The Thirteen Colonies:The Middle Colonies

Pages 107-111

The Middle Colonies

• New YorkNew York

• New Jersey

• PennsylvaniaPennsylvania

• DelawareDelaware

Soil and Climate in the Middle Colonies

Glaciers that had scooped soil in New England stopped in the area of the middle colonies leaving rich fertile soil.

The land had rolling hills and valleys.

The growing season was much longer than in the New England colonies.

The climate in this area was mild-more sunny days and rainfall meant farming was better than in the New England colonies.

The Breadbasket Of the Colonies

The middle colonies became known as the Breadbasket of the Colonies because they grew and sold so many grains (wheat, corn, barley and oats).

Supplying themselves and others Many wide rivers such as the Delaware and Hudson meant crops/supplies could be sent by riverboats. Colonists hunted and trapped animals such as deer and beaver.

Beaver was the most popular material for hats.

We learn From Each OtherThe middle colonies attracted a more diverse population of Germans, Dutch, Irish, English, and Swedish settlers.

Different religions existed side by side-Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Quakers.

The settlers of New York and New Jersey learned important skills from each other:

Swedes shared their log cabin building skills

Scots shared farming ideas

Native Americans shared whale hunting tips.

Other Colonial Occupations1. Merchants2. Printers3. Shoemakers4. Cabinetmaker

s5. Loggers6. Ship builders7. Iron Workers

Henry Hudson and the Dutch

In 1609 Henry Hudson claimed the land that is now New York for the Dutch (people of the Netherlands)

Then in 1621 the Dutch West India Company decided to set up a colony there and called it New Netherland.

They bought land from the Manhates and created a city along a natural harbor. It was filled with many resources, including timber, fish, and fur-bearing animals. They called the city, New Amsterdam (Present Day Manhattan)

New Amsterdam To attract settlers, the Dutch offered land grants to patroons in 1629. Patroons were wealthy Dutch men who agreed to bring 50 people to the colonies. (add the definition to the vocabulary at the bottom of your notes page)

This plan didn’t work well because the settlers had to clear their own land, and then share their crops with the patroons. Most Dutch did not need to relocate for religious or economic reasons.

New Amsterdam -1664

New Amsterdam goes down without a fight!

The English take New Netherlands and rename the colony New York:

In 1664, King Charles II of England “gave” his brother James, The Duke of York, land that included New Netherland.

The Duke of York arrived in the harbor or New Amsterdam with 4 warships, and while the governor, Peter Stuyvesant wanted to fight, the Dutch colonists did not. New Amsterdam fell to the English without a shot being fired. The English renamed the colony, New York, and the city became New York City.

The Fall of New Amsterdam

By Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, showing Peter Stuyvesant (left of center, with wooden leg) standing on shore among residents of New Amsterdam who are pleading with him not to open fire on the English who have arrived in warships waiting in the harbor to claim the territory for England.

The Duke of York Rewards his Friends

The Duke of York gave part of New York to two of his friends who named it New Jersey in honor of the English island of Jersey.

Sir George Carteret Lord John Berkeley

ProprietorsJames, the Duke of York, and his friends served as proprietors of the land. They appointed governors and ran the colonies as a business. A proprietor is a person who is granted ownership of a colony (add the definition to the vocabulary at the bottom of the notes page)

They offered free land, religious freedom, and gave the settlers a voice in their government. The downside was that the colonists had to pay tax. People operated under the free market system free market system in the middle colonies. They were free to create whatever products they wanted. They also had free enterprisefree enterprise- they could start whatever businesses they wanted.

Slavery in the Middle ColoniesoNew York had the largest enslaved population of all the more northern colonies.oSlaves there were primarily used to do construction. oSlaves even built the wall that gave Wall Street its name.

William PennWilliam Penn-belonged to a religious group called the Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers.

Many Quakers had been jailed for going against the Church of England

Penn wanted to start a new colony in America as a “holy experiment”

Pennsylvania and DelawareThe King of England, Charles II, owed money to William Penn’s father.

Penn asked the king to pay by giving him land in the colonies.

The region was called Pennsylvania, which means Penn’s Woods.

The Duke of York also gave him even more land that would become Delaware.

Pennsylvania: The City of Philadelphia

Known as the City of Brotherly Love, the city of Philadelphia was the largest city in the colonies by 1750. Like New York City, it was a huge center for trade.

Benjamin Franklin did much to help the city grow. He established a club whose goal was to benefit the city. He established the first Fire Department, and the first library. He improved the city’s police department and postal system.

Settlers from Different Lands

Pennsylvania attracted people from a variety of religions and backgrounds:

1.Quakers from England

2.Germans were escaping wars in their homeland Germans of the Mennonite faith also came (often called the Pennsylvania Dutch)

3.Scots-Irish (people from Scotland who had settled in Ireland for a time who came for jobs and a better life.