The American Nation

Chapter 4.2The Middle Colonies

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

Chapter 4, Section 2 The Middle Colonies

• Why did the colony of New Netherland become the colony of New York?

• Why did New Jersey separate from New York?

• How was Pennsylvania founded?

• What was life like in the Middle Colonies?

Chapter 4, Section 2

New Netherland Became New York

1626 and on

• The Dutch set up the colony of New Netherland. Settlers traded in furs. New Amsterdam became a thriving port.

• To encourage farming, Dutch officials granted huge estates to a few rich families. Owners of the estates were called patroons.

• People from different religious groups flocked to New Netherland because of its religious tolerance. The colony grew.

Chapter 4, Section 2

1647 and on• Rivalry for trade and colonies

increased between England and the Netherlands. The governor of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant, swore to defend his colony.

• Stuyvesant was unpopular because of his harsh rule and heavy taxes. When English warships entered the harbor, the colonists refused to help the governor. The English took over without a shot.

1664• The king of England gave New

Netherland to the Duke of York. New Netherland became New York.

Chapter 4, Section 2

New Jersey Separated From New York

• The Duke of York thought

that New York was too big

to govern easily. • He gave up some land to

friends. They set up a new

colony, New Jersey, which

was a proprietary colony.

In a proprietary colony, the king gave land to one or more people. These proprietors could divide the land and make laws for it.

Chapter 4, Section 2New Jersey Separated From New York

• Settlers came from many countries.

• In 1702, New Jersey became a royal colony, which is a colony under the direct control of the English crown.

Chapter 4, Section 2William Penn Founded Pennsylvania

• In England, William Penn joined the Quakers, a religious group that believed that all people were equal in God’s sight. Quakers were against war.

• Quakers were arrested, fined, or even hanged for their ideas.

Chapter 4, Section 2

William Penn Founded Pennsylvania

• Penn believed the Quakers must leave England. He turned to the king for help.

• The king issued a royal charter naming Penn proprietor of a new colony, later called Pennsylvania.

Chapter 4, Section 2

William Penn Founded Pennsylvania

• Penn called for fair treatment of Native Americans.

• Penn welcomed settlers of different faiths and people from many countries, including Germany. Other colonists called the Germans Pennsylvania Dutch, from the word “Deutsch,” which means German.

Chapter 4, Section 2Features of Life in the Middle Colonies

• Cash crops—crops that are sold for money at market

• Large farms

• Skilled artisans

• Homes far apart

• Settlers from many different countries

• Many styles of building

• Coastal area plus the backcountry

Chapter 4, Section 2 Section 2 Assessment

The colonies of New York and Pennsylvania were both settled bya) the Dutch.

b) Puritans.

c) people of many different religious backgrounds.

d) friends of the Duke of York.

Which description does NOT fit the Middle Colonies?a) large farms with fields of grain planted in rich, fertile soil

b) settlers of many different religious backgrounds

c) settlers from many different countries

d) pumpkins and squash grown in poor, rocky soil on small farms

Chapter 4, Section 2 Section 2 Assessment

The colonies of New York and Pennsylvania were both settled bya) the Dutch.

b) Puritans.

c) people of many different religious backgrounds.

d) friends of the Duke of York.

Which description does NOT fit the Middle Colonies?a) large farms with fields of grain planted in rich, fertile soil

b) settlers of many different religious backgrounds

c) settlers from many different countries

d) pumpkins and squash grown in poor, rocky soil on small farms