The Middle Colonies
Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey made up the Middle Colonies. These colonies had very fertile soil, which led to the mass production of wheat. That is why they were known as the “Bread Basket” colonies! Because of the geography, the economy of theses colonies were agricultural based.
Delaware
* Founded: 1704
* Founded by: The lower colony settlers of Pennsylvania
* Reason founded: Lower colony settlers didn’t want to travel to a distant assembly in Pennsylvania
* Government: Same as Pennsylvania - had Council and Assembly (settlers moved here from Pennsylvania)
* Religion: Protestant (Quaker)
* Economy: Shipping, shipbuilding, agriculture, and trade industries
* Important documents: Frame of Government, The Magna Carta
* Important residents: William Penn
* There was no public school system, and most people worked in farms.
* Delaware had more claims than any other one of the thirteen colonies
Pennsylvania
* Founded: 1681
* Founded by: William Penn
* Reason founded: Religious freedom
* Government: Council and Assembly - made by the First Frame of Government
- Frame of Government - offered equal share of government to colonists; council had the most power, and the lower house could only approve or veto bills from the council
- Charter of Privileges - gave lower house all power
* Economy: Shipping, shipbuilding, agriculture (wheat and corn), and iron ore industries
* Important documents: Frame of Government (made lower and upper house of legislature), The Magna Carta
* Important residents: William Penn
* There was no public school system, and most people worked in farms.
* Pennsylvania was called the "Holy Experiment", and the “Quaker State”
New York
* Founded: 1626
* Founded by: Peter Stuyvesant
* Reason founded: Religious freedom and trade
* Government:
Before assembly - The governor was like a dictator, an executive council had 12 men appointed by the governor, upper house of legislature.
Assembly - lower house of legislature, first one in 1683 (governor ruled alone before), new taxation impossible without it.
* Religion: Started out being the Dutch Protestantism, but French Huguenots caused the French version of Protestantism to dominate. Also accepted Roman Catholics and Jews.
* Economy: Farming, iron, manufacturing (ship building, iron works), and agriculture (cattle, rice, indigo, wheat) industries.
* Important documents: The Colonial Laws of New York - included charters to the Duke of York, commissions and instructions for the governors, the acts of colonial legislature.
* Important residents: Peter Minuit
* New York was a busy port and social center, and people worked hard in farms.
* King Charles II gave New Netherlands to his brother the Duke of York who renamed the colony New York.
New Jersey
* Founded: 1664
* Founded by: Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret
* Reason founded: New York had too much land to govern properly, so they made a new colony
* Government: Philip Carteret made a form of government called Concessions which gave religious liberty to the Englishmen of the colony and the government was made up of a governor, council, and assembly of 12 chosen by the people, and no taxes could be made without permission of the assembly.
* Religion: People from Finland, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and Sweden; mostly Protestant
* Economy: Farming industry
* Important documents: The Magna Carta
* Important residents: Thomas Edison
* People in New Jersey mostly farmed on the fertile soil
* The Duke of York gave land to Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley. In 1702 it became a royal colony so it was under direct control of the English crown. The charter protected religious freedom and the rights of the assembly that voted on local matters.
Still curious? Visit this site: http://www.usahistory.info/ (Look for the Colonization of the Middle Colonies chapter) Also, visit this website for a video about the Middle Colonies: http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/12750-the-english-colonies-the-middle-colonies-video.htm
Below is an informational video about the origins of the Middle Colonies.
