Examines the history of Delaware, from its first inhabitants and the arrival of European settlers to the effect of modern times on its business and government.
"Originally undertaken by the author as a Bicentennial project in 1975, and now the standard history of the state, this volume chronicles the history of Delaware from the early 1600s to the present."--BOOK JACKET.
As the first state to ratify the United States Constitution, Delaware rightfully earned its nickname of "First State." Though small in size, it is a treasure trove of history (Fort Delaware), inventions (the Victrola), and garden wonders (Winterthur). State symbols such as the Blue Hen Chicken and peach blossom speak to the character and traditions that formed the state. Historian Carol Crane loves looking through the kaleidoscope of the past and has taken many delightful journeys through Delaware. She loves to imagine her Swedish ancestors coming to this country on the Kalmar Nyckel, building log cabins, or starting the first Swedish church in Wilmington. Carol lives with her husband in North Carolina and travels the country speaking at education conferences across the nation."F is for First State" is Carol's 11th book with Sleeping Bear Press. Elizabeth Traynor decided to be an illustrator when she was fifteen years old, while taking art classes at the Delaware Art Museum. She received her BFAin illustration from Rhode Island School of Design. An illustrator as well as an illustration professor, her work can be seen throughout the country, from book covers, newspapers and magazines, to ads and packaging. Elizabeth lives in Massachusetts and California.
In 1776, Delaware declared independence from both England and Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Three Lower Counties of Pennsylvania, the First State was instrumental in the fight to form a new republic. The Marquis de Lafayette, Nathanael Greene and George Washington all made trips to the state. Caesar Rodney's ride and the Battle of Cooch's Bridge are legendary, but the state has many unsung heroes. Citizens from every village, town, crossroads and marsh risked their lives to support their beliefs. Author Kim Burdick offers the carefully documented story of ordinary people coping with extraordinary circumstances.
This volume provides a comprehensive analysis of both the historical and the contemporary dimensions of the politics and government of the First State. Once a sparsely populated, agrarian, and relatively insignificant polity, Delaware has become a densely and diversely populated financial and legal center often called the corporation capital of the world. Delaware s prime location has been central to its development and transition from a goods-producing economy to a fast-growing, service-based economy. Despite its diminutive size, Delaware is, in many ways, the nation s preferred corporate home. William W. Boyer and Edward C. Ratledge provide an overview of Delaware s history, structure, and present politics and explain why one of the smallest states in the country is also one of the most powerful. Delaware continually promotes pro-business legislation, business and public objectives are entwined, and privatization is a dominant theme in public affairs. The state has an individualistic political order in which public participation is indirect and citizen activism is limited.
How the “First State” has enabled international crime, sheltered tax dodgers, and diverted hard-earned dollars from the rest of us The legal home to over a million companies, Delaware has more registered businesses than residents. Why do virtually all of the biggest corporations in the United States register there? Why do so many small companies choose to set up in Delaware rather than their home states? Why do wealthy individuals form multiple layers of private companies in the state? This book reveals how a systematic enterprise lies behind the business-friendly corporate veneer, one that has kept the state afloat financially by diverting public funds away from some of the poorest people in the United States and supporting dictators and criminals across the world. Hal Weitzman shows how the de facto capital of corporate America has provided safe haven to money launderers, kleptocratic foreign rulers, and human traffickers, and facilitated tax dodging and money laundering by multinational companies and international gangsters. Revenues from Delaware's business-formation industry, known as the Franchise, account for two-fifths of the state’s budget and have helped to keep the tax burden on its residents among the lowest in the United States. Delaware derives enormous political clout from the Franchise, effectively writing the corporate code for the entire country—and because of its outsized influence on corporate America, the second smallest state in the United States also writes the rules for much of the world. What's the Matter with Delaware? shows how, in Joe Biden’s home state, the corporate laws get written behind closed doors, enabling the rich and powerful to do business in the shadows.
Wilmington's East Side is the oldest residential community in the city. The first Swedish colony settled there in the 1600s, and over time, Jewish, Polish, and African American people followed. By the mid-1950s, the East Side emerged as a predominantly Black, achievement-oriented community--a place where working-class families, Black-owned businesses, and Black doctors, lawyers, teachers, musicians, and community leaders lived, worshipped, and worked together amid segregation. Among historic landmarks are Howard High School, People's Settlement Association, Walnut Street Y, St. Michael's School and Nursery, Clifford Brown Walk, Louis Redding House, and multidenominational churches. Situated in an urban setting east of downtown, the East Side is walking distance from the central business district, small retail establishments, and employers.