The Middle Colonies

1
The Middle Colonies

• Chapter 6 section 2
• Pages 157-162

2
The middle colonies

• Included
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• New Jersey
• Delaware

3
Farming

• Farmers in the middle colonies had many
  advantages
• Rich soil
• Mild climate
• Long growing season
• Deep rivers

4
Crops for sale

• Because of good soil and climate people could
  produce crops to sell
• These became known as Cash Crops- crops grown to
  sell for profit
• They produced so much grain they became known as
  the bread basket colonies

5
Port cities

• Many farmers in the middle colonies shipped their
  goods through Philadelphia and New York
• They shipped them via the Delaware river and the
  Hudson river

6
Conestoga Wagon

• Many of the Pennsylvania Dutch utilized the
  Conestoga wagon
• It was
• Larger
• More sturdy
• Covered
• Large wheels

7
New York farmers

• Owning land was very important to the colonists
• 5 families owned most of the land (their estates
  could cover up to 2 million acres)
• The owner or Patroon ran their estates like tiny
  kingdoms
• People who farmed the land had to pay rent

8
Business, Trade, and Cities

• Page 159

9
Cities Grow Quickly

• By the mid 1700s Philadelphia and New York were
  the two largest cities in the colonies
• They were important trading and manufacturing
  centers
• Cities were a contrast to the quiet countryside
• Streets were paved with brick or cobblestone
• They were lined with shops and inns
• Crowds of people spoke many languages

10
A different kind of community

• The middle colonies were settled by people from
  many countries with different
• Beliefs
• Customs
• languages

11
Many Religions

• The colonies did not have any single religion
  that was more powerful then the others
• Religions included
• Roman catholic
• Jewish
• Amish
• Mennonite
• Calvinists
• Quaker
• Lutherans

12
Country Customs and Fun

• People worked together to
• Clear land
• Barn raising
• Sheep shearing
• Quilting

13
The Frontier

• Early colonists settled along the Atlantic coast
  and the banks of large rivers
• As more people arrived they moved further inland
• Frontier- a thinly settled area on the outer
  limits of the colonies
• For the middle colonies the frontier was the
  foothills of the Appalachian Mountains

14
People on the frontier

• People who settled here were mainly seeking new
  adventure and freedom
• They had to partake in extra chores like
• Cutting logs for their house and fires
• Make furniture
• Make candles
• Make clothes
• Educate their children

15
Dangers on the frontier

• Because families on the frontier all faced many
  dangers and hardships
• They gained a spirit of independence and equality
• Women worked alongside men
• Different culture groups shared thoughts and
  ideas
• There were no social class distinctions