Southern Hospitality: How the Middle and Southern Colonies Came to Be

         The brilliant and interesting thing about the American Colonies is the fact that each of them has a unique and intriguing tale of how they were begun. These colonies might not be the most prevalent, especially when clumped together with some of their more seemingly-important brethren, but each plays a vital role in the history of what would soon become a fledgling nation.

         The "Middle Colonies" are generally agreed upon as consisting of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, though they are often grouped with New England in modern reckonings. New York came about after the English captured New Netherlands from the Dutch in 1664, and it was given by the King of England to his brother, the Duke of York, for whom the colony was named. It officially gained the status of a royal colony 21 years later, in 1685. (Goyal, 2013) New York also gave rise to the colony of New Jersey, after the Duke of York ascended to the throne. Taking a portion of his colony, the newly-coronate James II offered a portion of the land as remuneration to a pair of his supporters, who dubbed the plot "New Jersey". It was advertised as having a representative government and freedom of religion, something James II was not overly fond of. The nobles' ploy worked, however, and the colony attracted many a settler, growing rapidly for its small size. It was not to last, though, and in 1702, New Jersey fell to the Crown as well. (Alchin, 2012) (Goyal, 2013)

         William Penn established the colony of Pennsylvania in 1682 with land granted to him due to a debt that was owed by the Crown to his late father. He aspired to fashion a colony that not only allowed, but encouraged freedom of religion, due in part to his need to shelter himself and fellow Quakers from rampant persecution, coming even from Penn's own family. Pennsylvania – meaning "Penn's Woods" – also experienced a slight breaking apart, much like New York.

Delaware, formerly New Sweden prior to British annexation, started as the lower counties of land given to Penn, but were fiercely independent, just as they were when part of New York. After a number of years attempting to keep them a part of Penn's Woods, William Penn finally granted them proprietorship of their own, small colony, becoming Delaware, second smallest state in the United States, but would forever be known as the very first state to ratify the Constitution of that newborn nation. (Alchin, 2012)

         The Southern Colonies are generally considered to be Maryland, Virginia, Carolina, and Georgia, though the first two are not often grouped with the "South" in modern vernacular. Virginia was the first colony formed, originally attempted with a failed settlement at Roanoke, and Maryland was established less than 30 years after: a gift to the Catholic proprietor, George Calvert, Lord Baltimore. The Carolinas, or simply Carolina at the time, share a much more turbulent beginning. Originally one royal colony, after decades of arguments over differences concerning defense, government, and the ongoing battle between two separate agricultural methods used by the colonists, the colonial government set in place by the King split, with seven of the eight original proprietors selling their interests to the Crown, and the colony becoming two autonomous territories. (The History Channel, 2013)

         Georgia was established upon capturing the region from the Spanish, and settlement was spearheaded by James Oglethorpe, a Member of Parliament at the time. Oglethorpe wanted a haven for the English poor, someplace to flee to instead of being sentenced to the already overloaded debtors' prisons. After securing a royal charter Oglethorpe and his Trustees founded colony of Georgia on 9 June 1732. This gave rise to the fallacy that Georgia was established to be a penal colony, akin to the founding of Australia. (Giola, 2011)

         The two regions were just as diverse as they are today, if not more so. The Middle Colonies relied heavily on indentured servitude and tenants to drive their industries of shipping and food export, a natural choice due to the copious amounts of timber, fish, and coastline they had access to. Their two major ports, New York City and Philadelphia, provided quick and efficient transport of all their goods, whether built or grown. Pennsylvania even launched a successful venture into export of pork, beef, wheat, and corn, among other foodstuffs. (Miller, 2011) They were also religiously diverse, due in part to Penn's Quakers, and because there were so many nations represented when the English began to dominate the region. (Miller, 2011)

         The South, in contrast, was much more predominantly Protestant British. Catholics were present as well, but were a small minority when compared to Anglicans, Baptists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians. The geography and climate was more suited to agriculture than most of the Middle Colonies as well: less mountainous, better farmland, and warm weather all added to the agrarian society. (Giola, 2011) However, this also meant that cheap, efficient labor was in high demand, and indentured servants were only good for so long. By 1675, the slave trade was well rooted in the Southern economy, and by the 18^th century, slaves had near wholly replaced indentured servants. African slaves had been a commodity in the New World since Jamestown was established, due to an unlikely capture from a Spanish vessel headed to Mexico, though it is still unclear to historians if they were slaves or considered indentured servants. (Monticello, 2013) They became a vital part of the South's financial system, and no amount of religious or political pressure could force a change, until war finally tore the young nation apart.

         By and large, the Middle and Southern Colonies vastly different, yet remarkably similar. Each colony was filled with independent, hardy people who weren't afraid of a new land, with new dangers. The prospect of a fresh start, free from political, religious, and social upheaval was worth it to them, and they would do whatever it took to pursue prosperity and happiness.

References

Alchin, L. K. (2012). The Middle Colonies. Retrieved from http://www.landofthebrave.info/middle-colonies.htm

Giola, S. (2011). Southern Colonies - The Thirteen Original Colonies. Retrieved from http://original13colonies.weebly.com/southern-colonies.html

Goyal, M., Johnson, C., Khan, R., & Rojas, R. (2013). Who founded the Middle Colonies - The New World Colonizers. Retrieved from http://thenewworldcolonizers.weebly.com/who-founded-the-middle-colonies.html

The History Channel (2013). Southern Colonies. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/southern-colonies

Miller, F. T. (2011). Middle Colonies. Retrieved from http://clio.missouristate.edu/FTMiller/121/Online/LM/17th%20Century/Middle/midcolonies.htm

Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello (2013). African Slavery in Colonial British North America. Retrieved from http://www.monticello.org/slavery-at-monticello/african-slavery-british-north-america