Essay On The Middle Colonies

-The most important rivers in the Middle Colonies were the Delaware and the Hudson Rivers because they were large enough for the ships which promoted port cities for trade. It was also easier to transport goods by waer because products were bulky and could be transported faster, with more ease, and at a lower cost by boats.
-The Middle Colonies attracted Dutch and German farmers who, through their use of advanced faming techniques, were able to grow cash crops of fruits, vegetables, and above all, grain. Some of there were artisans who created cottage industries that later formed the basis of the factory system.
-Using a gristmill, corn, wheat, rye, and other grains were turned into flower or meal which would be later turned into bread, or
sold at the market.
-Although those of the Middle Colonies were tolerant, 7% of the population were enslaved nonetheless.
-Though indentured servitude was more common, slave numbers grew significantly in the eighteenth century.
By the mid-eighteenth century, slaves comprised of 12% of the population of New York. The Quakers attempted to pass acts forbidding the slave trade in 1688, 1693, and 1696, but the British Parliament finally overruled these laws in 1712.

-Between 1700 and 1775 about 135,000 indentured servants came to the middle colonies.
-Women also made important contributions to the economy. They ran fams and businesses such as clothing and grocery stores, bakeries, and drugstores. Some women also practiced medicine and worked as nurses and midwives. However, colonial laws and customs limited women's economic opportunities.
-Most colonial women worked primarily in the mome. Married women managed households and raised children. Sometimes they earned money for their families by selling products like butter, and also made money through services such as washing clothes.
-The supply of indentured slaves reduced after 1650, while at the same time the increased competition of slave trade was lowering the price of slaves. -The Middle Colonies produced enough cash crops to live on it's own without England or any other country's
help.
-25% of New York were African Slaves.
- 33% of Pennsylvania were African slaves.
-Most people living in cities had 1-2 slaves.
-Bought their slaves from Dutch traders because the slaves were used to colder weather.
-Colonial children became apprentices to learn useful skills. Boys helped plant and harvest crops and learned shoemaking and printing, while girls did housework, cooking, and sewing.
-Middle Colonies had a free market economy and free enterprise.