the role of religion also set the middle colonies apart. then again, which colonies are you referring to? I've seen the middle colonies list vary from one source to another. Virginia was normally assumed to be with the southern colonies. This would leave Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and sometimes, New York. Maryland was meant as a Catholic refuge in honor of Lord Baltimore, and you would have to understand the protestant vs catholic conflicts to really understand that significance. Pennsylvania, or Penn's woods, was started by William Penn, a Quaker, and the quakers were reviled in England. They refused to take up arms which made them just short of traitors in the eyes of the English Crown. As a result, Pennsylvania had the greatest religious freedom written into its founding documents by Penn.
