Middle Colonies Culture and Religion By: Jack Besnoy, Noah Woods-Bannan, and Stephanie Miscoll

Religion There were many religions in the Middle Colonies They consisted of: Quakers, Mennonites, Lutherans, Dutch Calvinists, Catholics, Jews, and Presbyterians. They practiced these religions by enforcing strict religious beliefs through colony governments and the town rules. These laws consisted of attending a house of worship and to pay taxes which made up the salaries of ministers. Most of the time, anybody that didn’t practice Christianity would be persecuted.

Toleration towards other religions The English Christians were not fond of Germans, Portuguese, Jews, and Baptists. They were also not religiously tolerant of these groups However they did let them follow their religion They were not sacrilegious, they just followed their beliefs which is the reason why they were separated to follow different religions This is a picture of the (rule or law) that the other religions must continue living in the same place they were born in

Clothing The clothing worn in the Middle Colonies was very different for men and women. The men wore linen or wool shirts, overcoats and breeches. The women also dressed in either linen or wool long dresses, petticoats, aprons, hooded cloaks and white caps, just like the picture in the bottom. For the children (of different genders) wore similar clothes to the adults. Men wore boots Women wore leather shoes.

Daily Life The daily life in these colonies was a lot of hard work. They had to grow crops and livestock for people living there. They also had to run workshops, make clothes and do everything they could to start a living environment. The people living there were finally happy and often prided themselves on the fact that they were setting up a place where people were going to live. They lived in small houses made of logs. The girls and women did the work at the house and men went to work, and boys went to school to get an education. The land was very fertile so that farming was not difficult.

Important people Peter Minuit- bought New York City in 1626 and called it “New Amsterdam” Henry Hudson- first sailed the Delaware river Andrew Hamilton- was the governor of east and west Jersey Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret- founded East and West Jersey in 1660 for an increase of trades and profits

Major Events 1664 The capture of New Amsterdam by the British 1682 The Quakers settle in Pennsylvania 1702 The two parts of the colony of New Jersey are united into one royal colony This is important because the Quakers were a huge influence on the culture of Pennsylvania. This can be seen in the political views of modern Pennsylvanians who believe in religious toleration. This is important because New York was a major port city, which helped with the development and industrialization of the middle colonies. This is important because New Jersey would not have been as diverse or as influential if it hadn’t have been combined.

Food The food eaten in the Middle Colonies is a lot like what we eat today. The foods consisted of meat, fish, shellfish, fruits, vegetables, herbs and dairy. Today, we eat all of that also and its not much different from their types of food to eat. Most of the time, colonists would eat three meals a day. Breakfast was usually around 6-7 A.M. Dinner was like lunch for us, it was generally eaten around 12-2 P.M. Lastly, Supper which was the most important meal of the day according to the colonists, which we call dinner, was eaten from 6-7 P.M.

Education Middle Colonies placed emphasis on practical education (apprenticeship) Working class boys at the age of 12 were apprenticed to a craftsman so that they could learn a specific trade. They were given food and Board but no pay Girls were taught household skills such as sewing, cooking, and nursing Wealthy boys were sent to community schools and taught subjects such as mathematics, history, languages, and literature.

Additional Information The land in the Middle Colonies was very fertile There were many ethnic groups such as the English, the Swedish, the Dutch, the Germans, the Scots, the Irish and the French Served as important distribution centers in the English Mercantile system; advantaged by its central location New York and Philadelphia grew at a fast rate, and gave way to thinkers such as Ben Franklin Served as a crossroad of ideas

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