Editing Middle Colonies (section)

===Religion===

The Middle Colonies were the religiously diverse part of the British Empire, with a high degree of tolerance. The Penn family were [[Quakers]], and the colony became a favorite destination for that group as well as German [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]], German Reformed and numerous small sects such as [[Mennonites]], [[Amish]] and [[Moravian Church|Moravian]], not to mention Scotch Irish [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterians]]. The Dutch Reformed were strong in upstate New York and New Jersey, and Congregationalists were important in Long Island. The [[First Great Awakening]] invigorated religiosity and helped stimulate the growth of [[Congregational church|Congregational]], [[Methodism|Methodist]] and [[Baptists|Baptist]] churches. Non-British colonists included Dutch [[Calvinism|Calvinist]], Swedish Lutherans, [[Palatine]] Mennonites, and the Amish.<ref>Patricia U. Bonomi, ''Under the Cope of Heaven: Religion, Society, and Politics in Colonial America'' (2003)</ref> There was a Jewish community already established in New York from 1654 (when it was still New Amsterdam), and Jews settled in what became Pennsylvania from 1655.