification, the Constitution has been amended 27 times. In order to prevent arbitrary changes, the process for making amendments is quite onerous. An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, or, if two-thirds of the States request one, by a convention called for that purpose. The amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the State legislatures, or three-fourths of conventions called in each State…

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Delaware – The First State – Legends of America

Delaware – The First State – Legends of America Greetings from Delaware Postcard. Available at Legends’ General Store. With the state motto of “Liberty and Independence,” it’s no surprise that Delaware was the first of the original 13 states of the Union; it’s often called the “First” or “Diamond State.” The state’s name comes from the original governor of Virginia, Thomas West, Lord De La Warr. William Penn acquired the land that makes up Delaware to keep his Pennsylvania colony from being landlocked. Today, Delaware is one of the most industrialized states, known for its chemical research. Dover is the capital; the state flower is the peach blossom. Adopted on July 24, 1913, the state flag has a background of colonial blue surrounding a diamond of buff color in which the coat of arms of the state of Delaware is placed. Below the diamond are the words “December 7, 1787,” indicating the day on which Delaware was the first state to ratify the federal Constitution. Because of this action, Delaware became the first state in the Union, and is, therefore, accorded the first position in such national events as presidential inaugurations. According to members of the original commission established to design the flag, the shades of buff and colonial blue represent those of the uniform of General George Washington as shown on a specific plate from an official U.S. Army publication. State Motto – “Liberty and Independence” State Song – Our Delaware State Bird: Blue Hen Chicken State Flower: Peach blossom State Tree: American Holly Delaware – The First State Mill on the Brandywine, Delaware, by John Rubens Smith, 1818 This Mid-Atlantic state bills itself as “not far from where you are” because it is easily reached by air, rail, or road. Its rolling Brandywine Valley is home to historic mansions, while southern beaches are favorite havens for city folks fleeing the summer heat. The state is smaller in area than any other but Rhode Island. Before its coastline was explored by Europeans in the 16th century, Delaware was inhabited by several groups of Native Americans, including the Lenape in the north and Nanticoke in the south. The state was named after the Delaware River, which in turn derived its name from Thomas West, Lord De La Warr, the English governor of Virginia who first explored Delaware Bay in 1611. Though the Lenape called themselves “the people”, Europeans began to call them Delaware Indians, the name derived from the same source. Dutch Colonists The first settlers in Delaware were Dutch colonists. They arrived in 1611 and established an outpost of the New Amsterdam Colony, which later became New York. The Dutch were joined a few years later by a colony of Swedes, accompanied by a number of Finns. They settled at the present site of Wilmington. The Dutch and the Swedes had many conflicts until 1655 when the Dutch captured the Swedish settlements. Nine years later William Penn and other English colonists seized both the Dutch and Swedish settlements to keep the Pennsylvania colony from being landlocked. The town of New Castle, a port on the Delaware River, became the colonial capital of the “Three Lower Counties” (Delaware) in 1704. The “Three Lower Counties” remained a part of Pennsylvania until 1776 when economic, cultural, and political differences fostered a permanent separation. The capital was moved from New Castle to Dover in 1777. In later years many Scotch, Irish and English Quakers settled in Delaware, and in Kent, there are today descendants of a shipload of Moors who were wrecked on the Delaware coast generations ago. Washington Crossing the Delaware River by Emanuel Leutze 1851 Delaware was one of the 13 colonies participating in the American Revolution. On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby becoming known as “The First State”. Another one of its nicknames is the “Diamond State”. The growth and prosperity of the state are inseparably interwoven with that of the great bay which provides Delaware with easy transportation, a mild climate, and quantities of good seafood. The state is a low plain, its average elevation…

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