The Delaware (Rivers of America)

x, 398 pp. "Dutch, Swedish and English explorers had sailed up the Delaware, claimed new territory for their respective countries, and left colonists to settle the land. In the midst of contending claims William Penn laid deep the foundations of his Quaker commonwealth only to discover that sturdy pacifism gave no final answer to the turbulent times which produced Indian wars, inter-religious and inter-colonial strike, and, finally, the American Revolution. Peace brought the era of industrial expansion but led into the modern days of political chicanery and industrial strife. Strangely, beneath the surface of conflict, the culture of a young and independent people grew and thrived."