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Social studies activity

Delaware's Story: First State, The Vote That Launched a Nation

Delaware is the tiniest state that did the biggest thing: it was the FIRST state to say yes to the United States Constitution. Without that yes, there might not be a United States! It's smaller than most cities — but it went first. Let's make a tiny book for the state that started everything.

Hands OnAbout 25 minutesScreen-freeParent help expected

Materials and setup

How this changes by age

Pre-K (ages 3–4)

Delaware is the tiniest state that did the biggest thing: it was the FIRST state to say yes to the United States Constitution. Without that yes, there might not be a United States! It's smaller than most cities — but it went first. Let's make a tiny book for the state that started everything.

Difficulty 1 of 3

Steps

  1. Say: 'Delaware is so small that you could drive across it in about 30 minutes! But on December 7th, 1787, Delaware was the very first to vote YES on the rules for the whole United States. Every other state was waiting to see who would go first — and tiny Delaware raised its hand.'
  2. Fold paper into a tiny book. On the cover draw Delaware's shape — it looks like a tall oval with a flat bottom and a curved top (the famous 'Twelve Mile Circle').
  3. Inside the book draw: a blue hen (state bird), a peach (state fruit), and a ship arriving on the Delaware Bay.
  4. Write 'FIRST!' in big letters across the front cover.
  5. Ask: 'Why do you think it was important that SOMEONE said yes first? What might have happened if everyone waited?'

Learning objectives

  • Know that Delaware was the first state to ratify the US Constitution on December 7, 1787
  • Wonder at how a small state's brave choice helped create the United States

Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

Before Delaware became an American state, it had THREE different owners — Dutch, Swedish, and British. Three different countries, three different flags, all fighting over the same small piece of land! Let's draw the flags and map Delaware's wild history of ownership changes.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Tell the story: 'First the Dutch sailed in (1609). Then the Swedes came and built a fort (1638). Then England sent ships and took it from the Swedes (1664). Three different countries! And then in 1787, Delaware voted FIRST to join America — maybe because it had already been through so much!'
  2. Draw 3 small flags: Dutch (red/white/blue horizontal stripes), Swedish (yellow cross on blue), British (Union Jack).
  3. Draw a timeline: Dutch 1609 → Sweden 1638 → England 1664 → USA 1787. Draw an arrow getting bigger each time.
  4. Circle 1787 and write: 'FIRST STATE — VOTED YES!'
  5. Make up a nickname for Delaware based on its history — share it with the family!

Learning objectives

  • Sequence Dutch, Swedish, and British control of Delaware on a timeline
  • Understand that Delaware was contested colonial territory before becoming a US state
  • Understand the significance of being first to ratify the Constitution

Early elementary (ages 6–8)

Delaware was the FIRST and SMALLEST state to vote on the US Constitution — and it voted YES unanimously, 30-0, on December 7, 1787. Every other state was waiting to see what would happen. Delaware went first. Today you'll map and sequence Delaware's layered history — from the Lenape people through Dutch and Swedish colonists, to the moment when the smallest state helped launch a nation.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Draw Delaware's unusual shape — a rectangle with a perfect semicircle cut into the top left corner. That semicircle is the 'Twelve Mile Circle,' drawn around New Castle's courthouse. It's one of the strangest borders in the US!
  2. Mark: Wilmington (north, founded as Fort Christina by Sweden in 1638), Dover (capital, center), Delaware Bay (east).
  3. Create a 6-event timeline: Lenape peoples, Dutch settlement 1609, Swedish Fort Christina 1638, British rule 1664, First State 1787 (30-0 vote!), DuPont Company founded 1802.
  4. Write a sentence answering this: 'Why might being a small state make it EASIER to vote first — and harder to be the last holdout?' Think about the number of people who had to agree.
  5. Write 3 sentences about the DuPont Company: What did they make? Why would a tiny state attract one of America's most powerful companies?

Learning objectives

  • Draw and label Delaware's unusual map including the Twelve Mile Circle border
  • Sequence Delaware history from Indigenous peoples to early industrialization with the 30-0 ratification vote
  • Hypothesize why smaller states might act faster on constitutional decisions
  • Connect Delaware's size and first-mover status to its identity as a national founding state

Upper elementary (ages 8–10)

Delaware is both the First State AND the corporate capital of America — over 60% of Fortune 500 companies are legally incorporated there. Not because their offices are in Delaware, but because Delaware's corporate laws are famously friendly to businesses and its Court of Chancery has 200 years of sophisticated legal precedent. A tiny state with fewer people than most cities controls the legal rules for some of the largest companies on Earth. Is that a brilliant competitive strategy — or a problem for democracy? Research Delaware's twin identity and write an essay.

Difficulty 3 of 3

Steps

  1. Research: Why do corporations incorporate in Delaware? What is the Delaware Court of Chancery and why is it famous? What does 'incorporating' a company actually mean?
  2. Research: Name 5 companies incorporated in Delaware despite being headquartered elsewhere. Why would they choose Delaware's laws over their home state's laws?
  3. Research: Delaware's first major act of national courage was ratifying the Constitution first in 1787. Its current major role is in corporate law. Draw a timeline connecting these two identities.
  4. Write a 4-paragraph essay: Is Delaware's dominance in corporate law good for America, bad for America, or both? Consider: small businesses vs. large corporations, tax revenue, legal fairness.
  5. Include a counterargument paragraph — steelman the view you disagree with before responding to it.
  6. Discuss: Should any single state be allowed to set the legal rules for companies operating across the entire country? Who gets to decide?
  7. Over half of US public companies are legally registered in tiny Delaware because of its business-friendly courts. Delaware charges each company a yearly 'franchise tax' (often $175–$250,000, estimate). If 1.8 million companies pay an average of $300, calculate how much money that brings the state. Why would a California company register in Delaware?
  8. Delaware chemists at DuPont invented nylon and Kevlar. Kevlar is 5x stronger than steel by weight and is used in bulletproof vests and bike tires. Design a new product you'd make from Kevlar — draw it, label why strength matters, and estimate what a customer would pay for it.

Learning objectives

  • Explain why Delaware is the dominant state for corporate incorporation in the US
  • Understand the basics of corporate law, incorporation, and the Court of Chancery
  • Write a structured persuasive essay with a counterargument paragraph
  • Connect Delaware's founding role in 1787 to its continuing outsized influence in American law

Safety and evidence note

Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.

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