The Middle coloniesPennslyvania-Delaware-New York-New Jersey
The middle colonies served as an important distribution center in the English mercantile system. New York and Philadelphia grew at a fantastic rate. These cities housed brilliant thinkers such as Benjamin Franklin, who earned respect on both sides of the Atlantic. In many ways, the middle colonies served as the crossroads of ideas during the colonial times. In contrast to the South where the cash crop plantation system dominated, and New England, whose rocky soil made large-scale agriculture difficult, the middle colonies were fertile. Land was generally acquired more easily than in New England or in the plantation South. Wheat and corn from local farms would feed the American colonies. The middle colonies would import and export the things they needed to survive. The middle colonies represented exactly that, a middle ground between its neighbors to the North and South. While the middle colonies were governed by some elected leaders, but mostly by leaders who were appointed. Although this was very similar to England and its government they would never appoint a king or queen in the new colonies. This is the region where religion split and spread from the roman catholic church. This area housed the following religions: Dutch Mennonites, French Huguenots, German Baptists, Portuguese Jews, English Anglicans, Lutherans, Quakers, Moravians, Amish, Dunkers, Presbyterians, and very few Catholics. This area was a lot more active when it came to the American revolution. |