Daily Life in Middle Colonies
Daily life is very important to the Middle Colony that include New York, Delaware and Connecticut. First, boys in the family helped plant and harvest crops. Next, girls cooked, sewed and did housework. Also, children cared for animals and gardens. Then, Men and women worked on field and home. Overall , the climate and soil were excellent for farming in the Middle Colony.
Diet in Middle Colonies
The most important thing about diet in the middle colonies is that they have lots of resources they could use for food. For example, the soil is great for farming so most of their food comes from farming in the fields. They can grow enough food to feed their families and have surplus left over. Hunting animals such as deer, wild birds, and bears were another way to get food. They could also fish.
In addition, they raised farm animals like cows who could give them milk to drink. Overall, the middle colonies had lots of great resources that they could use for food.
Important People in Middle Colonies
William Penn
William Penn was a very important man in the middle colonies. He was theone who wanted to go to the New World for religious freedom. So they went. Penn was quite important because he supported peace and tolerance, which led to a very good relationship with the natives. Pennsylvania was even named after him. Penn made sure that the middle colonies respected and welcomed all religions.
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was also an important man in addition to William Penn. For one thing, he was a very famous inventor. He became the most famous inventor in Pennsylvania. He created many things, like the bifocals, odometers, and most famously batteries and the lighting rod. As you may know lighting rods sit in the top of tall buildings to keep lightning from striking it. Then we have the odometer. This instrument was used to count the distance traveled on wagon wheels. Lastly we have the bifocals, which help people see close up or far away in one type of glasses. These are only a few inventions Benjamin Franklin created.
Economy in Middle Colonies
The most important thing about economy in the middle colonies is how it affects people's lives. Their lives depend on money and markets. For example: a blacksmith forges a sword & sells it to a buyer. He uses the money to buy food from the market. The seller of the food uses the money to buy more food for customers & himself. Don't forget this example is just one & doesn't define everything. But food is one of the most common things that a middle colonist would buy. Overall economy is a circle of living in the middle colony.
Natives in Middle Colonies
When the Dutch explorers Cornelius May and Cornelius Hendrickson explored Delaware’s land around 1614, they found friendly Native tribes such as the Lenape, Nanticoke and the Minquas. During the six year stretch, between 1614 and 1620, the natives tribes were friendly and helpful. They didn't attack the Dutch explorers, but they didn't ignore them either. Many Dutch people came from England to trade them. For example, they traded the Native Americans goods such as cloth, guns and iron pots for furs. The natives used the guns for hunting, and the pots for cooking. In conclusion, the natives played a big role in the lives of the Middle colonists.
Slavery in Middle Colonies
The Middle colonies had less slavery than the southern colonies but more than New England. They had less slavery because the quakers did not believe in slavery. The middle colonies also had less because of their agriculture. The reason they had more slavery than New England is they had better farm land. Even those the Middle colonies had less slavery than the southern colonies but more than New England.
Government in the Middle Colonies
Government was important to all the middle colonies. The government consisted of the governors, the assembly, and the council. The government would pick a group at people to be in the council to help the make important decisions. In Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey the assembly could reject laws that the government, and council came up with. There were also people who were called proprietors. They were the ones who chose governors. They also let colonists elect representatives to the assembly. The reason why the government was so important was because they made all the laws.
Credits:
Created with images by Ron Cogswell - "William Penn Statue -- New Castle Common (DE) December 2012"