• 1610 - Captain Samuel Argall, an English sea captain, names the bay after Lord De La Warr, the governor of Virginia.

• 1638-1655 - Swedish settlers set up the first settlement

• 1638 - Swedish settlement led by Peter Minuet starting the the New Sweden Colony

• 1646 - Peter Stuyvesant (1602-1672) became Dutch Governor of the New Netherlands

• 1655 - The Dutch defeat the Swedes on the Delaware and Stuyvesant took possession of the New Sweden Colony

• 1664 - Charles II totally ignored any Dutch claims and gave the entire country to his brother James, Duke of York

• 1664 - The Dutch lose New Amsterdam to The British which is re-named as New York, after the Duke of York

• 1664 - The Dutch lose New Amsterdam to The British which is re-named as New York, after the Duke of York

• For interesting information  refer to Facts about the Pennsylvania Colony

1681-1776 - The Quaker Province - William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania

• 1681 - King Charles II of England owed the Quaker, William Penn, £16,000 and when Penn asked the King to grant him land it was granted. The King signed the Charter of Pennsylvania on March 4, 1681

• 1682 - Landing of William Penn (1644 - 1718) at New Castle, Delaware

• 1756 - 1763 - The Seven Years War (French and Indian War) due to disputes over land is won by Great Britain. France gives England all French territory east of the Mississippi River, except New Orleans. The Spanish give up east and west Florida to the English in return for Cuba

• 1764 - Pontiac's Rebellion. The British treated the former Indian allies of the French like conquered peoples, which prompted the Ottawa Chief Pontiac (1720-1769) to lead a rebellion of a number of tribes against the British

• 1763 - 1767 Legal battles were settled by a survey, which resulted in the Mason-Dixon line, surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon

• 1775 - 1783 - The American Revolution creates the United States of America. The Revolution was due to the British burden of taxes and total power to legislate any laws governing the American colonies

• July 4, 1776 - United States Declaration of Independence

• July 10, 1778 - France declares war against Britain and makes an alliance with the American revolutionary forces

• September 3, 1783 - The Treaty of Paris is signed by the victorious United States and the defeated Great Britain

Facts about the History of Pennsylvania History - The Early 1800's

• 1812 - 1815 - The War of 1812 between U.S. and Great Britain, ended in a stalemate but confirmed America's Independence

Facts about the History of Pennsylvania History - The American Civil War

• 1861 - 1865 The American Civil War. In 1859 John Brown raided Harpers Ferry and set in motion events that led directly to the outbreak of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president and in 1861 the South Secedes. The initial Secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These eleven states eventually formed the Confederate States of America. The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War. The surrender of Robert E. Lee on April 9 1865 signalled the end of the Confederacy.

• 1865 December 6 - The Abolishment of Slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S Constitution is ratified, thus officially abolishing slavery

• 1898-1901 The Spanish American War. On December 10, 1898 the Treaty of Paris the US annexes Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines.

Origin of the name

• King Charles II of England specified in the charter given to William Penn that the name should be Pennsylvania. This is a combination of the Latin word ' Sylvania ' meaning woodland together with Penn