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 14