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Peter joined the Dutch West India Company in the mid 1620s. He was sent to New Netherland in 1625 to search for tradable goods other than the animal pelts which were then the major tradable product coming from New Netherland. He was then appointed by the DWI to become the new governer general of New Netherland. After his governor generalship, he worked with the Swedish Government to establish a Finnish-Swedish settlement, called New Sweden, near what is now Wilmington, Delaware.
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The governer of New Sweden made a mistake by building three forts. One of them controlled the Delaware River. The Dutch governer saw this as an act of war. So they captured the two forts to show they were ready for war. The Swedes surrendered peacefully. The Dutch now own that land of New Sweden.
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England wanted to enforece its earlier claims on the territory the Dutch had occupied. They sailed into New York with an overwhelming force of ships and men. The citizens did not want any bloodshed so they dicided not to fight back. England gained control of New York easily.
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The King owed William Penn's family money but he didn't have it to give to them. Penn suggested he gave him some land in America. He wanted to go to America anyway for religious freedom. So the King wrote out a charter for William Penn for a piece of land. He also made him the governer of the newly owned land.
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William went to American on a boat named welcome. He already had a plan for his new colony. He was going to make the capital the city of brotherly love - Philadelphia. He already wrote all the laws. His government agreed on the laws and they adopted them. When William Penn met with the Indians they exhanged gifts and decided on peace between them.
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After William Penn died there were a lot of problems dealing with land. So his secretary and his son tried to beg the Indians to sell them some land. The Indians disagreed, stating Penn was more fair. So they brought a paper Penn had signed that said they could sell land "as far north as a person could walk in a day and a half". The Indians agreed to it, still thinking it was a trick. The men they sent to walk cheated by running. They ended up getting 66 miles of land from the Indians.
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The British wanted to get the French out of their land. So they sent George Washington to ask the French to leave. When they refused they sent a group of men. The French were prepared for them and George Washingtons men surrendered. The war became bigger. The British sent more troops over to fight. Most Indians took the French side. In the end, the French surrendered.
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Pontiac was an Ottawa Chief. He did not like the British and the way they were making the Indians act. Some Indians were even becoming Christians. So Pontiac decided to rebel. They attacked the British and surrounded Fort Pitt. Pontiac ambushed the British but the British tricked Pontiac and ended up defeating them.
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The colonists were still upset at Great Britain for all the taxing. So they held a meeting in Philadelphia to discuss what action they should take against England. They decided to write a petition and send it to King George III. The petition was called "Declaration of Rights and Grievances". King George ignored their grievances. The laws just became stricter.
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Pennsylvania was one of the first states to write a constitution. They set an example for the rest of the states. Some of the Pennsylvania's leaders were Benjamin Franklin and Robbert Morris. The constitution stated that all of Pennsylvania's citizens were to be equally represented, no matter where in the state they lived. Also under the constitution citizens gained the right to vote.
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Washington established a winter camp at Valley Forge. The winter ahead wasn't looking very promising but Washington turned that around. He made an alliance with the French and they helped them to begin training. The army survived the winter. They were ready to fight the British.
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John Fitch demonstrated the first successful steamboat, launching a forty-five-foot craft on the Delaware River. He went on to build a larger steamboat which carried passengers and freight between Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey. John Fitch constructed four different steamboats. While his boats were mechanically successful, Fitch failed to pay sufficient attention to construction and operating costs and was unable to justify the economic benefits of steam navigation.
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People were tired of the muddy road from Philadelphia to Lancaster. So a private company decided to take charge and make a road. The Lancaster Pike made travel much faster than before. The trip only took 12 hours. Before the road, the trip would take several days.
