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Colonial America (1492-1765)
 The Middle Colonies

The Middle Colonies
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   9.83

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    tolerance, well-known, founded, lifestyle, colonial, religion, compromise, variety, payment, unwelcome, tribe, oppose, settle, congregation, freedom, religious
     content words:    Middle Colonies, New York, New Jersey, Dutch Mennonites, French Huguenots, German Baptists, Portuguese Jews, English Anglicans, Melting Pot, In Massachusetts

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The Middle Colonies
By Sharon Fabian 		  
1     The Middle Colonies were all about compromise. Emigrants from a variety of European countries settled the Middle Colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. People of all religions came to the Middle Colonies too. The Middle Colonies became home to Dutch Mennonites, French Huguenots, German Baptists, Portuguese Jews, and English Anglicans. Lutherans, Quakers, Moravians, Amish, Dunkers, Presbyterians, and Catholics settled in the four Middle Colonies.
 
2     They all got along or at least tolerated each other. Maybe it was the Middle Colonies that gave America the name "Melting Pot."
 
3     This hadn't always happened in colonial settlements. In Massachusetts, the Puritans found a place where they could settle and have freedom of religion. However, when people from other religions came to Plymouth Colony, they were not so fortunate. They found themselves unwelcome in the Puritan settlements and had to move on to begin new colonies of their own.
 
4     New York:
 
5     Dutch settlers sailed up the Hudson River and settled in the area that is now New York. They named it New Netherlands. In 1664, New Netherlands was conquered by the British and became New York. Throughout New York State, many religions and nationalities began their own individual settlements. New York City, being the port of entry for many later immigrants, became a melting pot of all religions and nationalities.

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