Visit New York!
The best of the 13 colonies
Why New York?
New York's Background
New York is one of the Middle Colonies, with Pennsylvania and the Southern colonies to the south and the New England colonies to its north. New York's location is important because it touches the Atlantic Ocean and has a central location among the colonies, so it is ideal for trade. It's geography is excellent too; the soil is good for farming, and its landscape makes it possible for animals to graze.
General Information
New York is a Middle Colony, or a Mid-Atlantic Colony. New York is tolerant of different religions because of the diversity of the settlers, which is due to both Dutch and British settlement of the area. The colonial government is run by a governor selected by the British king. Trade exports include iron and agricultural products such as wheat.
Major events in New York's history include the founding of New Amsterdam in 1606, and the British conquest of the colony in 1664, which changed many aspects of the colony, including its name, from Dutch to British. King Phillip's War from 1675-1676 eliminated Native American resistance in New York, and it also resulted in many casualties and deaths.
There were several important figures involved in the establishment of New York. James, the Duke of York, after whom the colony was named, was one of the leaders of the conquest against the Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam. This changed the economy of the colony because now it was primarily trading with the British and not the Dutch. Thomas Dongan was also an important figure in the colony's development. He changed both the social and economic aspects of the colony, seen by the laws that he passed to include territories into the colony and land grants that he enforced, respectively.