The Middle Colonies
The Middle Colonies
The mid 1600s
In the mid 1600's, there were about 5,000 European settlers living in the Dutch colony of New Netherlands. Religious freedom, rich farmland and many fur trade attracted people from many different nations to this region.
1664
In 1664, English warship sailed into New Amsterdam harbor. Dutch leader Peter Stuyvesant saw that he could not defend the settlement.
Pennsylvania
The English king named this new colony Pennsylvania, meaning, "Penn's Wood" in honor of William Penn. In Pennsylvania there is a city called Philadelphia meaning city of brotherly love.
New York
In 1703, five families held up to 1.75 million acres of New York. Then by the end of the Revelation they still held 1.8 million acres.
Delaware
Peter Minuit and others founded Delaware in 1638. Which was named for the Delaware tribe and for an early governor of colonial Virginia.