New+Jersey

__ Geography __
New Jersey was originally part of the New Netherlands. It had major rivers called the Delaware, Raritan, Rahway, Mullica and Hudson River. New Jersey bordered the Atlantic Ocean, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The soil was good for farming because glaciers formed the middle colonies. The economy centered around agriculture including breeding of livestock. Iron was mined and manufactured here. The hills, flat land and climate made it sutable to grow large amounts of wheat and cash crops which were sold in markets and overseas.

‍ __ Histor ____ y __
The New Jersey colony was founded in 1664 by Lord Berkely and Sir George Carteret. This land was given to them by James Duke of York when he had received New Netherland. The Native Americans were the first to live in this colony. Then the Dutch came from Northern Europe and took control over them in 1666. This control was economic because they wanted money from farming.

__ Economics __


The colonists were taught by the Indians how to grow crops and survive harsh winters.The major **cash crops** that were grown were grain, rice, wheat barley and indigo. The ** Triangular Trade **was a 3 way trade route between the colonies, England and West Africa. Slaves were sold for molasses which were then sent to New England to make rum. The English were aggressive on encouraging African slavery to open up land and commerce. 60 acres of land was offered per slave to any man who imported slaves. By law Africans were not allowed to own land. New Jersey was the last of the Northern states to abolish slavery. **Mercantilism** was used to export more raw good than imported goods. This lead to increasing of profit for the British.

__ Social __
The languages spoken were Dutch and English with a Scottish or Irish accent. The Duke of York allowed settlers religious and political freedom. Religious groups such as the Anglican, Puritan, Quaker and Calvinist settled in the area. **The Great Awakening** was a religious revival in American religious history. In the Middle colonies, especially in poor regions, the Awakening was influential among Presbyterians. The role of women were to take care of their children, clean, trade, work in the fields, weave, cook and make clothes for their entire family.

__ Political __
New Jersey received its first charter from its proprietors, John Berkeley and George Carteret. This charter established representative institutions of government, which guaranteed that only the general assembly can impose taxes. New Jersey was the third state to ratify the Constitution and the first to ratify the Bill of Rights. The ** Salutary Neglect ** was an undocumented British policy avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws, which meant colonies were obedient to Great Britain. This made trade lenient.

__Georgraphy __
Delaware was located in the present town called Lewes in 1631. It is the second smallest state in the U.S. after Rhode Island. It shares land boundaries with New Jersey and borders Pennsylvania, Maryland and the Atlantic Ocean. North of this state is the Appalachian Piedmont with hills and rolling surfaces. A ridge in elevation extends along the western boundary and separates between the watersheds that feed Delaware River and Bay to the east. The Middle colonies were often called the "breadbasket" because a lot of food was made. Wheat was grown to ground and make flour.

__History__
This colony was a home to a group of Native Americans called the Algonquian tribes and they settled throughout the Delaware Valley. They were a hunting and agricultural society and middlemen f0r frantic fur trade. Next came the Dutch who were the first Europeans to settle there and it became colonized in 1664. William Penn established a representative government.



__Economics__
Jobs included fishing, shipbuilding, trading and lumbering. Slaves were imported as the number of English immigrants decreased. The colony became a slave society and cultivated tobacco as a **cash crop**. Free African American families before the revolution migrated from Maryland to find affordable land. As indentured laborers decreased more slaves were imports. At the end of the colonial period, a shift in agriculture from tobacco to mixed farming led to a decline in slaves.

__Social__
The languages spoken were the same as the New Jersey Colony.Which was the language English The religion of this state were mostly Catholics but some were Protestants under the church of England. There was much religious freedom. Women made food, clothes and were treated unfairly.

__Political__
Delaware was a proprietary colony by the Swedish from 1638-1682. Then ownership was passed to William Penn and he was there from 1682-1704. It became a royal colony in 1704 and lasted till 1776. Delaware became a state in 1776, after 2 months of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution was adopted in 1792. The diverse mixture of ethnicities made Penn attempt to merge the governments of Pennsylvania and lower counties of Delaware. The 2 clashed and assemblies were then separated.

__ French and Indian War __
The French and Indian War was fought between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. The war was fought along the frontiers between the British colonies from Virginia to Nova Scotia. England won the war and got control of Canada, as well as keeping control of all English colonies. A large number of loyalists were found in the Middle Colonies, for example many Dutch tenant farmers supported the king. The American Revolution made the Middle Colonies independent of Britain.

__Revolution__
The American Revolutionary War (1175-1783) was fought between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies. According to historians, an approximate of 40-45 % of loyalists supported the rebellion and 15 % of the population of the thirteen colonies remained loyal to the British crown. Britain's greatest weapon damaged private savings to military ends. This revolution brought American Independence, allowed British to collect American debt, loyalists properties were compensated for or returned, more people were allowed to vote, religious freedom was expanded, manufacturing increased, etc. New Jersey was the 3rd colony to ratify the Constitution on December 18, 1787.

This colony participated in the Revolution and on December 7, 1787 it became the first state to ratify the Constitution. Statesmen from Delaware were leading proponents of a strong central United States with equal representation for each state.



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