A Brief History of a Colony That Never Was

New Devon colony was founded on the north-west coast of the modern USA in the Delaware river’s valley.   It was the Indians who had lived here before Europeans came. These were the Indians who spoke the language of Algonquian group. They called themselves Lenni Lenape that meant ‘progenitors‘ or ‘first people’.

Other Indian tribes called them ‘grandfathers’ and this fact also confirms that Lenni Lenape was the oldest tribe in this valley. The Indians hunted, fished, farmed cultivating cereals and legumes.  Depending on the season the Indians migrated from forests to the coast. At the beginning of 17th century about seven thousand people lived here.

First European investigators of these lands were Dutch. However some seafarers investigated the North-West coast earlier: Englishman John Cabot (1497), Frenchman Giovanni da Verrazano (1524), Spaniard Estevan Gomez (1525), Frenchman Jehan Allefonsce (1542), Englishman Sir John Hawkins (1562) and others.

In 1615 Dutch Johan Stuyvesant left his country for the north-west coast to find suitable place for trading. In June being not far from New Foundland the ship unfortunately took fire. Stuyvesant had to land in order to repair the ship. After the examination of this place the captain became sure that lands are favorable for trade furriery and the river was full of fish.

As a result of  Stuyvesant voyage the Dutch post Hoek was founded here.  Soon Englishmen learnt about these lands. They were very impressed with stories about fertile valley and in 1632 John Welsh visited this territory. He was enthusiastic about the prospects of these lands and confirmed everything  the Dutch traders had told.

So in 1635 the territory of New Devon was granted to the Earl of Worcester and Englishmen began to immigrate here. Those Dutchmen who to swore fidelity to King could own the lands they had settled before. The land settlement in 17th  century required careful planning and leading.

It was very expensive and risky business. The settlers had to sale more than four thousand miles, they needed food, arm, clothes, seed, implements. Only small group of rich immigrants could afford to pay for such voyage. Others used special colonization agencies. These organization paid for the trip while settlers were bound to work off this debt in the colony as  servants. After four – five years servants could even get a plot to farm.

The relationship between the Indians and settlers of New Devon were not so troubled as we can think. William Penn and his Society of Friends or Quakers living in neighboring Pennsylvania influenced the situation greatly. To follow them New Devon concluded a treaty with the Indians in 1701 to keep the peace.

As for  economics of New Devon it prospered. The main business was agriculture. Many people however became employed as small fish processing or milling plants workers. Shipbuilding flourished. Cereals, wood, dairy products were exported to the southern colonies., West India and Europe.

Too busy with commerce residents of New Devon didn’t pay much attention to the education and were obviously behind the southern colonies in this field. Only by the middle of 18th century King’s College was opened here. In 1739 ‘New Devon Weekly Journal’ began published.

When granted to the Earl of Worcester King also gave a charter to New Devon. This document proclaimed authority  to be exercised by so called freemen – free colonists. The result of it was that assemblies took over the control of finance. The governor appointed by the Earl couldn’t even collect taxes and spent budget money without assemblies permission. When in 1684 Britain attempted to reestablish King’s rule and cancel the charter colonists simply expelled the governor send by London.

Though British authorities realized the necessity to rearrange the Empire the situation in America wasn’t favorable to do this. Colonies got accustomed to independence and required more freedom. To consolidate power Britain had to begin struggle. The first step was the Sugar Act passing in 1764.

The sugar act put a tax on sugar, wine, coffee, silk that shipped to the colonies from countries other than Great Britain. New Devon traders combined efforts to  boycott English goods. Residents used only those products which were produced by New Devon plants. Later in 1764,

Parliament enacted a Currency Act to prevent paper bills of credit issued in any of King’s colonies from being made legal. Since the colony were a deficit trade area and were constantly short of hard currency, this measure added a serious burden to the colonial economy.

Equally objectionable from the colonial viewpoint was the Quartering Act, passed in 1765, which required colonies to provide royal troops with provisions and barracks.  But the act that angered the residents most of all was The Stamp Act. The Stamp Act put a tax on all printed paper goods that colonists bought. Colonists had to pay a tax when buying books, newspapers and playing cards. A person who finished college had to pay a tax on the diploma.

Lawyers had to pay a tax on the wills, agreements and other documents. To show that the tax had been paid, a stamp seller put a stamp on the paper.  The hostility arose. People caught officials collected taxes and tarred them. In October of 1765 in response to  Massachusetts assembly New Devon send delegates in New York to discuss the Stamp Act. After the long disputes  the congress enacted to consider as legal only the taxes imposed by colonies themselves. However George III was not going to make any concession. The Revolution became inevitable.

During the Revolution many nearly 7000 men of New Devon enlisted for service in spite of the fact that there no important battles here except several skirmishes. New Devon provided the Army with food and arm.

Lack of ammunition made residents to melt the statue of King to cast bullets. In 1781 English army surrendered to American and French ones. On September 3, 1783 Great Britain signed Treaty of Paris –  the peace settlement proclaimed the independence, freedom and sovereignty of the colonies. New Devon as well as other colonies became independent.

Bibliography

1.      About Connecticut; 15 July 2004; available from htpp://www.ct.gov./ctportal/cwp/view.asp?a=843&q=246434; Internet

2.      Boorstin, Daniel J.  The Americans: Vol. 1: The Colonial Experience, Vol. 2: The Democratic Experience, Vol. 3: The National Experience, Hardback ed., Random House, 1975

3.      Dugan, Jeannine Colonial Immigration: An Overview; 25 January 2004; available from htpp://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/5871/32260; Internet

4.      Morris, Richard B.; Henry Steel and Jeffrey B. Morris, eds. Encyclopedia of American History, 6th ed., Hardback ed., Harper & Row, 1982

5.      Pennsylvania state history,  available from htpp://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/pahist/overview.asp?secid=31; Internet

6.      State of Delaware (A brief history), 12 July 2004; available from htpp://www.state.de.us./gic/facts/history/delhist.htm; Internet