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Middle Colonies

Delaware, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania

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  • Often called the "breadbasket colonies"

    • ​Major exporter of wheat and other grains​​

    • Trade-dependent economy

  • Comprised of fertile farmland​

    • ​Rich soil

    • Large navigable rivers

    • Bays

    • A long, warm growing season

  • Attracted diverse populations of people from Europe

  • Became known for their religious tolerance

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A Glimpse of Everyday Life in the Southern Colonies, 1763-1774

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Delaware  |  New York  |  New Jersey  |  Pennsylvania

Delaware Colony

18th century Delaware

  • Economy​

    • ​Produced profitable exports, relying on Philadelphia as its major trade center

    • Agriculture-driven; cultivated crops and raised livestock

    • Key commodity: Wheat

      • Initially relied on tobacco, but by the 1770s, was turning to grain crops such as wheat, corn, barley, oats, and rye

  • Slavery

    • Delaware started relying on slave labor because the state's agriculture was labor-intensive, and European indentured servants could not fill the demand for labor

    • 1700 Act: "For the trial of Negroes"

      • ​Blacks were given more severe penalties than whites for certain crimes, prohibited from carrying weapons or assembling in large numbers, and were subject to special court procedures

      • Later laws placed even greater restrictions on them by prohibiting voting, holding office, giving evidence against whites, and banning mixed marriages

    • Delaware Constitution of 1776: "No person hereafter imported into this state from Africa ought to be held in slavery under any pretense whatever, and no Negro, Indian or mulatto slave ought to be brought into this state for sale from any part of the world."

      • However, a closer look at the context tells us that the majority of people who supported this law didn't do so for humanitarian reasons, but rather for economic gain​

      • The supporters of the import ban were in Kent county

      • A historian wrote, "A probable explanation is that the more established Kent planters had a surplus of slaves by 1767 and were anxious to sell them to farmers in the undeveloped sections of Sussex and southern New Castle County, where there was still a strong market for unfree blacks. An import ban would help keep prices high by eliminating the only competing source of supply."

    • Slavery began declining in the state around that time (late 18th century)

      • The American Revolution disrupted the economy, and wheat (which was less conducive to slave labor) replaced corn and tobacco as cash crops

      • A state law banning the sale of Delaware slaves to the Carolinas, Georgia, and the West Indies (expanded 1789 to include Maryland and Virginia), helped make slaveowning increasingly unprofitable

      • In 1797, all Delaware slaves sold out of the state were declared automatically free

  • Religion

    • ​No established religion at this time

    • The people of Delaware were diverse in country of origin and, therefore, religion

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​Delaware's road to voting Yes for independence

  • June 15, 1776: With Caesar Rodney in the chair and Thomas McKean leading the debate on the floor, the Assembly of Delaware voted to sever all ties with the British Parliament and King

  • July 1, 1776: Delaware's vote for independence was split among its three delegates: Thomas McKean voted for, George Read voted against, and Caesar Rodney was absent

    • Read voted against because he thought that reconciliation with Britain might still be possible​, and was therefore quite reluctant to pursue the option of full independence

    • Read was also often absent from Congress, and his "no" vote surprised many

  • July 2, 1776: Delaware votes for independence after Caesar Rodney rode 70 miles through a thunderstorm to Pennsylvania in order to break his delegation's deadlock

  • Notably, George Read voted against the vote of independence on July 2, 1776, but signed the Declaration of Independence later on, which made him palatable to both conservative and radical factions in Delaware

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Votes for independence

  • July 1, 1776: Split

  • July 2, 1776: Yes

 

Delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence:

  • Caesar Rodney

  • George Read

  • Thomas McKean

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Established 1644 as a proprietary colony

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Changed hands many times, from being a Dutch settlement in 1631, to the colony's rule by Pennsylvania in 1682​

Washington crossing the Delaware on December 25, 1776

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Province of New York

​18th century New York

  • Economy

    • New York City began to establish itself as a major port, capitalizing on its strategic geographic location

    • Began constructing essential infrastructure and to engage in street planning, which increased access to markets and resources

    • Commercial landmarks like Wall Street started to emerge

    • Key commodities: Wheat, iron ore, manufactured goods

  • Slavery

    • ​Almost every businessman in 18th century New York City had a stake in the traffic in human beings

      • The local economy largely around supplying ships for the trade in slaves and in what slaves produced: sugar, tobacco, indigo, coffee, chocolate, and ultimately, cotton

      • New York ship captains and merchants bought and sold slaves along the coast of Africa and in the taverns of their own city

    • Only Charleston, South Carolina, rivaled New York in the extent to which slavery penetrated everyday life

      • ​42% of New York City's households had slaves

        • In Kings County, ​75% of families had slaves

      • In the urban landscape, there were no plantations. Slaves did virtually all of the work of many households (bringing in the firewood, the water, and the food; cleaning the house and the clothing; removing waste); they were vital to the work of early craftsmen and manufacturers, with many becoming skilled artisans themselves; and they performed almost all the heavy labor of building New York's infrastructure.

    • Upstate New York, in contrast with New York City, was a little more anti-slavery

  • Religion

    • ​Generally in the state, religious patterns followed the ethnic configuration of the area; for example, herever the Dutch settled, as in the Hudson River Valley, the Dutch Reformed Church predominated, while German Reformed and Lutherans spread out along the Mohawk River west of Albany

    • New York City, on the other hand, was very diverse and intermingled​

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New York's road to voting Yes for independence

  • June 4, 1774: A New York Committee of Mechanics recommended to the New York Provincial Congress a proposition that the colony pursue the road to independence. New York, however, was reluctant for economic and social reasons.

  • June 1776: After being confronted with the proposed Lee Resolution, the New York delegation wrote back to the provincial congress for instructions, as the members had no authority to act alone.

  • July 1-2, 1776: The New York delegation had not received instructions on how to vote, so they abstained from voting

  • Eventually, the delegates finally received instructions to vote for independence, and four New York delegates signed the actual document

    • Notably, Robert Livingston, who was one of the Committee of Five, did not sign — he was recalled by the Colony of New York before the document was ready to be signed in August, and sent his cousin Philip Livingston to sign in his stead.​

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Votes for independence:

  • July 1, 1776: Abstained

  • July 2, 1776: Abstained

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Delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence:

  • William Floyd

  • Philip Livingston

  • Francis Lewis

  • Lewis Morris

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Established  1664 as a proprietary colony

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Chartered 1686 as a royal colony

The entry of the royal troops into New York in the year  1776. 

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Province of New Jersey

Established 1664 as a proprietary colony

Chartered 1702 as a royal colony

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18th century New Jersey

  • Economy

    • Predominantly agricultural at the start of the century

    • Basic road networks further developed, connecting villages, including roads to Philadelphia and to New York (with the assistance of ferries)

    • Some early manufacturing emerged, based on the area’s natural resources base

      • Lay the groundwork for the New Jersey economy to switch from "growing things" to "making things" after the Civil War​

    • Key commodities: Agricultural products, manufactured iron ore products

  • Slavery​

    • ​Considered "the slave state of the north": Support for the institution of enslavement was stronger in New Jersey than in any other Northern state

    • As the century progressed, white people became increasingly reliant on slave labor for economic gain, and became increasingly reluctant to let go of their most valuable movable property

    • 1769: New Jersey passed a duty on imported slaves in hopes of getting more white servants into the colony

      • Justification for this act noted that “duties on the importation of Negroes in several of the neighboring colonies have been found beneficial to the introduction of sober industrious Foreigners [whites] … [and] promoting a Spirit of Industry among the Inhabitants"

      • The act did not produce its intended effects; 1775 the population of Africans grew to more than 21,000 within 30 miles of Manhattan

    • New Jersey continually updated its slave laws in the 1750s and 1760s, in response to the white people's growing reliance on slave labor, as well as increased likelihood of enslaved people rebelling or running away

  • Religion

    • When the colony came under English control, the established denomination was the Church of England

    • The Quakers also played a major role in the development of West Jersey

    • Generally the state practiced religious pluralism and tolerated diversity

  • Politics

    • ​Because of its proximity to the Thirteen Colonies, more battles were fought in New Jersey than in any other state during the Revolutionary War

    • New Jersey housed several iron mills in areas including West Milford, Wharton and Kinnelon that produced ammunition, armaments and other materials essential to the war effort​

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New Jersey's road to voting Yes for independence

  • June 10, 1776: Congress delayed voting on the Lee Resolution because six colonies — including New Jersey — have not been authorized to vote yes

  • June 15, 1776: The Provincial Congress of New Jersey determined that Royal Governor William Franklin (who was a Loyalist) was "an enemy to the liberties of this country." Subsequently, they had him arrested and jailed.

  • June 21, 1776: The Provincial Congress of New Jersey replaced their entire original delegation to the Second Continental Congress

    • Richard Smith, John DeHart, and Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant resigned

    • Quaker John Cooper had never attended

    • The one delegate left standing was William Livingston

  • June 22, 1776: The Provincial Congress of New Jersey appointed a new set of delegates to the Second Continental Congress and authorized them to vote in favor of independence

    • ​The new delegation: Richard Stockton, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, John Witherspoon, and Abraham Clark

  • Notably, William Livingston did not sign the Declaration in the end because he left Pennsylvania in June 1776 to command the New Jersey troops​

    • His brother, Philip Livingston, signed for New York​

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Votes for independence:

  • July 1, 1776: Yes

  • July 2, 1776: Yes

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Delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence:

  • Richard Stockton

  • John Witherspoon

  • Francis Hopkinson

  • John Hart

  • Abraham Clark

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Convivial Hall and the Battle of Bound Brook, April 13, 1777.

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Province of Pennsylvania

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  • Slavery

    • The enslavement of Africans in Pennsylvania followed a pattern similar to those established in older settlements, including the justification of their enslavement and the inhumanity of their treatment, but their numbers remained less than in the other colonies, including Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland

    • 1688: Pennsylvania's Germantown Friends issue the first written protest against the practice of slavery in the American colonies

    • 1775: The Pennsylvania Abolition Society formed, the first of its kind in the nation

    • 1780: The Pennsylvania Assembly passed the "Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery", the first ever to be enacted in America

  • Religion

    • Pennsylvania was home to a wide variety of religious and ethnic groups

    • Christian populations included Quakers, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Lutherans​

  • ​Politics

    • Pennsylvania was often at odds over the amount of power the Proprietor, William Penn, should have in the colony’s government
      • As Proprietor of Pennsylvania, William Penn was granted the right to establish laws in the colony so long as they did not conflict with British law
      • Penn could also appoint a Governor to rule in his absence
    • 1764: A faction led by Benjamin Franklin and Joseph Galloway sought to turn Pennsylvania from a commonwealth governed by the Penn family to a colony immediately under Royal control. John Dickinson opposed this move.

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Pennsylvania's road to voting Yes for independence

  • John Dickinson, one of the Philadelphia delegates, was one of the key leaders opposing independence during the Second Continental Congress

    • ​While Dickinson believed that the American colonies had the right to seek redress for their grievances, and even to defend themselves from military action by the British army seeking to impose Parliament’s will (and his actions up until this point reflected these beliefs — he was one of only two members of Continental Congress who had taken up arms against the Crown), he thought that the timing for seeking independence was not right

      • ​Dickinson: "I know that the tide of the passions and prejudices of the people at large is strongly in favor of independence. I know too, that I have acquired a character and some popularity with them — both of which I shall risk by opposing this favorite measure. But I had rather risk both than speak or vote contrary to the dictates of my judgments and conscience"​

    • Dickinson was also the only Founder to begin emancipating his enslaved workforce during the Revolutionary years between 1776-1786​

  • On July 1, 1776, the delegation voted 3-to-2 to oppose​

    • ​Voted yes: Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson 

    • Voted no: John Dickinson, Robert Morris, John Morton

  • On July 2, 1776, the delegation changed their vote to yes

    • ​John Dickinson and Robert Morris, both opponents of independence, abstained

    • John Morton changed his vote to yes

    • This left Pennsylvania’s delegation 3-to-2 in favor of independence

  • Signing the Declaration

    • John Dickinson did not sign the Declaration

    • Robert Morris did sign​

      • Morris: "I am not one of those politicians that run testy when my own plans are not adopted. I think it is the duty of a good citizen to follow when he cannot lead."​

    • Six of the nine signers from Pennsylvania were not even present on the critical days of voting for independence

      • It's a little unclear why Pennsylvania ended up with so many signers​

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Votes for independence:

  • July 1, 1776: No

  • July 2, 1776: Yes

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Delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence:

  • Robert Morris

  • Benjamin Rush

  • Benjamin Franklin

  • John Morton

  • George Clymer

  • James Smith

  • George Taylor

  • James Wilson

  • George Ross

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Established 1681 as a proprietary colony

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18th century Pennsylvania

  • Economy

    • Ranked as a leading agricultural area and produced surpluses for export

    • The colony's abundant natural resources made for early development of industries

    • Key commodities: Wheat, corn​​​

The port of Philadelphia as viewed from the New Jersey shore. Date depicted: 1752

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