8th Grade

Here are Chapter 4 Section 2 notes. These need to be in your notebook no later than Tuesday the 14th. That is Tuesday of next week. Remeber that the notes are even more important now that they have ever been!

The Middle Colonies
Chapter 4
Section 2
New Netherland becomes New York
• Fur Traders
• Farmers granted large plots of land (miles long)
• Patroons- owners of huge estates. Powerful
• New Amsterdam was major trading center
• Slaves made up more than ¼ of the population
• Protestants, but tolerated other religions
• 1664 English/Dutch rivalry peaked and English took over renaming it New York
New Jersey Separates from New York
• Duke of York decided New York was too big
• Gave some land to friends who set up New Jersey
• Proprietary Colony- land given for a yearly payment
• Fertile farmland
• 1702- New Jersey becomes a royal colony (under direct control of the English crown)
• Religious freedom & right to an assembly

The Founding of Pennsylvania
• William Penn- founder 1681
• Quakers
– Most despised religion in England
– All people were equal in God’s eyes
– Spoke out against war and refused to join the army
– Persecuted
– King Charles II named it after Penn and issued the royal charter
– A Policy of Fairness
– A model of religious freedom, peace, Christian living
– Many different types of religions flocked to Pennsylvania
– English officials soon banned Catholics & Jews
– Penn spoke out about the treatment of Indians
– Settlers must pay Indians for the land
– Indians like Penn, peace prevailed
• The Colonies Grow
– Penn sends pamphlets back to Europe inviting people to come to Pennsylvania
– 1730-1750- 1/3 of the population was slaves
– Philadelphia became the capitol, described as
“most noble, well built city ever seen”
• Delaware
– Pennsylvania Lower Countries complained it was too far to Philadelphia
– 1701 Penn allows the creation of a new assembly
– 1704- Penn allows them to break off and form Delaware
Life in the Middle Colonies
• A Thriving Economy in the Eastern Counties
– Great Farmland – large farms
– Cash Crops- crops sold at a market for money
– Wheat, Barley, and Rye, (Breadbasket Colonies)
– Cattle and Pigs
– Skilled artisans- clocks, paper, glass, guns
– Region rich in Iron Ore
• Middle Colony Homes
– Towns less important, villages became important centers for government
– Swedish brought log cabins
– Dutch brought brick narrow tall housing
– German brought wood burning stoves
– Families made or caught everything they needed

• The Backcountry
– 1700’s German and Irish settlers moved into Appalachian Mountain region
– Moved along old Iroquois trails known as the Great Wagon Road
– Farming this region was challenging
– Made everything from the cleared forests
– Light weight rifle developed by Germans
– Indians not excited to see the new settlers
– Occasional violence and disputes broke out