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Trenton, Newark, Paterson, Jersey City, New Brunswick, Camden, Clifton, Edison, Elizabeth, Princeton, Toms River, Morristown, Plainfield, Atlantic City, Cherry Hill, East Orange, Mahwah, Vineland, Wayne, Whippany, Allenhurst, Bellmawr, Belmar, Branchville, Brick, Caldwell, Cranbury, Dover, Eatontown, Hackensack
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Native
Americans from the Delaware tribe lived in New Jersey when
Europeans explorers first arrived. They built villages along
the Delaware River, spending most of their time hunting and
planting corn, beans, and other crops for food.
Giovanni da Verrazano was the first to explore the coast of
New Jersey in 1524 for France. In 1609, Henry Hudson sailed
up the Hudson River and claimed New Jersey and New York for
the Dutch. Although Hudson was British, he worked for the
Netherlands, so he claimed the land for the Dutch. It was
called New Netherlands. Many other Dutch explorers followed.
In 1614, Cornelius May discovered the Delaware River.
By 1630, Dutch settlement of New Jersey began along the
western bank of the Hudson, with one on the Delaware at Fort
Nassau; but these settlements were insignificant, and the
history of the colony properly begins with the occupation of
the territory by the English. Due to Indian attacks, the
first permanent town, Bergen, wasn't established until 1660.
Swedish fur traders began settling southern New Jersey in
1638, but were quickly forced out of the area by the Dutch.
New Jersey's early colonial history was involved with that
of New York (New Netherlands), of which it was a part. In
1664 the Dutch lost New Netherlands when the British took
control of the land and added it to their colonies. New
Jersey was organized as an English colony under Gov. Philip
Carteret. Many settlers arrived as land was sold
inexpensively with the promise of political and religious
freedom. In 1674, a Quaker colony arrived. In 1676 the
colony was divided between Carteret a(who was in charge of
the east side) nd a company of English Quakers who had
obtained the rights belonging to John, Lord Berkeley (who
was in charge of the west side) into West and East Jersey.
The land was officially named New Jersey after the Isle of
Jersey in the English Channel. Carteret had been governor of
the Isle of Jersey.
Two wholly separate governments were now set up, and they
were as different as white from black. The stern New England
Puritans had settled in East Jersey in sufficient numbers to
give coloring to the laws, and in these laws (enacted by the
first assembly before the division) we find enumerated
thirteen crimes for which the penalty was death. In West
Jersey the government was exceedingly mild. A code of laws
with the name of Penn at the top gave all power to the
people, and made no mention of capital punishment. This was
the first example of Quaker legislation in America.
When James II became king of England he demanded the
charters of the Jerseys on writes of quo warranto, leaving
the ownership of the soil to the people, and united East and
West Jersey to New York and New England under the government
of Andros. At the fall of the king and the expulsion of
Andros the Jerseys were left in a state of anarchy, and so
it continued for more than ten years. The heirs of Carteret
and the Quakers laid claim to the colony; and New York made
a similar claim. After a long season of confusion it was
decided to surrender the whole colony to the Crown, and in
1702 New Jersey became a royal province administered by the
royal governor of New York initiated by Queen Anne. Finally,
in 1738, New Jersey was separated from New York under its
own royal governor, Lewis Morris.
During the 1760s, colonists began protesting high taxation
and trade restrictions by England. In 1774, colonists from
New Jersey burned a supply of tea from a British ship in
what became known as the Greenwich Tea Burning. As the
Revolutionary War began in 1775, New Jersey's loyalties were
split. About one-third of the people living here supported
the rebels, one-third supported England, and one-third
remained neutral.
New Jersey was an important state during the Revolutionary
War because of its location near the center of the thirteen
colonies and between New York City and Philadelphia. Because
of this, more battles were fought in New Jersey than in any
other state. The Americans and British fought 100 battles,
both large and small, here. Several important battles were
fought in New Jersey, most importantly the battles of
Trenton in 1776, which many consider to be the turning point
of the Revolution. Immediately after winning Trenton,
General George Washington won the battle of Princeton in
1777. Having lost two battles in a matter of hours, the
British fled New Jersey for New York. Washington and his
troops spent the rest of the winter in Morristown. Including
the battle of Monmouth in 1778.
In 1776, New Jersey claimed independence from Great Britain.
Two years later it adopted the Articles of Confederation.
Finally, on Dec. 18, 1787, New Jersey became the 3rd state
of the Union as it ratified the U.S. Constitution and the
first state to sign the Bill of Rights. Trenton became the
capital in 1790.
New Jersey became a massive industrial center during the
early 1800s. Trenton, Camden, Passaic, Jersey City and
Newark all became major manufacturing cities. Paterson
became a textile center and later became known for producing
trains and silk. Trenton produced clay products, iron, and
steel. Industries increased as transportation expanded in
South Jersey seashore areas by railroad and canal
construction. Thousands came from Europe to work in the
factories.
Although many sympathized with the South, New Jersey
soldiers fought for the Union during the Civil War
(1861-1865). During the Civil War, New Jersey provided 31
regiments (groups of soldiers), including cavalry (soldiers
on horseback) and infantry (soldiers on foot). Over 25,000
New Jersey men fought for the Union, and New Jersey soldiers
participated in almost every major Eastern battle.
After the war, several large corporations moved to New
Jersey and cities like Trenton, Newark, Paterson, and Camden
got bigger as immigrants from Europe came to work in them.
The state then passed several laws that restricted business
monopolies and provided workers' compensation and a public
utilities commission.
At first, most immigrants came from Ireland and Germany.
Later, people came from Italy and from countries throughout
Eastern Europe. In 1910 half the state's population was born
or had parents who were born outside the United States. As
city populations grew, farm populations shrank.
With so many people working in factories, issues like child
labor and protection for workers became important. The
popularity of these reforms brought Woodrow Wilson to power
as governor in 1910. He left office in 1913 to become
President of the United States and is the only New Jersey
governor to become president.
The state's economic expansion had a lot to do with the
genius of its inventors. Thomas Edison is probably most
famous. Among his thousands of inventions, including the
light bulb, Edison helped develop the motion picture while
working in New Jersey.
During World War I (1914-1918), thousands of soldiers left
for Europe from the Hudson River. New Jersey factories made
chemicals. Soldiers trained at Fort Dix. When the Great
Depression hit in 1929, factories closed and many lost their
jobs. The state rebounded during World War II (1939-1945) as
New Jersey's electronics and chemical industries began
large-scale operations.
After the war, people began moving back into the rural areas
from the overcrowded cities. A number of transportation
projects helped better connect New Jersey. The New Jersey
Turnpike was completed in 1952 and the Garden State Parkway
opened in 1955.
Poverty stricken and overcrowded cities led to riots during
the 1960s. New Jersey's state government started rebuilding
inner cities. Several bonds were issued to provide money for
better government programs. The Pinelands National Reserve
was established to protect plants, animals, land, and water.
In 1969, a state lottery was approved to raise money for
education. Several schools were built or expanded. Gambling
casinos were also allowed in 1977, to raise money for the
disabled and the elderly.
The history of air travel has close ties to New Jersey. On
May 3, 1919, the first passenger flight in American history
was flown from New York to Atlantic City. Today, New Jersey
is home to two international airports, Newark and Atlantic
City. Newark Airport expanded its passenger and cargo
services in 1963. In the 1980s, it became one of the world's
busiest airports.
Recently New Jersey is attracting new industries. Several
computer companies have created thousands of jobs. The state
is still facing problems of pollution and high government
costs.
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