Chapter 6 The Middle Colonies Breadbasket Colonies Lesson

Chapter 6 - The Middle Colonies

Breadbasket Colonies Lesson 1

New Netherland The Dutch began to build their own colonies in North America and called it “New Netherland”. They settled in parts which are today are called New York, New Jersey and Delaware. The Dutch came because Henry Hudson had claimed it for their country.

New Netherland 1626 the Dutch began creating a town in the Manhattan Island in the New York Bay. The settlement was called “New Amsterdam” New Amsterdam grew and became the capital of New Netherland.

New Netherland The Dutch welcomed settlers from Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy and Spain. The Jewish began to settle in New Amsterdam, but did not have the same rights as the Christians did. The Jewish could not practice their religion or work certain jobs.

New Netherland Becomes New York Peter Stuyvesant was appointed director of New Netherland. He found it in trouble. The government was have trouble and the settlers were fighting over land. Stuyvesant helped resolve many conflicts.

New Netherland Becomes New York Stuywesant was very helpful with resolving problems but had a difficult time getting along with colonists. The colonists wanted their voice to be heard in the government. Beside trouble with colonists the colony prospered.

New Netherland Becomes New York New Netherland expanded to what is now New Jersey. After, he pushed south to what is now Delaware. The English colonists became upset that the Dutch was continuing to expand- preventing the English from creating new colonies.

New Netherland Becomes New York King Charles II of England declared war on Holland. King Charles told his brother, James- the Duke of York that he could have the Dutch colonies if he could seize them.

New Netherland becomes New York 1664 English warships sail into New Amsterdam. The Dutch would not fight the English. The colony had to be given up. The colonies were splitnow given the new names of New Jersey and New York.

New Jersey The Duke of York gave part of New Jersey and New York to John Berkeley and George Carteret. The two men said they could sell the land at a low price. This offer attracted many settlers. A group of Quakers was attracted to the offer.

New Jersey The Quakers bought the land. The Quakers believed that all people are created equal and all good. Quakers thought that violence was always wrong. All problems should be resolved peacefully.

New Jersey Quakers were treated poorly in England because of their beliefs. The Quakers did not want to fight for the king. New Jersey was supposed to be a place of refuge for the Quakers.

Pennsylvania and Delaware King Charles II gave a charter to William Penn. This made William Penn the Proprietor/owner of Pennsylvania. William Penn was granted the land because King Charles owed his father.

Pennsylvania & Delaware William Penn wrote “The Frame of Government” it provided the legislature to provide rules for the colony. The “Frames of Government” also allowed the colonists of Pennsylvania to have freedom of speech, freedom of religion and Trial by Jury.

Pennsylvania & Delaware Penn met with the Delaware Indian tribes. Penn paid the Indians for most of the land King Charles the II had given to him. The legend says that Penn and Chief Tamenend exchanged wampum belts as a sign of friendship.

Pennsylvania and Delaware The Indians came to respect Penn and thought he was a friend. Penn also ensured that all of the colonists were ruled with justice. He also became the owner of Delaware. The first General Assembly for Delaware met in 1704.

Market Towns Most colonists made a living by farming. Many farmers were able to grow many crops to feed their families. Market towns became common in the Middle Atlantic Colonies.

Market Towns In market towns, the general store sold: cloth, shoes, tools, stockings etc. A cobbler was a shoe repair man. A gristmill was where grain was ground into flour/meal. A sawmill was where logs were sawed into lumber.

Market Towns The Middle Atlantic Colonies welcomed people of different religion. Different churches were spread around the town. The difference and interest in religion led to the Great Awakening. This was the “rebirth” of religious belief and practice.

Colonial Philadelphia Lesson 2

Early Colonial Days William Penn wanted people of all diverse walks of life to live together. He also wanted to divide the colonies into townships. It was his idea that everyone would build their houses close together, so they could be in walking distance from

Early Colonial Days Penn had a different idea for Philadelphia. It would be different. An early plan had a checkerboard pattern for the streets and houses. By 1710, Philadelphia became one of the largest colonies.

Early Colonial Days Exports were farm products such as wheat, corn, rye, hemp and flax. Imports were manufactured goods from England. Imports were sent all around the Middle Atlantic Colonies.

The People of Philadelphia became a main port for not only imports, but immigrants as well. The largest groups in Philadelphia were made up of English and Quakers. Many immigrants came to seek refuge from war or food if their country was having a shortage.

The People of Philadelphia One of the largest groups of immigrants came from what is now Germany. The Germans brought many customs and specialized jobs to the colonies- such as barn raising. All immigrants entered the colony through the port of Philadelphia.

Benjamin Franklin and His City Benjamin Franklin was a citizen of the Philadelphia colony. He organized and trained a firefighting company in the colonies. He worked to have streets paved and raised money to build Philadelphia’s first hospital.

Benjamin Franklin and His City Benjamin Franklin also organized a militia (volunteer army) to protect the citizens of Philadelphia. Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning is a form of electricity. He invented the lightning rod.

Benjamin Franklin and His City Until the invention of the lightning rod, buildings that were struck would set on fire. Benjamin Franklin also helped establish the first library. He also helped make Philadelphia a publishing center.

Benjamin Franklin and His City 1729, newspapers began to be printed. 1732, the “Poor Richard’s Almanac” was printed. A calendar was also printed with a yearly weather forecast to help farmers plan when to grow their crops.

Moving West Lesson 3

The Great Wagon Road Early 1700’s most farming towns were located near the coast. Few settlers had settled in the piedmont- area between the coastal plain and the Appalachian Mountains. Settlers called the area they settled the “Back Country” because it was in back of the area that the Europeans settled.

The Great Wagon Road The waterfalls and tough terrain made traveling tough. Settlers had to carry their supplies. The travel was so difficult that it discouraged many settlers from travelling the “back country”.

The Great Wagon Road Mid-1700’s more settlers began to settle west of the Coastal Plain. Settlers began moving to the back country of West Virginia, North & South Carolina. Originally, the settlers would follow the old Indian trail to get there.

The Great Wagon Road Eventually, the trail was used more and became wider. Finally, wagons were able to travel on it. This trail was then known as “The Great Wagon Road”. Thousands of people followed this route.

The Great Wagon Road One of those people who traveled the “Great Wagon Road” was Daniel Boone and his family traveled the route- which took them more than a year to travel. Boone later became a well known explorers who explored many new trails.

Life in the Backcountry Most people who lived in the backcountry lived a simple lifestyle. They lived in log houses and had dirt floors with no windows. At night, when the adults slept, they would spread their blankets across dry leaves on the ground.

Life in the Backcountry The children slept in the loft- which was a raised area in the log cabin. Oliver Johnson- a settler: remembered sleeping on the loft when he was growing up. Life could be very difficult and dangerous for those who lived on the frontier.

Life in the Backcountry Families had to protect themselves from animals and other people. Indians would sometimes attack the settlers. Despite the dangers, people still chose to move further west.