1. New York was originally owned by the Dutch, who purchased Manhattan Island for $24 from Native Americans and established the major settlement of New Amsterdam. The English later took control of the territory, renaming it New York.
2. The Middle Colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware were characterized by religious diversity and tolerance. William Penn founded Pennsylvania as a "holy experiment" to grant religious and political freedom.
3. By the 1770s, England had established 13 colonies in North America, most allowing religious freedom and self-governance through elected assemblies. This tradition of self-rule and freedom led to the colonial rebellion against Britain in 1776.