1.

What were the motives for settlement for your area and how did those impact the structure of government and relationship with the Mother Country? The primary reasons for settlement in the British Middle Colonies were freedom of government, freedom of religion, and fertile land. In New York, the settlement areas were much more advanced due to their location at the mouth of the Hudson River. The river allowed overseas business to boom. Also, the owner of the land, the Duke of York, created a representative assembly. Through the democratic system, the inhabitants established a Charter of Liberties which granted all citizens basic rights. The government of New Jersey also attracted settlers to move in by creating a representative assembly. New Jersey acted as a safe haven for all Puritans since Puritans were granted the right to govern themselves. Pennsylvania was one of the most popular places to settle because of the extensive list of rights all settlers were given. All legislative power was held in a council and assembly, and Quakers were free to express their religious beliefs. All of these factors somewhat diminished the relationship between the Mother Country and the colonies. The establishment of each unique colonial government system differed greatly from England because the settlers shaped the system as they saw fit. The settlers were granted many more rights and privileges than they ever had in England. 2. How did the geography and demography impact the political and social structures that developed? The region provided for much farming due to the fertile soil unlike the rockier New England soil. This allowed for crops such as wheat, rye, and flax, especially in Pennsylvania, which became the leading producer of food in the colonies. The Middle Colonies earned the nickname of the "Bread Basket Colonies" but other resources were also taken advantage of. The river-rich area allowed for many industries such as logging and milling to set up shop in the region. These waterways also lead to easier trade between the Middle Colonies and transportation of goods to the coast for exporting. In regard to demography, the Middle Colonies were by far the most diverse of the three British colonial holdings. As proprietary colonies, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware accepted whoever their governing bodies welcomed. For example, New Jersey was first purchased from the King as a sanctuary for Quakers, but when Puritans moved to the colony, Puritans also persecuted the "extreme" religion. This cruelty pushed the Quakers to follow the lead of William Penn and move into his proprietary colony, Pennsylvania. Penn's colony became the center for religious and ethnic tolerance in the colonies as large numbers of foreigners, especially of Germanic decent, immigrated to the Middle Colonies. Almost all Christians, no matter the domination or ethnic background, were accepted in at least one of the Middle Colonies. 3. How did the political structure lead to discontent in the future?

Many of the founding colonists were freelance proprietors who were prospective governors that were only interested in money and power. They weakly attempted to implement charters with the colonists but had very little, if any, power. Colonists "agreed" to these terms but eventually grew discontent and utterly ignored the charters. The colonists tried forming assemblies and councils but those too ended in disarray. Eventually, the colonists appealed to the English government, resulting in the proprietors retiring as wealthy land owners and the colonies becoming royal colonies. 4. To what extent did the socio-economic climate in the region lead to a wealth gap? The proprietors and governors were very wealthy. The migrating colonists were mixed in their financial statuses. Once the colonies were founded, the workforce ultimately split between the wealthy governors, proprietors, and colonists, and between the poor white European immigrants, indentured servants, and black slaves. By the mid-18th century, many of these lower class workers became black slaves. The wealthy middle class sat back while the slaves broke their backs. This enormous class difference lead to class struggles that also contributed to the downfall of the proprietors and the rise of the royal colonies which lasted until the revolutionary war. 5. How oppressive was mercantilism to the settlers in your region? Mercantilism was quite oppressive to the settlers in the Middle British Colonies. The English government also implemented the Navigation Acts which restricted foreign trade to the settlers, forbade all trade with other colonies except with ships owned or constructed in America or England, prohibited transportation from the colonies to any another colony or country except England or other English owned colonies, and finally controlled transportation of European and Asiatic goods to the colonies. The colonists were extremely unhappy with these policies because not only was their freedom taken away, but they were forced to work almost like slaves with no profit. They could only sell to one buyer for minimum prices and then had to spend their profit buying back supplies from the English. 6. What were the major labor systems that developed and how did they impact the structure of your society? Who was laboring? The major labor systems that developed in the Middle British Colonies all connected to agriculture. In places such as New York and New Jersey, settlers cultivated the land that they owned around their house. The size of each piece of farm land separated houses from each other. This led to a disconnected and isolated society. Unlike the rest of the colonies, the British Middle colonies did not use involuntary slaves from Africa, but rather voluntary immigrants from primarily Northern Ireland and Germany. Many of these workers were termed indentured servants. However, the wages for these workers (if they existed) were very low and ended up creating an almost feudal-like system. This contributed to the wealth gap which gave fuel to rising discontent. 7. How were the indigenous populations (Native Americans) treated in your society and what impact did that have on future colonial development?

The Native American population was treated poorly in the society of the Middle British Colonies. When the English arrived, they immediately took the hunting land from the Native Americans. The English cut down trees, drove away the hunting game, and even evicted the Native Americans from their homes. The Native Americans did not retaliate until 1699 in a surprise attack to the English settlers. Since the Native Americans won, the English created a new policy to eliminate all of the Native Americans who resided on the land. More conflict resulted as the colonists no longer had the economic support from the natives and now had to fend against them. 8. To what extent did your region separate church and state and allow freedom of religion? The Middle Colonies were the most tolerant in regard to religion out of all the British colonies. In Pennsylvania, religion was almost completely separated from state as William Penn governed his province based on the principle of religious freedom. The only law ordered by the King in Pennsylvania was that an Anglican minister be provided by the local government for any group of 20 or more that requested this service. Although the other colonies were not as strong supporters of freedom of religion, they still allowed most Christian denominations to practice their beliefs without regulation by law. Still, some Christians, such as Quakers, were not welcomed in all areas particularly in the coastal towns of New Jersey near the Puritans. This area was the home of many royalists and Anglicans. In some colonies like New Jersey, this religious tension led to divisions of state only to be reunited later under the unpopular royal colonies instituted by the British. 9. To what extent did intellectual movements (Baroque, Enlightenment) influence the development of your region? The Enlightenment philosophies, which were born in France, spread across Europe in the later half of the 18th century and would eventually reach the Americas. The philosophy promoted tolerance and intellectual compromising in the relationship between the people and the government as well as the church. Friends of the King who would be sold proprietary colonies would begin to take parts of the Enlightenment and incorporate it into their laws in the Middle Colonies. Thus, the region became the center of tolerance and emerging democratic principles in the Americas. Eventually, the Enlightenment values of self-governance would spread north and south bringing the thirteen colonies together under a new flag of their confederation. While the colonists were happy with these turns of events, the English became weary as they sensed a possible revolution brewing