Section 3: The Middle Colonies

The Dutch found New York In 1613, the Dutch founded New Netherlands as a trading post for exchanging furs with the Iroquois Indians. At the center of this busy fur trade was a town known as New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant took over as leader of this increasingly diverse colony. People from many different backgrounds moved to New Netherlands because of generous land grands and religious tolerance. New Netherland was not defended and was very susceptible to English Conquest. In 1664, an English fleet captured New Amsterdam. New Netherland was renamed New York and New Amsterdam became New York City.

The Duke of York gives his friends the gift of New Jersey Soon after the successful conquest of New York in 1664, the Duke of York made Sir George Carteret and Lord John Berkeley proprietors of the land between the Hudson and Delaware river. New Jersey was extremely diverse in population and an important fur trade post.

The Quakers and William Penn The society of friends, or The Quakers, made up one of the largest religious groups in New Jersey. Quakers had few formal religious practices and dressed very plainly. Believed in equality between men and women, the existence of god, nonviolence towards all and religious tolerance. Persecuted in both England and America William Penn received a charter in 1681 to start Pennsylvania for the Quakers, Despite their quiet and non-confrontational ways, Quaker beliefs were outside the norm and seemed strange to most Christians. Because of this, Quakers were

Pennsylvania (Delaware too!) Penn limited his own power and established an elected assembly to pass laws for the colony. Total religious freedom to all Christians. PA was an example of representative self government in the colonies. In 1682, the Duke of York sold Penn the area which would become Delaware after remaining a part of Pennsylvania until 1776. He named his capital, Philadelphia or “City of Brotherly Love”.

Economy of the Middle Colonies Was mixture of New England and southern colonies and grew staple crops, which are crops that were needed always These included wheat, barley, and oats. Farmers also raised livestock Slaves were somewhat more important in these colonies than in New England They worked in the cities as skilled laborers, blacksmiths and carpenters, while others worked on farms, onboard ships and in the shipbuilding industry. Indentured servants largely filled the labor needs 135,000 came to the middle colonies between 1700 and 1775 Women had made important contributions to the economy Ran farms, businesses such as the clothing industry, grocery stores, bakeries and drugstores. Some worked as nurses and midwives.