This work examines colonial New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania as central to both warfare and the emerging British-Atlantic world of culture and trade. In this probing history, Ned C. Landsman demonstrates how the Middle Colonies came to function as a distinct region. He argues that while each territory possessed varying social, religious, and political cultures, the collective lands of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were unified in their particular history and place in the imperial and Atlantic worlds. Landsman shows that the societal cohesiveness of the three colonies originated in the commercial and military rivalries among Native nations and developed further with the competing involvement of the European powers. They eventually emerged as the focal point in the contest for dominion over North America. In relating this progression, Landsman discusses various factors in the region’s development, including the Enlightenment, evangelical religion, factional politics, religious and ethnic diversity, and distinct systems of Protestant pluralism. Ultimately, he argues, it was within the Middle Colonies that the question was first posed, What is the American?

Ignite your students' passion for history through the use of intriguing primary sources! The Primary Source Reader series features purposefully leveled text to increase comprehension for different learner types. Students will learn about the Middle Colonies and the New world through an in-depth exploration of this period of history. This informational text includes captions, a glossary, an index, and other text features that will increase students' reading comprehension. It aligns with state standards including NCSS/C3, McREL, and WIDA/TESOL and prepares students for college and career readiness.

Discusses the history, social life, and customs of the various immigrant groups who settled in the middle colonies during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

For Europeans seeking religious freedom, the region known as the Middle Colonies was a dream come true. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the Delaware Colony, and New York were home to a variety of faiths. People were free to practice religion as they wished. Rea