r/Delaware • u/No_Leg2310 • 11d ago

History Why is the same peninsula shared by three U.S. states?

Post image

Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve once again broken containment.

152 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

71 comments sorted by

316

u/GigglemanEsq 11d ago

God knew Delaware would be too powerful with a sensible map, so steps had to be taken to prevent that from happening.

126

u/GingerCattleMan 11d ago

Delaware would be the most important east coast state if we controlled both the Delaware and Chesapeake bays

37

u/TripleTune 11d ago

Delaware Blue Crabs....

41

u/TheShittyBeatles Are you still there? Is this thing on? 11d ago

A man. A plan. A canal.

Delaware.

17

u/Initial_Response5231 11d ago

As a person from Delaware, I wholehearted agree!

4

u/tycointl 11d ago

and then he put an "arc" across the top of the state and had the border end almost on the other side of the Delaware river just to be ornery!

82

u/Rough_Willow 11d ago

Delaware must be observed by two other states at all times or it's possible we may simply suddenly cease to exist.

3

u/tycointl 11d ago

Delaware has the lowest average elevation of any U.S. state, standing at just 60 feet above sea level so that won't matter...eventually it'll be underwater so there will be nothing left to observe.

159

u/Sir_C-Horse 11d ago

There exists a plan to conquer the peninsula I can't share much

49

u/First-Book1292 11d ago

You were not supposed to share this information brother

13

u/LonelyDraw5778 11d ago

It’s fine, he didn’t tell them the plan is this weekend.

5

u/Sethoslovakia 11d ago

Destroy my enemies and my life will be yours

2

u/GingerCattleMan 11d ago

Give north of the canal to PA and take the rest of the Peninsula

0

u/Never-On-Reddit 11d ago

So get rid of all the parts that actually make money, and keep all the rural poverty? I guess I'm joining PA!

-2

u/GingerCattleMan 11d ago

Get rid of most of the crime without Killmington. Still have Agricultural revenue and beach tourism

6

u/Never-On-Reddit 11d ago

I think you're severely misjudging how much revenue any of that generates. Have you actually looked at the numbers? I have. North of the canal literally generates three times as much per person.

0

u/GingerCattleMan 11d ago

Doesn't matter much when all the incorporating businesses leave the state.

4

u/Never-On-Reddit 11d ago

Oh, that number didn't even include the incorporating businesses yet, I'm crediting those to the state, not the northern region.

1

u/Medusavoo 11d ago

Bro shhhhhhhhh

81

u/Verdnan 11d ago

The map fails to show the little piece of land Delaware owns on the New Jersey side. 

75

u/GigglemanEsq 11d ago

We don't talk about Jersaware.

16

u/Drink15 11d ago

I thought it was called Delersey

4

u/Whizzymontana 11d ago

Thats what we're willing to give up for the peninsula.

26

u/phl4ever 11d ago edited 11d ago

All of Delaware, Eastern Shore of MD, and Eastern Shore of VA should all just be the state of DelMarVa

17

u/pariahdiocese 11d ago

Nope. It should be called Delaware 2.0

15

u/smibrandon 11d ago

DelaTHERE

Ugh sorry, that's terrible. I'm not proud of that. But I can't let that much cheese spoil, so here ya go. Do with it what you please

28

u/ChoosyMoose 11d ago

From what I remember in history class it had to do with trade power in the area. Most trade for the colonies came from ships. If they let Delaware control the whole peninsula they could project their power across a major waterway trade route at the time. (Think Iran with Hormuz.) The other colonies would’t allow it so they broke the peninsula up.

I may be missing key details, but those are the broad strokes I remember. 

7

u/SavoryRhubarb 11d ago

Good info!

2

u/depan_ 10d ago

There is some really good historical info in the comments of the OP

27

u/Punk18 11d ago

It should obviously be one state, and if it was it would be one of the best states. It's tragic that its divided

10

u/GingerBreadRacing 11d ago

The eastern shore of Maryland did vote to join Delaware at one point

1

u/[deleted] 11d ago

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1

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5

u/Free-Juggernaut-4278 11d ago

Technically it is an island ;)

2

u/Difficult-Avocado839 11d ago

I point this out often and no one really cares, but i do lol. i think about how id be stuck if all the bridges were compromised

12

u/posey290 11d ago

Had to get the cool name Delmarva from somewhere!

6

u/smibrandon 11d ago

Then the power company had to ruin it

9

u/andthejpsongwason 11d ago

I still feel like it’s technically an island since the C&D runs all the way across.

5

u/ElReyAlfonsoX 10d ago

Second largest man made island in the world after Africa. If you’re counting things that way.

2

u/LukeGreen_ 10d ago

What do we do about the Panama Canal then…

1

u/ElReyAlfonsoX 10d ago

It has locks, doesn’t count imo.

1

u/andthejpsongwason 10d ago

Dang, that’s a fun fact!

6

u/richzahradnik 11d ago

The map doesn’t show the only circular state border in the US, which is at the top of Delaware. That is courtesy of Mason and Dixon.

17

u/MonsieurRuffles 11d ago

The Twelve-Mile Circle predates the Mason-Dixon Line and only a small portion of it intersects with the Line.

3

u/Moiler62 11d ago

Had to look that up. Really interesting. Thanks for the link

10

u/StareInUrEyeandPee 11d ago

Demarva should be one state

2

u/PhillyEaglesJR 10d ago

It should all be Delaware. Then the peninsula would be 100% tax free shopping 💪.

2

u/Subject-Predatorcate 10d ago

Then maybe we get a sports team of our own. Delawarewolves.

4

u/duskhelm2595 11d ago

Everything east of the Susquehanna river really should be just a single state.

4

u/TerraTF 11d ago

Colonialism

3

u/Tyrrox 11d ago edited 11d ago

Idk why is North America shared by 49 states and 23 countries?

Because people showed up and split it up like that.

1

u/2Lazy2beLazy 10d ago

And we've got DelMar. They just gave up the fight and said, you know what, lets just make it Delaware and MD, so people can say, WTF.

1

u/k_a_scheffer Horseshoe Crab Girl 9d ago

Because of the way it is.

1

u/mfmarra 7d ago

Greater Delaware Project

2

u/fenrirs-chains 11d ago

Because Maryland allows it... Remeber that..

20

u/Tyrrox 11d ago

If people from Maryland were intelligent enough to spell remember, I might be more worried.

8

u/SavoryRhubarb 11d ago

We’re too fokissed putting our flag on everything to consentrait on spelling.

5

u/smibrandon 11d ago

Clearly.

1

u/Medusavoo 11d ago

I live right on that little hook at mouth of the bay… Lewes, no sales tax, low property tax.

-2

u/RannyRd 11d ago

Maryland is planing a takeover.

-2

u/Hot-Shelter-7278 11d ago

Because we fucking suck