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Who Were
The Settlers?
English: Although,
many English Anglicans settled in the area as well,
the English Quakers were the dominant group of settlers
to inhabit Pennsylvania. These English immigrants
settled heavily in Pennsylvania's southeastern counties,
which became the center of the agricultural and
commercial society.
Germans: Thousands
of Germans settled in Pennsylvania, and by the time
of the Revolutionary War they comprised one third
of the population. These German immigrants settled
mostly in the interior counties of Northampton,
Berks, Lancaster and Lehigh. The Germans, coming
from a strong farming background, helped transform
the area into one of the richest farming regions.
Germans flocked to Pennsylvania to escape warfare.
The Thirty Years War had ravaged Europe, and for
many Germans, the only way to escape it was to flee
to the Colonies. The Germans brought with them a
rich religious tradition. Many Germans in the 16th
and 17th centuries were farmers and led simple lives.
After Martin Luther challenged the Catholic Church
in 1517, he gained large numbers of German supporters,
particularly those who were financially repressed.
Many of these Germans worshipped at home, and were
thus called "House Germans". They valued hard work
and piety, and created sects, named after honored
leaders. Some examples of these sects include the
Schwenkfelders, who took their name from Caspar
Schwenkfelder; the Mennonites, who took their name
from Menno Simmons; the Amish, who took their name
from Jost Amman; and the Herrites, who were named
after Christian Herr. Seventeenth century Germany
was so chaotic that for many, their only hope lay
in work and prayer. These pietistic religious sects
were very appealing because of the salvation they
offered. When William Penn advertised his colony
to the English, German and Dutch, the German and
Dutch Mennonites immediately responded. Their agent,
Francis Pastorius, went to Pennsylvania and was
instrumental in creating Germantown, a colony for
the Germans. Bringing Germans to America soon became
a profitable business, and after 1717 Germans were
brought to Pennsylvania in masses. They created
a prosperous farming culture as well as a diverse
religious culture.
Scotch-Irish:
From 1717 to the time of the American Revolution,
the Scotch-Irish (Scots-Irish) immigrated to the
new world in waves, brought about by severe hardships
in Ireland. In Pennsylvania these Scotch-Irish settlers
were mostly frontiersmen who pushed into the Cumberland
Valley region and on into western parts. By 1776
the Scotch-Irish comprised one quarter of the population.
These were mostly lowland Scots who migrated to
Northern Ireland in the 17th century as part of
England's attempts to strengthen control over Ireland.
Irish: Most
accounts of Irish in Pennsylvania are that of Scotch-Irish,
who were Protestant immigrants from the North of
Ireland, but there are accounts of some Irish-Catholics.
Pre-Revolution Irish were most likely servants,
and their presence was evidenced by the number of
Irish taverns established throughout Philadelphia.
In 1733, churches began to organize, which were
discretely tucked away into the heart of the city.
Jews: In 1492,
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain signed an order
to expel all Jews from Spain. Some of these Jews
converted to Christianity, while others fled to
Portugal, only to be expelled five years later.
Some Jews emigrated to the north of Europe, Italy,
Africa and the Ottoman Empire, and some sailed to
the new world to help establish Brazil. The end
of the 15th century witnessed great anti-Semitism
towards Jews, but the Jews found refuge in Poland.
As more and more Jews flocked to Poland it soon
became the largest Jewish community in the world.
When the Dutch converted to Protestantism they soon
became an enemy to Spain, and in doing so, opened
their borders to Spanish Jews. As a result, Amsterdam
would developed a Jewish community. In 1630, the
Dutch conquered northern Brazil and allowed Jews
to emigrate, leading to the growth of a small Jewish
community in Brazil. In 1654, the Portuguese won
back northern Brazil and gave the Jews three months
to leave. Some of the Jews went back to Holland,
the Dutch West Indies and Dutch Guiana. A small
group of Jews were captured by a Spanish ship shortly
after leaving Brazil. This ship was then captured
by a French ship, who dropped the Jews off in New
Amsterdam, becoming the first Jews to settle in
the United States. Other Jews from Brazil would
follow, settling in New Amsterdam, Rhode Island,
Jamaica and the West Indies. In 1648, Poland was
in turmoil due to an uprising, and many Jews were
killed. Jews then began moving west to Holland,
then England and finally to America. A significant
Jewish population grew in Pennsylvania, and the
first congregation was established in 1740.
African Americans:
The first African Americans in Pennsylvania were
reported to have lived in the Delaware River Valley
as early as 1639 and were enslaved by the Swedes,
Dutch and Finns. In 1684, after the Quakers had
arrived, the first slave ship arrived in Pennsylvania
carrying 150 Africans. Slavery in Pennsylvania was
unlike slavery in the south. Instead of plantations,
the slaves were part of the commercial economy working
in agriculture, charcoal-iron, sail making, and
as longshoremen, mariners, street vendors and domestic
servants. The years between 1756 and 1767 marked
the onset of the height of slavery in Philadelphia.
The German and Scotch-Irish indentured servants
had dried up, so they turned to black slaves. The
use of black slaves slowed some after 1767 when
new batches of indentured servants were brought
to Philadelphia. Opposition to slavery by both blacks
and whites led to a ban on slave importation as
well as the passage of the Gradual Emancipation
Act in 1780.
Other ethnic groups that populated the state included
a small number of French Hugeunotos, Dutch and Swedes.
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