The Middle Colonies

A) England & the Colonies

English Civil War In the 1640’s, England was involved in a civil war between the Puritans and King Charles. The Catholic King Charles was executed and Oliver Cromwell took control of England. Charles II briefly came to power but was unsuccessful and fled to France. Many settlers in America returned to England to fight.

New Amsterdam In 1644, England wanted to take over New Amsterdam because of its prime location from the Dutch Patroons (wealthy settlers).

Peter Stuyvesant The Dutch governor, Peter Stuyvesant, was unpopular and not prepared for the English attack. The Dutch surrendered quickly – without a fight!

New York (Duke of York) New Amsterdam was renamed New York (after the Duke of York) and was a proprietary colony. This is a colony totally controlled by the owner, not the people. New York became one of the most diverse colonies in America and eventually created a representative government. New York had the first population of Jews in America.

New Jersey

John Berkeley / George Carteret New Jersey is created by Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret south of New York as a place for religious tolerance and individual rights. However, it lacked a good port to make enough money. By 1702, New Jersey is given back to the king and becomes a royal colony.

B) Pennsylvania

William Penn In 1680, William Penn is given a colony by the king to repay a debt. Penn created Pennsylvania as a haven for Quakers. Quakers are pacifists who believed all people were equal in God’s eyes.

Quakers

Penn’s Purchasing of Land Penn created Philadelphia after purchasing the land from the Native Americans – since all were equal, Penn said they should be paid for the land. Eventually, thousands would come to Pennsylvania to enjoy these rights. By 1701, the Charter of Liberties is their representative government.

Delaware In 1704, the lower counties of Pennsylvania separated and became the colony of Delaware. Delaware Colony in the North American Middle Colonies consisted of land on the west bank of the Delaware River Bay. In the early 17th century, the area was inhabited by Lenape and possibly the Assateague tribes of Native Americans.