Okay so yesterday I got this question from a history buff friend – he asked what really set apart religion in places like Pennsylvania and New York back then versus that strict Puritan New England scene. Honestly, I kinda fumbled the answer. Like I knew bits and pieces, Penn being Quaker and all, Puritans being super strict, but couldn’t connect all the dots smoothly. Felt embarrassing! So this morning, I grabbed my coffee, slapped open the laptop, and decided to dive deep.
First thing I did was just start googling random stuff. Typed in “middle colonies religion new england differences” like a maniac. Got buried under useless articles and boring academic junk. Seriously, who writes this dry stuff? Almost zoned out twice. Took like fifteen minutes before I stumbled on this one forum thread where people were actually arguing about it – way more helpful than textbooks! Started jotting down the points folks kept shouting about.
Then I dug out my old notebook – the messy one where I scribble half-baked ideas. Flipped to a blank page and made two fat columns: New England on the left, Middle Colonies on the right. Time to organize the chaos.
Under New England, I scribbled:
- Puritans: All in charge. Everyone basically had to be on board or get out.
- Super Strict Rules: Like, church taxes? Blue Laws telling you what you couldn’t do on Sunday? Seriously?
- Kicked out trouble makers: Heard about Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson? Yeah, “disagree? See ya!”
Under Middle Colonies, the vibe was way different:
- Everybody was there! Quakers (thanks, William Penn!), Dutch Reformed peeps, Lutherans, Catholics even. Mixed bag!
- No Church Boss: None of that “official state church” nonsense. Philadelphia wasn’t Boston, thank goodness.
- Live and Let Pray: Mostly. Penn practically said, “Believe what you want, just pay your taxes and don’t start fights.” Awesome.
Got really stuck trying to figure out why this huge difference. Then it clicked! It was all about WHY they came. Lightbulb moment! New England folks? Whole families chasing that “pure religion” dream. Built towns, set rules, locked it down. Middle Colonies? So many people just wanted a shot at land or trade. Religion mattered, sure, but making money was the bigger goal for plenty. You don’t scare off customers by forcing your church down their throat!
Totally saw how that shaped everything. New England towns felt planned and tight, built around meetinghouses like fortresses. Middle Colonies? Bustling ports like New York, Philly – chaotic marketplaces, different groups living side-by-side. Survival needed tolerance more than uniformity.
Took maybe an hour to sort through my scribbles and make sense of it. Finally felt solid. Shouted to my empty living room, “Huge difference! Founders’ reasons!” Coffee was cold by then. Totally worth it though. Felt good to finally nail it down.
