Delaware was the second smallest and least populous of the thirteen British colonies that took part in the North American Rebellion of 1775 - 1778, and was incorporated into the Northern Confederation of the Confederation of North America in 1782. It was the original home colony of John Dickinson, one of the principal founders of the nation.
In 1777 the Delaware militia under Caesar Rodney delayed but could not prevent General Sir William Howe's drive to capture Philadelphia. Dickinson, who served as a private in this campaign, manumitted his slaves in that year. This had considerable impact as he was then the largest single landowner in the colony.
After the British victory at the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777, the Delaware General Assembly appointed Dickinson to the Second Continental Congress, where he became the leader of the conciliationists. Together with Joseph Galloway of Pennsylvania, Dickinson was able to negotiate the colonies' return to British rule in June 1778.
Under the original version of the Britannic Design, Delaware was to form part of the Central Confederation. During Parliamentary debated on the Design, the proposed Central Confederation was incorporated into the N.C.
Delaware is shown as being part of the Southern Confederation in the frontspiece map of For Want of a Nail ... but this is inconsistent with the given history of the Central Confederation, and with Dickinson's appointment as Governor-General of the Northern Confederation.
In For All Nails, Delaware College in Newark was renamed after the assassination of N.C. Governor Daniel Webster in 1840. Webster College was the home base of naturalist Edgar Allan Poe and Webster University is now the home of historian John Dickinson Pez.