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94 PERIOD 2 Colonial America amid Global Change: 1607–1754

colonies. The English monarchy, first under the rule of Charles II and later under his
brother King James II, aggressively conquered, chartered, populated, and developed the
These sample pages are distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
middle colonies in less than twenty years, setting in place patterns that persisted long
after the Glorious Revolution halted James’s reign in 1688.

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Colonies Develop in New York and
New Jersey
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After the English grabbed control of New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, they
renamed it New York, appointing King Charles’s brother James, whose title at the
time was the Duke of York, to rule it. Later in 1664, the Duke of York divided the
territory and granted a colony to Sir George Carteret, which eventually became the
Middle Colony of New Jersey. English rule for the next twenty-four years imposed
little change upon Dutch colonists in the Hudson River valley, who numbered fewer
than 10,000.
The Glorious Revolution also resulted in a class revolt in New York called Leisler’s
Leisler’s Rebellion Rebellion. When news arrived of the Glorious Revolution in 1689, a German-born mer-
A class revolt in New York in chant named Jacob Leisler led a faction that rallied against the centralized rule and taxes
1689 led by merchant Jacob that had been levied under James II, overthrowing the royal authorities appointed to run
Leisler. Urban artisans and New York by the deposed king. Once in power, Leisler favored middle- and lower-class col-
landless renters rebelled
against new taxes and onists with government positions and often sided with tenants in disputes against their
centralized rule. landlords.
Leisler’s time in power was, however, brief. As royally appointed representatives of
King William and Mary arrived to govern New York in 1691, they sided with the elites
who had opposed Leisler. He was put on trial and executed later that year for leading a
revolt against royal authority. The legacy of his rebellion, however, would live on. Class
issues surrounding access to land would remain a critical issue in the middle colonies,
and social unrest would persist into the 1740s, when protests echoing issues central to

Wealth Inequality in Northern 100
Cities, 1690–1775 During
the eighteenth century, the 90
Share of total taxable wealth (percentage) 50 Data from Gary B. Nash, The Urban Crucible: Social Change, Political Consciousness, and the Origins
wealth of merchants rose
much faster than that of 80
artisans and laborers.
What factors led to the 70
changes depicted in the 60
graph?

40

30
20

10 of the American Revolution (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1979).

1690 1730 1775
Year
Wealthiest 10 percent of residents
Next wealthiest 30 percent
Poorest 60 percent

HEW_9462_04_F01 Wealth Inequality in Northern Cities
First proof

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