History of New Jersey

The written history of New Jersey began with the exploration of the by  in 1524, though the region had been settled for millennia by. At the time of European contact, the area was populated many tribes of. The region soon came under the control of the  and the  resulting in a struggle in which the Dutch were victorious. However, the Dutch colony of was seized by the  in 1664. New Jersey was one of the original 13 colonies that joined the in 1776. It signed the in 1779 with  acting as the nation's capital for four months in 1783. New Jersey became independent after the American Revolutionary War, in which several crucial battles were fought in New Jersey resulting in American victories. In 1787, New Jersey was the third state to ratify the newly drafted.

In the nineteenth century, New Jersey cities led the nation into the and provided soldiers for many of the wars the United States fought, including 88,000 soldiers for the. The state became a component of the. The state's transportation system continued to improve with the construction of canals and more rail lines that helped industrialization further develop. During the early 1900s, New Jersey prospered but weakened in the in the 1930s. During and the  New Jersey's shipyards and military bases played an important role in the defense of the United States. In the 1960s New Jersey was the site of several race riots and of the, between American President and Soviet Premier.

Prehistory
Around 180 million years ago, during the, New Jersey bordered. The pressure of the collision between North America and Africa gave rise to the. During this period, broke apart into  and, and the North American continent became separated from the North African continent. Around 18,000 years ago, the resulted in s that reached New Jersey. As the glaciers retreated, they left behind, as well as many rivers, swamps, and gorges.

New Jersey was first settled by a group known as the, but called the Delaware Indians by European settlers. The Lenape were loosely organized groups that practiced small-scale agriculture (mainly based on ) in order to increase their largely mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region surrounding the, the lower , and western. The Lenape society was divided into clans that were based upon common female ancestors. These clans were organized into three distinct identified by their animal sign:, , and. They first encountered the Dutch in the early 1600s, and their primary relationship with the Europeans was through.

Colonial history
In 1524,, sailing in the service of , explored the. New Jersey's was discovered in 1609 by  in the service of the. Captain, a Dutch explorer, also explored the New Jersey and area. Cape May was named after Mey, as were the and  of the same name.

New Netherland
Much of New Jersey was claimed by the before the arrival of the. The Dutch colony of consisted of parts of modern  and New Jersey. Although the European principle of land ownership was not recognized by the Lenape, Dutch policy required formal purchase of all land settled upon, and the first such purchase was of, by. The first settlement on land that was to become modern New Jersey was at (now ) in 1629. The last Dutch governor was, who was unpopular with his subjects because he tried to restrict religious freedom: the objected to his ban on  as an infringement on the residents as  and as Dutch citizens. Stuyvesant used military coercion in order to accomplish some of his goals, which only made him more disliked. At New Netherland's height, 6,000 inhabitants resided in the colony.

New Sweden
In addition, part of southwestern New Jersey was settled by the by the mid-17th century. , founded in 1638, rose to its height under governor (1643–1653). Led by Printz, the settlement extended as far north as, on both sides of the. He helped to improve the military and commercial status of the colony by constructing, near present-day on the east side of the Delaware. This action prevented the river from being easily taken by the English and Dutch, who were also trying to expand into the New World. The Swedish and Finnish colonists generally lived in peace with their Dutch and Lenape neighbors. Under the last governor of New Sweden,, the Swedes captured Fort Casimir (now ), which was close to Fort Christina and later named Fort Trinity by the Swedes.

This action provoked a furious Governor Stuyvesant, who, in revenge, sent seven armed Dutch ships and 317 soldiers to the Delaware River the next summer. Realizing it was hopeless, the outnumbered Swedes surrendered Fort Trinity, and surrendered Fort Christina two weeks later. In 1655, the Dutch completely took over these lands and annexed them to New Netherland.

Province
From the colony of New Netherland, the Dutch interfered with Britain's trade with its North American colonies. Insisting that had been the first to discover North America, the British granted the land that now encompasses New Jersey to the, who ordered   to take over the area. In September 1664, a British fleet under Nicolls' command sailed into what is now and seized the colony. The British encountered little resistance, perhaps due to the unpopularity of the Dutch governor,. After capturing the colony, Nicolls became deputy-governor of and the rest of New Netherland, and guaranteed colonists' property rights, laws of inheritance, and the enjoyment of. New Netherland was renamed New Jersey (after the Island of  on which  was proclaimed king in 1649) and  was renamed  (after the Duke of York).



Charles II gave the region between and  to his brother, the Duke of York (later ), as a. Later James granted the land between the and the  that would become New Jersey to two friends who had been loyal to him through the : Sir  and. The two proprietors of New Jersey tried to entice more settlers to New Jersey by granting land to settlers and by passing, a document granting religious freedom to all inhabitants of New Jersey; the British allowed no such religious freedom. In return for land, settlers paid annual fees known as quitrents. The proprietors appointed as the first governor of New Jersey, who designated  as the colony's capital. However, the two proprietors found collecting the quitrents difficult, and on, Berkeley sold his share of New Jersey to the.

This sale divided the province into and. The generally corresponded to the  between present day  and  and was created by. However, the line was constantly the subject of disputes. With the 1676 more accurate surveys and maps were made resulting in the Thornton line, drawn around 1696, and the Lawrence line, drawn around 1743, which was adopted as the final line for legal purposes.

Many of the colonists of New Jersey became farmers. However, despite the fertility of the soil, farmers were forced to struggle due to the dearth of. Some owned or had s work for them. The majority of the colonists lived in simple log cabins, coming from the original Dutch settlers. Since New Jersey was ideally located next to the, colonists farmed, fished, and traded by sea. Transportation was slow and difficult usually on either foot or horseback. Education came through small religious schools, private academies, or tutors.

On, , under the reign of , West and East Jersey were reunited as a. , Lord Cornbury became the first governor of the colony as a royal colony. Lord Cornbury was an ineffective and corrupt ruler, taking bribes and speculating on land, so in 1708 he was recalled to England. New Jersey was then ruled by the governors of, but this infuriated the settlers of New Jersey, who accused those governors of favoritism to New York. led the case for a separate governor, and was appointed governor by in 1738. From 1701 to 1765, New Jersey's border with New York was in dispute, resulting in a.

In 1746 The College of New Jersey (now ) was founded in Elizabethtown by a group of "New Lighters" that included,  and. In 1756 the school moved to Princeton.

American Revolution
New Jersey was one of the original thirteen colonies that joined in the from Great Britain. Many of the New Jersey settlers still felt ties of, and many sided with the British in exchange for freedom. The loyalists included the governor of New Jersey,.

On, , the first was drafted, creating a basic framework for the state government. The allowed "all inhabitants of this Colony, of full age, who are worth fifty pounds proclamation money" to vote, including nonwhites and widows; married women could not own property under the. The Constitution declared itself temporary and to be void if there was reconciliation with. Both political parties in elections mocked the other for relying on "petticoat electors" for allowing women to vote. Only two days after the new constitution was enacted, on, , the was endorsed by five representatives from New Jersey.

New Jersey is referred to as the "Crossroads of the Revolution" because the British and Continental armies fought several crucial battles there. Throughout the war 296 engagements occurred in New Jersey, more than in any other colony. Four major battles were fought at, , , and. The Battles of Trenton and Princeton are collectively referred to as the Ten Crucial Days because these desperately needed victories bolstered the morale of the nation. On night of 1776, the, commanded by General , made the famous crossing of the. The scene was immortalized in 's painting , and displayed on the. In the which followed the crossing, the American soldiers surprised the s, capturing nearly 900 prisoners in 90 minutes and taking supplies that had been for the British army. After the victory, George Washington led the army back across the Delaware River into.

A few days later, British General hoped to engage Washington's army at  after Washington recrossed the Delaware River, resulting in the. After recapturing Trenton, he ordered charges on fortified defenses at. The Americans inflicted heavy casualties on the British from their defenses. Later, the Continental army slipped past Cornwallis’s stalled army and launched an attack on British soldiers stationed at in the  on,. The British at Princeton were forced to surrender. Cornwallis immediately ordered his army to engage the Americans at Princeton, but was prevented by snipers. These victories forced the British to leave New Jersey.

On, , the Continental Army under met a British column under Sir  at the. Washington hoped to surprise and overwhelm the rear of the British army. General led the American attack on the British rear but retreated prematurely when the British attempted to flank the Americans. The retreat nearly led to disorder, but Washington managed to rally the troops to withstand two British counterattacks, both of which failed. As temperatures increased to over 100o, many soldiers fell to. After the battle, Charles Lee was court-martialed for his poor command. Over 1,000 British casualties were incurred while the Americans lost 452 men. It was during this battle that the legendary "" is said to have fought.

The last major battle to take place in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War (and for the rest of the history of New Jersey) was the. , the Hessian general, hoped to invade New Jersey and expected support from colonists of New Jersey who were tired of the war. He hoped to secure, from which he could attack the American headquarters in. On, , the British attacked soldiers under the command of. General Greene successfully stopped a two-pronged attack from entrenchments held across the, preventing the British invasion.

New Jersey ratified and then signed the on,. In the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall of. It had originally convened in, but mutinous troops prevented the meeting from taking place. Princeton became the temporary capital for the nation for four months. During the brief stay in Princeton, the Continental Congress was informed of the end of the war by the signing of the on,. On, , New Jersey became the third state to ratify the , and on , , New Jersey became the first state in the Nation to ratify the.

New Jersey played a major role in creating the structure of the new. When Virginia delegates proposed calling for representation based on the population of each state, the smaller states refused, fearing that with such a plan they would no longer have a say in government affairs. , a New Jersey statesman, introduced the, by which one vote would be given to each state, providing equal representation within the legislative body. The accepted both plans, creating two separate bodies in the.

Industrial Revolution
The economy of New Jersey was largely based on agriculture, but crop failures and poor soil plagued the settlers of New Jersey. However, New Jersey eventually funded publications in the early 1850s of accurate agriculture-related surveys through the effort of. The publication of this survey helped to increase the state’s involvement in agricultural research and direct support to farmers. As agriculture became a less reliable source of income for New Jerseyans, many began turning towards more industrialized methods.

became the cradle of the in America. Energy was harnessed from the 77 feet (23 m) high. The city became an important site for mills and other industries. These include the, s, , and manufacturing industries. Because of its high silk production, it became nicknamed the "Silk City". In 1835, began producing firearms in the city.

The second version of the was written in 1844. The constitution provided suffrage only to white males, removing it from all women and from people of other races. Suffrage had been awarded to those groups under the original New Jersey State Constitution of 1776. Some important components of the second State Constitution include the separation of the powers of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The new constitution also provided a. Underneath the constitution, the people had the right to elect the.

The famous inventor was born in 1847. Edison worked in, and was known as "the Wizard of Menlo Park" for his many inventions; over the course of his life, he was granted 1,093 patents. His most famous inventions included the, the , the , the and the. He also is credited with improving the designs of the, , the , and the. He started the. One of his famous sayings was, "Genius is one percent inspiration and 99% perspiration", as his efforts consisted of research and testing.

The agricultural products from New Jersey usually were transported to larger markets in New York City and Philadelphia, requiring better transportation. The first oceangoing went from, sailed around southern New Jersey, and ended in Philadelphia. Later, systems of canals were built, the first of which is called the and ran from, on the  to , on the. The ran from, on the , to , on the Delaware River. was also improved; Hoboken-born inventor built a 10 ton locomotive and his son  started constructing iron railroads. By 1833, had been completed, allowing a 7 hour passage between Philadelphia and New York City. Through the 1800s, over a dozen companies were operating railroad lines.

War and slavery
During the, a battalion of volunteers from New Jersey, in four companies, was active from September 1847 to July 1848. , an officer who led a unit, followed General  and fought in the  and. After the war, Kearny made his home in the state of New Jersey.

The population was especially intolerant of slavery, and the state was a major part of the. Though New Jersey passed an act for the gradual abolition of slavery in 1804, it was not until 1830 that most blacks were free in the state. New Jersey was the last northern state to abolish slavery completely, and by the close of the, about a dozen African-Americans in New Jersey were still apprenticed freedmen. New Jersey at first refused to ratify the.

Although no Civil War battles were fought within New Jersey, the state sent over 88,000 soldiers as part of some 31 infantry and cavalry regiments, and over 6,000 died in the war. 23,116 of those soldiers served in the. Soldiers from New Jersey fought generally in the War's Eastern theater. , an officer from the, led a brigade of New Jersey regiments under Brigadier General. Kearny distinguished himself as a brilliant officer during the, and was promoted to the position of.

New Jersey was one of the few states to favor over  in the Presidential. The people of New Jersey also cast its to  when he ran for President against  in the election of 1864, being the only free state that rejected Lincoln twice. McClellan was later elected governor, serving from 1878 to 1881.

Many industrial cities like and  grew extremely strong through the duration of the Civil War. They produced many necessities, including clothing and war materials like. These cities prospered through heavy production even after the end of the war.

Early 1900s and World War I
The of New Jersey was a large integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing organization, founded by, , and. In 1911, the ordered the dissolution of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, viewing it as violating the. Standard Oil had controlled nearly 90% of refined oil flows into the United States, having a near complete monopoly upon it. Standard Oil Company was split into 34 smaller companies as a result of the dissolution.

New Jersey was a center of shipbuilding and manufacturing during. Existing factories such as the in  were converted to making weapon parts. New and  factories were built by companies like. After the war, many of these companies and plants shifted to chemicals, making New Jersey one of the world's leading chemical producers. Several ships were sunk off the New Jersey coast.

, in, was activated for use in. It was from there that many soldiers were deployed to before shipping off to Europe. Camp Merritt was decommissioned in November 1919. , in, was also constructed in 1917 to help in the war effort. It was used as a training and staging ground throughout the war. After the war, it was converted into a demobilization center.

Roaring Twenties
Like much of the rest of the United States, New Jersey entered a through the 1920s. Through this period, New Jersey's population and employment rate increased greatly. Though production decreased after the end of World War I, production lines still remained in relatively high production.

Transportation became much easier through the 1920s. s became easily affordable and roads were paved and improved such that they incorporated new road features, including turns. As a result, people who had never been farther than the outskirts of their hometown now could travel around the state. The became extremely popular as an attraction. Many bridges and tunnels were built for the ease of interstate traveling. The was completed linking  and  in 1926. The, under the , was completed in 1927, providing a means of easy transportation between New Jersey and. Before, were required to travel across the Hudson River. Later on, the (1931) and the  (1937) were completed, making access to  even easier. All of the tunnels and bridges linking New York and New Jersey are managed by the, established on ,.

New Jersey was also the first state in the United States to ratify, which restricted the purchasing and selling of. However, the, which banned alcohol consumption, was later repealed by the in December 1933. reopened almost immediately.

Great Depression era
Like the rest of the United States, the people of New Jersey were hit hard by the. By 1933, one-tenth of the population was dependent upon 's. In fact, New Jersey issued begging licenses to the poor people because the New Jersey government funds were being exhausted. Under the, part of the Second New Deal by FDR, many new jobs were provided in order to support the poor, including the expansion of , in , and  in. also grew common during the Great Depression; in 1937 a group of gravediggers from New Jersey went on strike.

In 1938, produced  radio broadcast. Listeners were told that a "huge, flaming object... fell on a farm in the neighborhood of Grover’s Mill... twenty-two miles from Trenton." It described monsters that were causing much destruction. Although it was announced in advance that it was a radio play, the broadcast resulted in widespread panic into New Jersey and the surrounding areas. Many people had believed the bulletin to be real, causing them to flee the New Jersey area or to blockade their homes to ensure safety from the reported monsters. was criticized for allowing fictitious bulletins to gain attention of listeners. Welles and the other broadcasters were not punished by law, but were held under a brief informal "" for a short period.

During the Great Depression, 20-month old, son of famous aviator , was abducted from his home near in the. The police sealed off many roads to prevent the kidnapper's escape, and interrogated the members of the Lindbergh household. Federal expert carefully examined the ladder used by the kidnapper, which he traced to a company in. was a lieutenant who attempted to capture the kidnapper while he was passing off ransom bills. Finally, a ransom note was located and traced to ; the bill had the license plate number of Hauptmann's Saloon that was written down by a gas attendant. He was tried in in what was known as the "Trial of the Century", and was convicted. He was in the  in. The Lindbergh kidnapping led to passage of the, also known as the "Lindbergh Law", which made kidnapping a federal crime.

In 1937, the German  exploded over. While approaching a mooring mast in Lakehurst, the zeppelin suddenly caught fire, and within 34 seconds the entire hydrogen-filled zeppelin was engulfed in flames; 36 people died in the disaster, most of them leaping from the burning ship. Contrary to popular belief, the Hindenburg had flown an entire year of successful voyages before it caught on fire. Questions and controversy surround the accident to this day: theories for the sudden burst of flames include sabotage against the German, static buildup, and flammable fabric.

World War II and the 1940s
New Jersey shipyards were responsible for the construction of many naval ships in, including s, s, s and s, receiving 9% of all allied war-related contracts through the war. Nearly 500,000 residents enlisted for the war, more than 10% of the total population of New Jersey at the time, causing many women to take jobs in their husbands’ absences. A German (U-689) was sunk off the coast of New Jersey in 1945.

was a staging area near serving the port of. Buildings were painted such that they had a camouflage effect. Camp Kilmer helped to serve troops by offering medical care and providing them with supplies. Camp Kilmer was later reactivated for the and the. Fort Dix was reopened for the training of soldiers for the war effort. During the war, in Monmouth County was opened for naval production, which provided ships with a safe port to take on ammunition.

opened on,. It was called "America's First Defense Airport" because it was opened as a gunnery training area for fighter pilots. Over 1,500 pilots were trained for advanced aircraft fighting at this airport. was also opened in. Gunners in the fort prevented German submarines from entering. The airfield, currently known as, was opened in 1937 as , a supporting Army airfield for Fort Dix. It was expanded during wartime operations and turned over to the Air Force in 1949.

An housing people of Japanese, German, and Italian descent was located in. In addition, took advantage of Japanese labor to increase productivity when the government allowed small groups of people from the internment camps to work there. At the end of, the government closed down the internment camps, but many people from the camps continued to work at Seabrook Farms.

In 1947, the current was ratified, reorganizing the state government. Governors were allowed to serve four years instead of three, and was constituted with a 40-member  and an 80-member. The new State Constitution also returned the right of suffrage to females and non-whites.

Late twentieth century
In the 1950s, the planned and built the  in the cities of  and. This was the first port in the world to due to the innovation of  and the founding of the. The newly opened port quickly made the docks of, and  obsolete. In 1985, the port was the busiest in the world. (See ).

During the 1960s, many African Americans felt disenfranchised, feelings exacerbated by the police that usually sided against African Americans and by the poor urban conditions caused by urban decay. This tension led to race riots, the first of which occurred in on, , causing heavy damage to the Jersey City area. 71 stores were damaged and 46 people were injured. From to, , similar riots occurred in  and. In the Paterson riot, twenty stores and other buildings were damaged, and eight people were injured. In the Elizabeth riot, six people were injured and seventeen stores were damaged. In the aftermath of these riots, 135 people were arrested.

In the summer of 1967, urban residents, primarily African Americans, rioted for 5 days in and the neighboring city of  in the. 24 people died in the riots, and nearly 1,600 were arrested. The riots are often cited as a major factor in the decline of Newark and its neighboring communities, as many residents fled to the following the riots.

In the middle of the from  to, , president  met with Soviet premier  in  for the Glassboro Summit Conference. at the. No specific agreements were reached, especially in the area of restrictions on systems. However, the meeting helped improve the strained relationships between the Soviet Union and the US.

Because of its strategic location on the East Coast, New Jersey played an important role in the United States' defense. 14 anti-aircraft missile batteries in two groups were constructed in New Jersey to protect the metropolitan areas around  and. In addition, a regional command center was built in New Jersey. By 1974, the missile sites were deactivated. In addition to these, air defense sites, bases for interceptor aircraft, anti-aircraft gun batteries, surface-to-air missile sites, and command and control facilities were constructed to defend against an attack by long range, nuclear-armed aircraft of the.

In 1998, the south side of came under the jurisdiction of New Jersey following a  decision. Before, the island had been governed by the state of. However, after the court decision, disagreements between New Jersey and New York led to the sharing of jurisdiction over the island by the two states.

Terrorist attacks
In the morning of, , hijackers took control of four domestic U.S. commercial airliners, including which departed from  in the. All of the planes crashed, two of them into the two tallest towers of the in New York City which collapsed within two hours and were viewable from New Jersey. 2,986 deaths occurred in the attacks, including about 700 residents of New Jersey. Over 160,000 people were evacuated by ferry from the Manhattan area to New Jersey because the and  station had been closed down.

The destruction of Lower Manhattan office space accelerated the pre-2001 trend of moving jobs from Lower Manhattan to Midtown and New Jersey. The was constructed in  as part of this effect. Towns in New Jersey such as that were especially hard hit suffered from aftereffects of the attack.

For several weeks beginning on, , letters bearing a postmark and containing  bacteria were mailed to several news media offices and two US Senators. resulted in the deaths of five people and caused twenty-two people to develop anthrax infections (eleven of which were life-threatening).

2004–05 gubernatorial vacancy


Former Governor resigned on,  after charges of  and extortion scandals involving the impropriety of the appointment of an unqualified long rumored homosexual love interest. New Jersey had no Lieutenant Governor position at the time, leaving a vacancy in the office. Senate President served as Acting Governor (then Governor) in McGreevey's place. was elected of New Jersey on, , and took office on ,. On, , , the voters passed an amendment to the state constitution creating the position of , effective with the 2009 elections.