Independence Day is not all barbecue and fireworks. So we pause here for a bit of history, with the 13 original colonies in mind (in the order of their founding).
Virginia |
Founded by the London Co., Virginia established the first permanent English settlement, in Jamestown, but also ended up with the first African slaves in North America.
Massachusetts |
Founded by Puritans, Massachusetts counted the second permanent English settlement, in Plymouth, after the Mayflower-sailing Pilgrims landed from the Humber region of England.
New Hampshire |
Founded by John Wheelwright, New Hampshire is the most northern of the 13 original colonies and the first independent state to have a written constitution.
Maryland |
Founded by Lord Baltimore, Maryland has had at least seven nicknames, including the "Old Line State," a possible reference to its being the "dividing line between the land grants given to William Penn and Lord Baltimore," according to a state website.
Connecticut |
Founded by Thomas Hooker, Connecticut attracted the Puritan colonial leader's attention after he abandoned Massachusetts in search of land to establish a colony more suitable to his egalitarian spirit, according to History of the USA.
Rhode Island |
Founded by Roger Williams, Rhode Island was the last of the 13 original colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution after fighting no major battles in the Revolutionary War.
Delaware |
Founded by Peter Minuit and the New Sweden Co., Delaware saw the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley after the Swedes established their colony near present-day Wilmington. The result: "The cultural, social, and religious influence of these Swedish settlers has had a lasting effect upon the cultural life of the people in this area," according to a state website.
North Carolina |
Founded by Virginians, North Carolina became the first state to vote in favor of independence.
South Carolina |
Founded by eight nobles with a Royal Charter from Charles II, slavery-dependent South Carolina grew with people of African descent making up two-thirds of the colony's population by 1730, according to History.com.
New Jersey |
Founded by Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, New Jersey was such a strategic location that it hosted about 90 Revolutionary War engagements, with Gen. George Washington moving his army across it four times, according to Infoplease.com.
New York |
Founded by the Duke of York, New York also was pivotal in the war, with one-third of the "skirmishes and engagements ... fought on New York soil. The Battle of Saratoga ... was the turning point of the Revolution," according to a state website.
Pennsylvania |
Founded by William Penn, Pennsylvania, thanks to Penn's less-inclusive heirs, eventually triggered so much resentment among Native Americans that they allied themselves with the French.
Georgia |
Founded by James Edward Oglethorpe, Georgia was not founded as a penal colony, despite the persistent misconception.