Chapter 6 – Middle and Southern Colonies

Lesson 2 – Life in the Middle Colonies

Pg. 196-199

What will we learn today?

•Today we will learn about everyday life in the Middle Colonies.

Words to Watch For

•free market economy•free enterprise•artisan•laborer•apprentice

Lesson 2 – Life in the Middle Colonies

• Who?• Colonists• Where?• Middle Colonies• What?• Everyday life• When?• 1600-1750

The Middle Colonies

Diversity• Colonists in the

Middle Colonies were very diverse, with people from different countries, religions, and cultures.

– German– Dutch– Scots-Irish– Scandinavian– English – Enslaved

Africans– Quakers– Protestant– Jews– Catholics

Why were the Middle Colonies Diverse?

•William Penn had started the Pennsylvania colony with the idea of religious tolerance.

•Other proprietors just wanted their land rented or bought and didn’t care who it was.

Why did people come to the Middle Colonies?

•Religious tolerance•Inexpensive land•Escape punishment for

religious beliefs•Farm their own land•Find a better way of life

Where did they go?

•Most came through the ports of New York or Philadelphia.

•Some stayed in the cities.•Most colonists then moved to

the countryside to live or work on farms.

Earning a Living• Farming

–Raised livestock – cattle, pigs

–Grew – vegetables, fruits, and so much grain, the area became known as the “breadbasket”

Earning a Living• Farmers

usually sold their surplus (extra) crops to earn a living.

• Other colonists sold wood or furs.

Earning a Living•The English Colonies had a free market economy – they could earn a living any way they wanted to.

•Colonists could begin any business that they wanted to, this is called free enterprise.

•Why is this important?

City Life• Philadelphia & New

York were the two largest cities attracting a wide variety of people:

• Artisans – person skilled at making something by hand

• Laborer – person who does hard physical work

A Different Kind of Education

•Many young people in cities became apprentices – someone who studies with a master to learn a skill or business.–Usually worked 4-7 years.

•Most parents wanted their children to learn a business or run the farm instead of going to college.

Apprentices• Boys

–Shoemaking–Printing–bookmaking

• Girls–Spin thread–Weave cloth

1. In the 1600s, the population of the Middle Colonies was

A. a mix of people from different nations.

B. only from Germany and the Netherlands.

C. only from England.

D. only from Scotland and Ireland.

2. Many families in the Middle Colonies were

A. plantation owners.

B. apprentices.

C. laborers.

D. farmers.

3. Which of the following is true about colony proprietors?

A. They told colonists how to worship.

B. They did not practice religious tolerance.

C. They did not tell the colonists what to produce.

D. They did not rent land to the colonists.

4. In the Middle Colonies, goods were shipped from

A. London and Bristol.

B. Philadelphia and Cádiz.

C. New York and Bristol.

D. New York and Philadelphia.

5. What are two things the Middle Colonies sent to Great Britain?

A. lumber and iron

B. wheat and furs

C. meat and lumber

D. meat and furs

Images

•http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/mwt/timeline/images/weaving1793.jpg

•http://www.lhf.org/cgi-bin/gygactivity.pl?288