6.2 The Middle Colonies pp. 157-162

Objectives: Identify the groups of people that settled in the Middle Colonies. Describe what life was like on the frontier.

Review: 1. What factors made farming difficult in the New England Colonies? 2. Define subsistence farming— 3. List three ways colonists in New England made a living. 4. Define export— 5. Define import— 6. What were some products traded along the triangular trade routes? 7. Why did Puritans believe it was important to be able to read? 8. Define dame school— 9. What was a hornbook? 10. What did the Massachusetts School Law (1647) require? 11. What was the name of the first college in the colonies? 12. What did New Englanders call the open field around which they built their towns and villages? 13. What were two functions of the New England meetinghouse? 14. Which Massachusetts village experienced a series of witch trials and executions in 1692?

A. The Breadbasket Colonies (pp. 157-158) The Middle Colonies had rich soil, a mild climate, a long growing season, and several excellent rivers for getting produce from inland farms to the sea. Farmers here could produce cash crops, food crops (like wheat and other grains) grown to be sold. The Middle Colonies produced so much grain that they became known as the “breadbasket colonies.”

B. From Farms to Markets (p. 158) Most farmers in the Middle Colonies shipped their grain through two port cities—Philadelphia and New York City. People without easy access to rivers developed a new vehicle called the Conestoga Wagon. The Conestoga Wagon was huge, very sturdy, covered, and its wheels did not sink easily into mud.

C. Cities Grow Quickly (p. 159) By the mid-1700s Philadelphia and New York had passed Boston as the largest cities in the colonies. Philadelphia had 23,000 people by 1760 and was bigger than most cities in Great Britain. Crowds of people spoke many languages.

D. A Diverse Community (pp. 159-160) The Middle Colonies were settled by people from many countries, with different beliefs, customs, and languages. English, German, Dutch, Scots-Irish, and other cultures created a diversity not experienced in other areas.

E. Education and Training (p. 161) While many colonists respected education, the Middle Colonies did not set up public schools. Any ambitious 12- or 13-year-old could learn a craft by becoming an apprentice, or trainee, to a master craftsman. The apprentice would work for room and board (no pay) for several years until he learned the craft.

F. The Frontier (pp. 161-162) As more and more settlers arrived in the Middle Colonies, some moved farther inland to the frontier, a thinly settled area on the outer limits of the colonies. By the 1700s the frontier had pushed beyond the Appalachian Mountains and into the Ohio Valley. Many who moved to the frontier wanted cheap land, a sense of adventure and freedom from restrictions, and a new start in life.

Review: 15. What advantages did farmers in the Middle Colonies enjoy? 16. Define cash crops— 17. What were the Middle Colonies known as and why? 18. Define Conestoga wagon— 19. What were the two largest cities in the colonies by the mid-1700s? 20. In terms of national origin, how were the settlers in the Middle Colonies unlike those in New England? 21. Define apprentice— 22. Define frontier—