Transcript Chapter 3, Section 3

Chapter 3, Section 3
The Middle Colonies
New York and New Jersey
• New Netherland was
founded in 1613 as a
trading post with the
Iroquois
– Town of New Amsterdam
on the island of Manhattan
was the center
• General land grants and
religious toleration
brought Jews, French
Huguenots, Puritans, and
others to the colony
• Peter Stuyvesant led the
colony beginning in 1647
New York and New Jersey
• New Amsterdam was captured by the English in
1664 and renamed New York
– New Amsterdam was renamed New York City
• Sir George Carteret and Lord John Berkeley
were made proprietors of New Jersey by the
Duke of York
– This colony occupied lands between the Hudson and
Delaware Rivers
• Diverse population: Dutch, Swedes, Finns, and Scots
• Fur trade was very important to the colonies of
New York and New Jersey
• Quakers
Penn’s Colony
– Also called Society of Friends, made up one
of the largest religious groups in New Jersey
– Did not follow formal religious practices
– Dressed plainly
– Believed men and women were equal before
God
– Supported nonviolence and religious
toleration
– Their beliefs were “shocking” and they were
persecuted in Europe and America
Penn’s Colony
• William Penn
– Proprietor of the New Jersey colony and a
Quaker
– Wanted to create a larger colony under his
own control as a refuge for Quakers
– 1681, King Charles II granted William Penn a
charter to begin a colony west of New Jersey
and Pennsylvania was born
Penn’s Colony
• Pennsylvania
– Grew rapidly
– Penn limited his own power and created an
elected assembly
– Promised religious freedom to all Christians
– Made Pennsylvania an important example of
representative self-government
• A government that reflects the will of the people
– Penn named the capital “Philadelphia” which
means “city of brotherly love”
The Economy of the Middle Colonies
• Combined characteristics of the New
England colonies and the Southern
Colonies
• Good climate and rich soil allowed farmers
to grow staple crops
– Crops that are always needed
– Included wheat, barley, oats
– Also raised livestock
The Economy of the Middle Colonies
• Slaves were somewhat more important in
the middle colonies than in the New
England colonies.
– Worked in cities as skilled laborers
– Worked on farms
– Most labor needs were filled by indentured
servants
• 1700-1775, about 135,000 indentured servants
came to the middle colonies
The Economy of the Middle Colonies
• Trade
– Colonial goods exported to markets in Britain
and the West Indies
• Women
– Important to the economy of the Middle
Colonies
• Ran farms and businesses
• Practiced medicine
– Colonial laws limited their economic opportunities
– Most worked in the home