They adopted a constitution and became the “Delaware State,” the first of all the colonies to call themselves a state, and one of the thirteen to sign the Declaration of Independence.

1783. The 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War, and the United States of America was officially recognized as an independent nation by Britain, France, and Spain.

1787. Dec. 7. As the first of the original thirteen colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution, Delaware became the first state in the Union.

Author: Leland Meitzler

Leland K. Meitzler founded Heritage Quest in 1985, and has worked as Managing Editor of both Heritage Quest Magazine and The Genealogical Helper. He currently operates Family Roots Publishing Company (www.FamilyRootsPublishing.com), writes daily at GenealogyBlog.com, writes the weekly Genealogy Newsline, conducts the annual Salt Lake ChristmasAn immigration tribunal had to be stopped after a lawyer twice refused a judge's request that she remove her veil. Shabnam Mughal appeared at the tribunal dressed head-to-foot in black and wearing a fullface veil with just her eyes showing.

Now another judge, Sir Henry Hodge, head of the Asylum and Immigrations Tribunals, will rule on what should happen next in the case.

At the original hearing tribunal chairman George Glossop asked her to remove the veil during the tribunal hearing in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. She refused and the case was adjourned until the afternoon. When the case was reconvened Judge Glossop said: "I am not very happy that you are appearing in a veil. Would you kindly remove it to assist with communications?

"It will allow me to see your face