Printed Page 109 Chapter Chronology
The Middle Colonies: Immigrants, Wheat, and Work
Why did immigrants flood into Pennsylvania during the eighteenth century?
In 1700, the middle colonies of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware had only half the population of New England. But by 1770, the population of the middle colonies had multiplied tenfold and nearly equaled the population of New England. Immigrants — mainly German, Irish, Scottish — made the middle colonies a uniquely diverse society. By 1800, barely one-third of Pennsylvanians and less than half the total population of the middle colonies traced their ancestry to England. New white settlers, both free and in servitude, poured into the middle colonies because they perceived unparalleled opportunities.