The Middle Colonies Pages 100-105 Chapter 4 Section 2 Notes The Middle Colonies Pages 100-105

Setting the Scene By 1700, England had 4 colonies in the region south of New England These colonies were known as the “Middle Colonies” They were located between the New England and Southern Colonies Middle Colonies—New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

New Netherland Becomes New York The Dutch were the first Europeans to colonize present-day New York. They called their colony New Netherland. New Amsterdam (New York City) became a thriving business port.

New Netherland Becomes New York Most settlers lived in the trading center of New Amsterdam. They came from all over Europe. Many were attracted by the chance to practice their religion freely.

New Netherland Becomes New York The Dutch permitted members of other religions to buy land. Roman-Catholics, French Protestants, and Jewish people all bought land in New Netherland.

New Netherland Becomes New York The English wanted to take New Netherland away from the Dutch and have it for themselves. The English already had the New England Colonies and Southern Colonies. If the English could take New Netherland, they would have control of the entire Atlantic Coast.

New Netherland Becomes New York In 1664, the English king Charles II ordered his brother, the Duke of York to attack and conquer the Dutch and drive them out of New Netherland. The governor of New Netherland was Peter Stuyvesant and was unable to protect the city.

New Netherland Becomes New York Stuyvesant did not have enough weapons or support to defend the colony. Stuyvesant was unpopular among his own citizens because of his harsh rules and high taxes. He surrendered without a fight.

New Netherland Becomes New York King Charles II gave New Netherland to his brother, the Duke of York. He renamed the colony New York in the dukes honor.

New Jersey When the English took over New York, the New York colony stretched all the way to the Delaware River. Duke of York realized it was too big to govern.

New Jersey The Duke of York gave some of the land of New York to his friends, Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. They called this new colony New Jersey. It would be a proprietary colony—land given to an individual or group of people by a king or queen. The proprietors(owners) could rule the colony as they wished but had to follow English laws.

New Jersey In 1702, New Jersey became a Royal Colony—a colony under control of the English crown. The colony protected religious freedom and had a representative assembly that voted on local matters.

Pennsylvania West of New Jersey, William Penn founded the colony of Pennsylvania in 1682. English King Charles II, had owed money to Penn's father He repaid the debt in the form of a land grant to William after his father had died. Penn called this land Pennsylvania, which means “Penn's woods.”

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Penn was a member of a religious group called the Quakers. The Quakers were being persecuted in England for their beliefs. Quakers believed that all people should be treated as equals, not only in church but also in society and government. They allowed women to preach in public, spoke out against wars and refused to serve in an army. They did not believe in violence.

Pennsylvania Penn’s Quaker beliefs led him to speak out for fair treatment of Native Americans. He said settlers should pay the Natives for the land. Native Americans respected Penn. Many years of peace in Pennsylvania between the colonists and Native Americans.

Pennsylvania Penn sent pamphlets describing his colony all over Europe. Settlers from England, Scotland, Wales, Netherlands, France and Germany crossed the Atlantic to Pennsylvania. Largest group—Germans—known as Pennsylvania Dutch because people could not pronounce the word Deutsch which means German.

Pennsylvania Penn planned a capital city along the Delaware River. He named it Philadelphia, a Greek word meaning “brotherly love”

Delaware For a time, Pennsylvania included present-day Delaware. The settlers in this area did not want to send delegates to a faraway assembly in Philadelphia. In 1701, Penn allowed them to elect their own assembly. Later, these people broke away from Pennsylvania to form the colony of Delaware.

Life in the Middle Colonies Much better farming conditions in the Middle Colonies than in New England. Warmer climate, better soil, longer growing season. Large river valleys were rich and fertile.

Life in the Middle Colonies Farmers in the Middle Colonies produced surpluses of wheat, barley, and rye. These were cash crops—crops that are sold for profit at market. Middle Colonies exported so much grain that they became known as the “breadbasket colonies.”

Life in the Middle Colonies Farmers of the Middle Colonies also raised herds of cattle and pigs. They sent tons of beef, pork and butter to the ports of New York and Philadelphia From there, the goods went by ship to New England, the South, West Indies, England and other parts of Europe.

Life in the Middle Colonies Encouraged by William Penn, skilled German craftsworkers set up shop in Pennsylvania. The colony became a center of manufacturing and crafts. Workshops turned out hardware, clocks, watches, locks, guns, glass, stoneware, nails and paper.

Life in the Middle Colonies Settlers in the Delaware River valley profited from the region’s rich deposits of iron ore. Heating the iron ore in furnaces, they purified it and then hammered it into nails, tools, and parts for guns.

Life in the Middle Colonies Farms in the Middle Colonies were larger than those in New England. Houses were far apart in the Middle Colonies thus towns were less important. Counties, rather than towns and villages became centers of local government.

Life in the Middle Colonies Swedish settlers introduced log cabins to the Americas. The Dutch used red bricks to build narrow, high-walled houses. German settlers developed a wood-burning stove that heated a home better than a fireplace.

The Backcountry In the 1700s, thousands of German and Scotch-Irish settlers arrived in Philadelphia. From there, they traveled west into the backcountry—the area of land along the eastern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains. Settlers followed an old Iroquois trail that was known as the Great Wagon Road. To farm the backcountry, settlers had to clear thick forests.