III.
The Middle Colonies
A. Settling the Middle Colonies
1. Included NY, NJ, PA, and DE
2. Major rivers (Hudson and Delaware) encouraged trade
3. Good soil and mild winters – good farming
4. Great ethnic and religious diversity
5. New Netherland
a. Dutch built colony along Hudson River
b. Peter Stuyvesant had expanded colony by taking New
Sweden – area along Delaware River
c. Patroon system
i. Person brought 50 people to New Netherland
ii. Received large land grant
iii. Also receive fishing, hunting, trapping rights
iv. Resulted in patroons bringing slaves
v. Also resulted in great wealth for the patroons
6. A Tolerant Society
a. Dutch brought tolerance with them
b. Welcomed dissenters who were banished from New England
c. Many other groups settled
i. Quakers
ii. German Lutherans
iii. French Huguenots
iv. Jews
d. Became known as most tolerant colony in North America
B. The English Take Control
1. England saw New Netherland as a threat – split New England and
Southern colonies
2. Duke of York drove Dutch out – renamed New York in his honor
3. NJ, PA, and DE
a. New Jersey
i. Duke of York gave part of his land to Sir George
Carteret and Lord John Berkeley
ii. Religious freedom
iii. Land grants
iv. Representative assembly
b. Pennsylvania
i. William Penn given land by king as payment for a debt
ii. Founded Pennsylvania as a haven for Quakers
iii. “holy experiment” in religious tolerance
iv. No state supported church
v. Religious freedom and equality for all
vi. Many European groups came
vii.
Stressed hard work and thrift
viii.
Helped poor immigrants become rich
ix. Became one of the wealthiest colonies
c. Delaware
i. Lower three counties of Pennsylvania
ii. Allowed to have own assembly
iii. Became Delaware
d. Thirteen Colonies
i. By late 1730’s, 13 colonies were established
ii. Economically thriving
iii. Population growing rapidly – doubling every 25 years
iv. Virginia set precedent for plantation economy in South
v. Mass. set precedent for shipping and trade in North
vi. Because of distance, distinct colonial cultures
developed
vii.
By early 1700s, colonists had come to value
religious freedom and representative government