NEW YORK

         In 1611, Henry Hudson was sent by the Dutch East India Company for a third voyage in search of a westward passage to the Americas. Dutch claims to the region were established when Hudson entered the harbor of what is now New York City, and sailed up the river that would one day be named after him. By 1621, the Dutch West India Company had been formed for trading in West Africa and the Americas). This entity colonized New Netherlands, which included areas that would later be known as New York, Delaware, New Jersey, and Connecticut.  From its beginning, New Netherlands was a diverse society with people from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. From the Dutch perspective, New Netherlands was valuable to its fur trade, but not a major aspect of their colonial empire.  After three naval wars between the Dutch and the English during the period from 1652 and 1674, the English won rights to New Netherlands from the Dutch and the colony was renamed New York, in honor of James, the Duke of York. Under both Dutch and English rule, New Netherlands had problem with conflict between ethnic groups, political turmoil, and ongoing Indian warfare.  The Duke of York initially refused to permit a representative assembly but one was finally established in 1863.

          

           Peter Stuyvesant, a Calvinist minister’s son was born in the Netherlands. At age 22, he joined the Dutch West India Company and was eventually appointed as director of the company’s colonies in the Caribbean. Stuyvesant’s right leg was amputated after he was injured during an attack on the island of Saint Martin.  He was called “Peg Leg Pete” because of his wooden leg. Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam in 1647 and promptly enacted his agenda of limiting liquor sales.  He also was known for promoting his own Dutch Reformed Church while persecuting Lutherans, Jews and Quakers.  Ol’ Peg Leg Pete had a reputation of being a ruthless tyrant but remains a prominent figure in the establishment of New Netherlands.

         Another source of resentment by the colonial New Yorkers was "Patroons", which were large estates rented to tenant farmers by the Dutch West India Company. These "Patroons" had control over the settlers’ property and matrimonial rights and would be colonial America’s wealthiest residents by the eighteenth century.

             The Dutch influence is still present in modern-day New York City architecture and culture.  Dutch names remain on well-known streets, neighborhoods, and boroughs, such as Brooklyn, Broadway, Harlem and the Bronx. Soft pretzels are an example of a popular snack that is a nod to New York's early Dutch influence.

Source: Mintz, S. (2007). The Middle Colonies:  New York. Digital History. Retrieved 07 November, 2010, from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=682

Post Written By Tamra H.

NEW JERSEY

            New Jersey is a middle colony that was first settled by the Dutch along the western banks of the Hudson River.  However, this settlement is insignificant and history states that the English was the first to occupy the colony.  The colony was populated by Indians when it was founded.  The Indians and the settlers were kind to one another and they lived together peacefully.

             New Jersey was free from Indian wars.  When the settlers arrived the Indians helped them by hunting for them, they gave them crops such as corn, squash and beans, and they provided them with shelter.  The colonists included Quakers, Puritans, indentured servants, Indians, other religions, and the Dutch.  The colonists lived peaceful terms with the Indians and kept a profitable trade of fur and hunting game.

              When England arrived the decided to take over and steal the Indian’s land.  The Indian’s and the colonists did not like this but the English power was too strong and the Indians were forced to leave New Jersey.

      The government of New Jersey was known as Concessions, which granted religious liberty to the Englishmen.  The government consisted of a governor, council, and an assembly of twelve people chosen by the people, and there were to be no taxes laid without consent of the assembly.  In 1668 the first assembly met and the code of the laws adopted indicated Puritan domination of the colony.   In 1670 the first quitrents were due and many of the settlers refused to pay rent.  They claimed that they had inherited their lands from the Indians, the real owners.  The people rebelled and elected an illegal assembly to be governor, son of Sir George, James Carteret.  The rebellious government was left in a state of anarchy that continued for a ten years.  The heirs to Carteret along with the Quakers claimed the colony.

            New Jersey has seventy-five thousand inhabitants in 1760.  The population was mostly English, but a few Dutch, Swedes, and Germans were scattered throughout New Jersey.  The western part was occupied by Quakers.  An abundance of the population was farmers.  The colony of New Jersey was guarded by New York and Pennsylvania.

            New Jersey began its industrial mark about 1794. The city’s growth eventually expanded and resources included machinery, food processing, and oil refining. The manufacturing companies were creating employment for the colonist and were processing silk, domestic goods, and cotton. New Jersey mainly had farmers of the land in the earlier days. It was a pathway between Philadelphia and New York City; what a design! Although small, New Jersey was very significant in transportation. Early wagons were used to make the journey.  It also played a very important role in the American Revolution with the training of troops, building ammunition and place for battleground.

            The first schools in New Jersey were private academies but later established public schools.  One of the leaders of public school was Clara Barton. Free public schools were established in 1871 throughout NJ.  

Fradin, Dennis B.  The New Jersey Colony. Chicago:  The Children’s Press, 1988.

“History of the United States of America,” by Henry William Elson, The MacMillan Company, New York, 1904.  Chapter VII pp. 146-149.  Transcribed by Kathy Leigh.

Post Written By Ashley Y. and Valerie R.

PENNSYLVANIA

     William Penn is considered to be the Founding Father of Pennsylvania. He was born into London’s upper-class society and converted to the teachings and beliefs of the Society of Friends, or Quakers; which were formed during the religious upheaval of seventeenth century England. The Quakers believed in a loving God. They opposed war, disapproved of oaths and rituals, and displayed a simplistic manner of speech and dress. In England, the Quakers endured persecution and hostility from the government and non-Quakers. So when King Charles II paid off a debt to William Penn by granting him all the land in Pennsylvania, the Quakers gained a chance at religious freedom.

     William Penn practiced various acts of human kindness while establishing the colony.  Accounts of his relations with surrounding Indian tribes indicate tolerance, honesty, and respect. He promoted religious freedom as a principle of government (Roark, 2009 104). This suggests that the values of democracy were part of Penn’s framework for Pennsylvania.

The immigration of many European settlers to Pennsylvania had a major impact on the characteristics of the colony.  On its Web site, the Pennsylvania General Assembly states, “that thousands of Germans immigrated to the colony and comprised a third of the population by the time of the Revolution. Their skill and industry transformed this region into a rich farming country, contributing greatly to the expanding prosperity of the province”. Farming was focused primarily on wheat and flour milling was the main industry of the colony. English Quakers settled heavily in the area that became Philadelphia. The intellectual and commercial life of Pennsylvania centered on Philadelphia. Another important immigrant group was the Scotch-Irish, who were farmers and frontiersman.

     Family life was endeared in the colony. The likelihood of a family’s survival depended on the contribution each member made, whether on the farm or as aspiring merchants. The hard work ethic of many, along with Quaker beliefs for some of the settlers, contributed to their successful adaptation in Pennsylvania. The education of children was mainly done at home, thereby permitting children to work on the farm as well. A significant contribution to Pennsylvania by its most famous citizen, Benjamin Franklin, was the first free public school and first public library. As was the case in all British colonies, Pennsylvania was not immune to the ravages of disease. The hard winter climate was particularly a factor on the toll disease had on the settlers.

Almost one hundred years after the first settlers arrived in Colonial Pennsylvania, it had expanded into a rich farming area and a center of commerce. In addition, religious tolerance was accepted by the diverse population of the colony. These elements gave Pennsylvania a strong foundation in forming the unique character it has as a colony.

     Pennsylvania General Assembly.  Pennsylvania History:  Pennsylvania on the eve of colonization www.legis.state.pa.us/wu01/vc/.../pa_history/pa_history.htm  (accessed November 8, 2010).

     Roark, James L., Michael P. Johnson, Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, Alan Lawson, and Susan M.Hartmann. 2009. The American promise: A history of the United States. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s

Post Written By Stacy M.

DELAWARE

            Swedish settlers arrived in the Delaware area in 1638. They founded the colony of  New Sweden and built Fort Christina at what is now Wilmington as their first permanent settlement.  The name of the state came from a former governor in 1602 by the name of Lord De La Warr.

            The first teachers in the Dutch and Swedish colonies of the 1600’s were mainly clergymen and the first school buildings were churches. They had a high value of education their children but the wealthy sent their children out of the colony while the poor remained in churches that provided schooling. Friends and family also participated in teaching of their children who were not as fortunate as the wealthy.

            African Americans began arriving in Delaware in the 1640s. Some were working as slaves and others were paid servants.  In 1790 a law was passed that made it illegal to bring new slaves into the state. By 1860, there were 20,000 free African Americans living in Delaware. The state had strong ties with the Union and with the Confederate states due to its location but fought on the side of the Union. Krummer, P.K.(1999).Delaware. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press

            Agriculture provided the backbone for the economy in the Delaware County area. Generally the men hunted and gathered food. Livestock, gardens, and farm crops were their source of food supply. Clothing was made at home whenever possible. Some of the less fortunate went barefoot when the weather allowed such and at any other time that was permissible and convenient.  People back then did not take showers very often. They would bathe on certain occasions like holidays. I can understand because it was such a process retrieving the water. One would have to pump water manually and bring it in buckets to heat on a wood stove or fireplace. Washing clothes was done by hand on a washboard and clothes were dried on the grass during on warm days especially during the summer months. Cannon, N. Family and Daily Life: Introduction. Voice of the People: Daily Life in the Antebellum Rural Delaware County New York Area. Retrieved November, 5, 2010 from http://www.oneonta.edu/library/dailylife/family/index.html

            Religion played a significant role in the lives of the Delaware people. Christianity  was more dominant, particularly the Protestant denomination. The people would ride horses to get to the camp meetings and rejoice in the spirit through song, dance, and fellowship with other congregations.  Many preachers had such as strong faith that they wrote diaries and letters about their experiences as a Christian and preacher.  I discovered this quote during my research--humbling yet profound:

...The men who became eminent as preachers in the Delaware County circuits in the early days, were only to be called unlearned in the bookish sense. In all other respects they far outranked the clergy of cities and pavements, of books and libraries. From the fresh woods through which they traveled, from the silence and solemnity of nature they learned lessons more profound than books can teach. From the unspoiled children of the pioneer settlements they imbibed experiences far more instructive than can be found amid the centres of culture." (Murray, 136) .Cannon, N. Family and Daily Life: Introduction. Voice of the People: Daily Life in the Antebellum Rural Delaware County New York Area. Retrieved November, 5, 2010 from http://www.oneonta.edu/library/dailylife/family/index.html


Post Written By Valerie R.