Editing Middle Colonies (section)

===English colonists===
When the English took direct control of the Middle Colonies around 1664, many [[Quakers]] from Rhode Island had already been pushed into the region by Puritans, while Episcopalian businessmen settled in [[Philadelphia]] and [[New York City]].

Welsh Quakers, [[Baptists]] and [[Methodism|Methodists]] settled in the [[Welsh Tract]] of Pennsylvania. While some Welsh colonists like [[Roger Williams]], left to found [[Rhode Island]], [[Anne Hutchinson]] founded a seed settlement in New York. Rhode Island was not initially counted as part of New England, having been excluded from the [[New England Confederation]], but later joined the [[Dominion of New England]]. Thus, the definition of the Middle Colonies sometimes changed and overlapped with Rhode Island's colonial boundaries. After joining the Dominion of New England, however, Rhode Island was permanently thought of as a New England colony. New York's initial possession of parts of Maine ensured a close relationship with other New England colonies like Vermont and a continuing New England influence in the colony.<ref name=Albion/>

Both [[William Penn]] and the [[Baron Baltimore|Lords Baltimore]] encouraged Irish Protestant immigration, hoping they could obtain indentured servants to work on their estates and on colonial developments.<ref name=Albion/> Often areas of the Middle Colonies displayed prevalent Irish cultural influence.<ref name=Albion/>