The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 7, Issue 1, Winter 2018 | Page 14
Legacy of the New Sweden Colony
Sweden ratified its first written constitution in 1634 and it incorporated
Lutheranism as part of the supreme law of the land. It granted permission for the
churches to act independently. Churches reinforced Swedish laws, including the
prohibition of idolatry, lying, witchcraft, and fraud. The New Sweden colony
adopted the homeland’s regulations, and the governors ensured homeland practices
were maintained. 29 For example, Johan Printz ordered that church services must
adhere to Swedish church ceremonies and customs. He wanted to teach proper
Christian faith and maintain good church discipline. 30 Ministers performed their
sermons in Swedish with Swedish texts, which reinforced their native language and
customs. In 1655, after seventeen years of neglect, New Sweden’s five-hundred
Swedish and Finnish settlers joined the New Netherlands colony. Already a
heterogeneous population, New Netherlands tolerated Swedish and Finnish
customs, allowing the newcomers to maintain their congregations and religious
identity. 31
Within thirty years, however, New Netherlands weakened and succumbed
to the English. William Penn became the first English governor of the colony, and
while he expected the New Sweden settlers to remain loyal to the English Crown,
he continued to allow worship in their churches, which was crucial in reinforcing
the Swedish traditions, religion, and language. Penn wrote,
The first planters in these parts were the Dutch, and soon after
them, the Swedes and Finns. The Dutch applied themselves to
traffic, the Swedes and Finns to husbandry. The Dutch have a
meeting place for religious worship at Newcastle; and the Swedes
three; one at Christina, one at Tinicum, and one at Wicacoa, within
half a mile of this town. 32
The liberal policies of the Dutch and Penn ensured that the New Sweden settlers
and their descendants continued practicing their traditions. On behalf of the
original New Sweden colonists and their descendants, the settlers sent a letter
asking, “The government to send Swedish priests, prayer books, and hymnals to
the colony so that Swedish religion and culture would not diminish in North
America.” 33 In 1697, three new priests arrived to renew missionary work from
Sweden. For the next century, more priests followed to minister in North
America. 34 Long after New Sweden ceased to exist, thousands of present-day
Americans can trace their heritage to the colony.
The Finns adapted to the mainstream Swedish culture and language while
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