The 19th Century
| 1829 — Delaware Free School Act passes in legislature creating first public schools in the state. |
| 1832 — Delaware adopts third constitution. |
| 1833 — The University of Delaware is founded as Newark College. |
| 1838 — Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad opens. |
| 1847 — Delaware Senate considers an act to abolish slavery. The act is defeated by one vote. |
| 1861 — Although a slaveholding state, Delaware rejects invitation to join Confederacy. |
| 1865 — Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution abolishes slavery. The Delaware legislature votes against the amendment. |
| 1870 — Delaware legislature voted against 15th Amendment to U. S. Constitution, which gave blacks right to vote |
| 1875 — Separate schools and funding for white children, African-American children established |
The 20th Century
| 1901 — 13th, 14th, 15th Constitutional Amendments ratified by legislature |
| 1917–1918 — Nearly 10,000 Delawareans serve in World War I. |
| 1950 — University of Delaware ordered to end segregation by Delaware Court of Chancery |
| 1963 —Delaware General Assembly outlawed racial segregation in public places; President John F. Kennedy opened Delaware Turnpike |
| 1968 — Riots broke out in Wilmington after assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.; National Guard occupied city for ten months; second span of Delaware Bridge opened |
| 1978 — Daniel Nathans won Nobel Prize in Medicine for work with molecular hormones; Delaware began busing children from inner-city neighborhoods to Wilmington suburbs, helped establish integrated busing across U.S. |
| 1980 — State adopted constitutional limit restricting government spending to 95% of expected revenue |
The 21st Century
| 2002 — “The First State” becomes the official nickname for Delaware |
| 2011 — Delaware passes Civil Unions Bill |
1986 Wilmington Riots
Sources
Rioting broke out in Wilmington shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. More than 3,500 Delaware National Guardsmen were called into the Wilmington area after the first riots began. Fires, arrests, and gunshots swept through the city. Many rioters where charged and arrested, some even killed. Guardsmen where there for as long as 9 months.
The Book of Unknown Americans Homepage
Victoria DeSantis, 2019