•   New York, New Jersey, Delaware and
Pennsylvania: “The Bread Colonies”
–   Fertile soil & large rivers
–   Grain production
•   Fur trade, some industry, shipbuilding
•   Most diverse of all of the colonies
–   Most “American”
•   Dutch very active in coloniazation in 17 th century
–   Most active in East Indies & Caribbean
•   Planted New Netherland on Hudson
River in 1623
–   Fur trade
–   Bought Manhattan from Natives
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•   Company town for the Dutch Company
–   Always secondary to Caribbean colonies
–   Will later be New York City
•   New Amsterdam had no religious toleration, free speech, etc.
–   Yet was still very diverse
•   Very hostile toward Native Americans
•   As New Amsterdam grew, English saw
Dutch as threat
–   Hostilities between New England & New
Amsterdam
–   Connecticut expelled Dutch citizens
–   Three New England colonies wanted war but was vetoed by Massachusetts
•   Dutch will surrender New Amsterdam to
English in 1664
–   Renamed New York
" Founded in the 1650s
" Called Quakers because they “ quaked ” during intense religious practices.
" Saw English church as corrupt
" Man could find grace through “ inward light ”
§   Believed all were children of God à refused to treat the upper classes with deference.
§   Spiritual equality of the sexes.
§   Pacifists.
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" Aristocratic Englishman.
" 1660 – attracted to the Quaker faith.
" 1681 à he received a grant from king to establish a colony.
•   Penn ʼ s Three Goals:
–   Refuge for the persecuted.
–   Frame of Government: Representative
Government elected by landowners.
–   Charter of Liberties (1701): allowed freedom of religion and unrestricted immigration
" Bought [didn ʼ t simply take] land from Indians.
" BUT…….. non-Quaker
Europeans flooded PA
§   Treated native peoples poorly.
§   This undermined the actions of the Quakers!
§   By mid-18th c., Penn and
Indians near war.
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" Attracted many different people
§   Religious misfits from other colonies.
§   Many different ethnic groups.
§   Jews and Catholics still not allowed to hold office (orders from England)
" No provision for military defense.
" No restrictions on immigration.
" No slavery!!
A society that gave its citizens economic opportunity, civil liberty, & religious freedom!!
•   Quakers were shrewd businessmen
–   Exported grain and other foodstuffs
–   Population will boom
•   By 1700, only Virginia & Mass. had higher pop.
•   Quaker settlements also in New Jersey
•   Delaware was under the governor of
Pennsylvania until the American Revolution
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