What states made up the Middle Colonies?
The Middle Colonies are four of the original thirteen colonies that the United States consisted of when the country was first formed. The states that made up the Middle Colonies were New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The soil was rich in the four states and farmers were able to grow a vast amount of grain. They sold the grain to other colonies as well as to England. Because of the rich grain, they were known as the breadbasket colonies.
Pennsylvania and Delaware were very successful because of William Penn. Under Penn’s guidance, Philadelphia became a great city with broad streets, stone and brick houses, as well as a robust port.
Middle Colonies geography and weather
The weather in the colonies had warm summers and mild winters. Each colony had major towns in them where people lived, and where trade happened.
| Colony | Major Towns |
| New York | New York City, Albany |
| Delaware | Wilmington, Georgetown |
| New Jersey | Trenton, Princeton |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Lancaster |
Culture and religion throughout the Middle Colonies
The Middle Colonies contained cultures of people from all over Europe. Quakers, Scots, Irish, Dutch, French, Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes were just some of the cultures represented in the four states. With all the different cultures came different religions such as Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish, and more.
Economic activity and trade
The economies of the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies were unique from one another. The geography and climate had a big impact on trade for the colonies. The Middle Colonies exported a lot of agricultural goods as well as natural resources. They were a big food producing region that included corn and wheat. They also produced livestock such as beef and pork. From a natural resources standpoint, they produced iron ore, lumber, textiles, and furs. They exported these goods to other colonies as well as England.
Government in the Colonies
All aspects of this Colonies’ government were democratic where they elected their own legislature. They had a governor as well as a court system. Some colonies were defined as a Royal Government where others were considered a Proprietary Government. A Royal Government is where the colonies were ruled directly by the English monarchy. A Proprietary Government was when the King granted land to people in North America, who then formed Proprietary Colonies.
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