1. Formation of the Middle Colonies

2. Middle Colonies: The Jan Brady of Colonial Period This section is focused on the middle colonies. They are directly south of the New England colonies. The middle colonies were known for being much more diverse than the New England or Southern colonies.

3. New York & New Jersey As the Middle Colonies were establishing, the Dutch Settlement of New Netherland was getting in the way of English settlement. The English wanted the Dutch out of the region. They easily kicked out the leader, Peter Stuyvesant. King Charles II then gave the colony to his brother, the Duke of York. The king then renamed the colony New York in his brother’s honor. The Duke of York thought that New York was too big for him to keep a close eye on. He split the colony in two forming New Jersey. Peter Stuyvesant

4. The Quakers Crazy Ideas Next, William Penn, a wealthy Englishman, founded Pennsylvania. Penn was a member of a radical group of protestants called the Quakers. The Quakers believed that everyone was equal. This meant men and women, noble and commoner. The Quakers allowed women to preach in public, and refused to bow to nobles. They were probably the most despised religious group of the time. Penn even took his ideas of fairness farther. He believed that the land we were settling on belonged to the Indians, and that the English should pay them for it. The Natives respected him for this, and Pennsylvania had peaceful relations with the Indians for many years. Penn carefully planned a capital city for the colony on the Delaware River. He named this capital Philadelphia. Pennsylvania was too big, so it split in two creating Delaware. Someone get me a cheese steak sandwich!!!!

5. I (heart) Middle Colonies Most colonists in the Middle colonies farmed for a living. The climate and soil were much better than in the New England colonies. Homes tended to be further apart because the farms were so big. These farms were usually run by farmhands, not slaves. We remember the Middle colonies because they had such a diverse culture. Diversity in religion and race.