Why did people in the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies adapt different ways of life?

People with specific skills settled in each area.

The regions had different geographies and resources.

The people all had different reasons for settling North America.

The leaders of the colonies decided how the people would earn a living.

The Middle Colonies were more diverse than colonies in New England and the South. Most of the early settlers depended on the fur trade and on farming for economic survival. The most populous of the Middle colonies was Pennsylvania, other colonies were settled rather haphazardly over the course of the 17th century. Settlers usually organized themselves in small farms spread throughout the colony with a few cities added to the mix.

The Middle Colonies were not as cohesive as the New England colonies because colonists in this region were not united by single religion or code of beliefs.

Area dominated by larger farms than N.E., smaller than the S.; still there is an emphasis on subsistence rather than cash crops. Settlement patterns generally revolve around single family farms (around 50 -150 acres). Again you see the predominance of servant (as opposed to slave labor) in the 17th century. [A notable exception is in New York where you see a large number of African Americans in the colony, especially in New York city where blacks are employed in commercial settings and as dockworkers.]

The Middle Colonies were settled by different nationalities so there is greater emphasis on religious toleration and cultural diversity. This is especially true in the colony of New York.

The Colonies

New York - originally settled in 1624 by the Dutch as the New Netherlands. Once again, established by a joint-stock company, this time the Dutch West India Company. As your book points out, the Dutch had little reason to build permanent communities in the New World because they enjoyed economic and social stability at home. The bulk of the settlement lived in New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island (would become New York) A mixture of immigrant groups within the colony (Dutch, Belgians, French, English, Swedes, Finns, etc.) meant a mixture of religions. The Dutch relied on an authoritarian rather than a democratic government (royal governor with no elective assembly). The combination of cultural diversity (hence conflicting opinions and beliefs) and apathetic governors led to popular resentment within the colony.

Explanation:

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the population grew a lot and was making more money