|
NJ Facts:
How State
Government Works
Fast Facts
Famous Firsts
Timeline
State Holidays
NJ
Zip Codes
Population
Why "the Garden State"?
Employment
Wages by
Occupation
Famous People:
Famous New Jersey Women
New Jersey's U.S. Presidents
New Jersey Artists
Paul Robeson: Entertainer and Activist
Places & Things:
NJ State Museum
NJ Cultural Trust
The Statue of Liberty
New Jersey Lighthouses
NJ Musical Firsts
Sports:
The New Jersey Devil
Football in
New Jersey
Basketball in
New Jersey
Tennis in
New Jersey
Baseball in
New Jersey
Agriculture:
Food and Nutrition
Programs
Jersey Fresh
Animal Health
Jersey Grown
Jersey Seafood
Agriculture and Green Energy
Farm Conservation Plan
Fish and Wildlife
Smart
Growth/Anti-Sprawl
|
Abraham Browning of Camden is given credit for giving New Jersey the
nickname the Garden State. According to Alfred Heston's 1926 two-volume
book Jersey Waggon Jaunts, Browning called New Jersey the Garden State
while speaking at the Philadelphia Centennial exhibition on New Jersey Day
(August 24, 1876). Browning said that our Garden State is an immense
barrel, filled with good things to eat and open at both ends, with
Pennsylvanians grabbing from one end and New Yorkers from the other. The
name stuck ever since. However, Benjamin Franklin is credited with a
similar comparison of New Jersey to a barrel tapped at both ends. Some
have used that to discredit Browning with naming the Garden State.
In 1954, the state legislature passed a bill to have "The Garden State"
added to license plates. Before signing the bill into law, Governor Robert
Meyner investigated the origins of the nickname and found "no official
recognition of the slogan Garden State as an identification of the state
of New Jersey." He added, "I do not believe that the average citizen of
New Jersey regards his state as more peculiarly identifiable with
gardening for farming than any of its other industries or occupations."
Governor Meyner vetoed the bill, but the legislature overrode the veto.
The slogan was added to license plates soon after.
The
Delaware Indians of New Jersey.
The first people to live on
the land now known as New Jersey were the Delaware Indians. They lived
here starting at least 10,000 years ago. Anywhere from 8,000 to 20,000
Delaware Indians lived in the area when the first Europeans arrived. Their
name means "original people" or "genuine people." They spoke an Algonquian
dialect.
Though they were considered
one tribe, the Delaware Indians didn't act as one unified group. Instead,
they lived in small communities made up mostly of extended family members.
The men would hunt or fish during the day. Depending on the season they
might search for clams off the Jersey shore or hunt in the woods. The
women worked in the gardens. They grew squash, beans, sweet potatoes, and
corn.
When the first explorers
came, the Delaware Indians lived in parts of Delaware, New Jersey, and
eastern Pennsylvania. Europeans called them the Delaware Indians. (For
more information on the Delaware Indians, visit their official web site.)
Colonial Times
in New Jersey.
Around 1524, Giovanni de
Verrazano became the first European to explore New Jersey. He sailed along
the coast and anchored off Sandy Hook. The colonial history of New Jersey
started after Henry Hudson sailed through Newark Bay in 1609. Although
Hudson was British, he worked for the Netherlands, so he claimed the land
for the Dutch. It was called New Netherlands. (Meet some of the explorers
with Professor Foulkii in the Cartoon History.)
Small trading colonies sprang
up where the present towns of Hoboken and Jersey City are located. The
Dutch, Swedes, and Finns were the first European settlers in New Jersey.
Bergen, founded in 1660, was New Jersey's first permanent European
settlement. In 1664 the Dutch lost New Netherlands when the British took
control of the land and added it to their colonies. They divided the land
in half and gave control to two proprietors: Sir George Carteret (who was
in charge of the east side) and Lord John Berkley (who was in charge of
the west side). 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.
Berkeley and Carteret sold
the land at low prices and allowed the settlers to have political and
religious freedom. As a result, New Jersey was more ethnically diverse
than many other colonies. Primarily a rural society, the colony grew to
have about 100,000 people.
Eventually, governing power was transferred back to England. For many
years, New Jersey shared a royal governor with New York. The governorship
was finally split in 1738 when New Jersey got its own governor, Lewis
Morris.
The Revolution
and New Jersey.
In the years before the
Revolution, anti-British feelings spread throughout the state. (For fun,
play "Dunk King George.") About one-third of the people living here
supported the rebels, one-third supported England, and one-third remained
neutral. In 1776 New Jersey declared itself an independent state and
joined the colonial side in the Revolutionary War.
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.
Many people consider the
Battle of Trenton (see next page) to be the turning point of the
Revolution. Immediately after winning Trenton, General George Washington
won the battle of Princeton. 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, and the United States was well on
its way to victory.
The Battle of
Trenton, New Jersey.
In November of 1776 the
British gained control of New Jersey and forced Washington to flee into
Pennsylvania. They thought no one would fight during winter, so the
British and Hessian soldiers in New Jersey divided into camps to stay
until spring. Trenton was considered the most desirable post, and it went
to the Hessian soldiers as a reward for their good service. The Hessians
used the Old Barracks in Trenton as a headquarters.
The British didn't chase
Washington across the Delaware River because it was full of blocks of ice
that made it dangerous to cross. The Hessians didn't patrol along the
river because they thought Washington couldn't cross back. But in
December, Washington and his men decided to cross. Washington's men had to
push away blocks of ice from the boat's path while paddling hard to fight
the strong current. (If you like, play a fun game called Washington
Crosses the Delaware.)
Once across, Washington
decided to separate and surprise the Hessians in Trenton from two sides.
The plan worked, and the patriots captured 900 prisoners while only four
American soldiers were wounded. For maps and more information about the
Battle of Trenton, visit "10 Crucial Days" on the Old Barracks Museum Web
site
Early Statehood
of New Jersey.
In 1787, New Jersey became
the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution and the first state to
sign the Bill of Rights. In 1790, Trenton officially became the state
capital of New Jersey. William Livingston became New Jersey's first state
governor.
New Jersey grew and prospered
during the early 1800s. New factories sprung up throughout the state.
Paterson became a textile center and later became known for producing
trains and silk. Trenton produced clay products, iron, and steel. Camden,
Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark, and Passaic all became major manufacturing
centers in the 1800s.
New canals and railroads
helped industry grow. Europeans came by the thousands to New Jersey to
work in the factories. South Jersey remained rural for the most part,
growing the crops to feed the urban areas nearby. Railroads were important
in helping the South Jersey seashore areas expand. In 1850, New Jersey's
population of nearly half a million and the industries in which most of
those people worked were concentrated in the north.
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.
Industry,
Immigrants, and Innovation in New Jersey.
After the Civil War, the
industrial revolution was under way, and New Jersey continued to grow.
More factories opened, and cities like Trenton, Newark, Paterson, and
Camden got bigger as immigrants from Europe came to work in them.
Railroads were laid to connect the cities and to transport materials.
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. As
both governor and president Wilson supported welfare reforms to protect
workers and to keep companies from becoming too big. You can learn more
about Woodrow Wilson on the White House Web site.
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. Fort Lee became the motion picture capital of the world in the
early 1900s. There, Fatty Arbuckle, Mary Pickford, Pearl White, and other
stars revolutionized entertainment with their movies.
New Jersey in the
1900's.
Between 1900 and 1930, New
Jersey's population more than doubled, and manufacturing became a $4
billion industry. Unfortunately, the Great Depression of the 1930s hit New
Jersey hard, bringing massive unemployment. The state rebounded during
World War II in the 1940s as New Jersey's electronics and chemical
industries began large-scale operations.
In the mid-1900s, 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 and the Garden State Parkway
opened in the 1950s.
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. (See a animated
video about this flight.) 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.
Today New Jersey is
recognized for its present as well as its past. While remembering its
proud history, New Jersey will continue to be the setting for many of the
great events of the future.
Did You Know this about New
Jersey.
Cape May was named after Dutch explorer Cornelius
Mey, who sailed the Delaware River in 1614. New Jersey was settled in 1618
by the Dutch.
New Jersey is the only British North American colony
whose first European settlers were not English. New Jersey finally became
a British Royal Province in 1702.
New Jersey was known as the "Pathway of the Revolution." Over 100 battles
were fought on New Jersey soil.
Two New Jersey cities temporarily served as the nation's capital during
the Revolution. From June 30 to November 4, 1783, Princeton was the U.S.
capital. Trenton was capital from November 1 to December 24, 1784.
New Jersey was one of the 13 original states. It was the third state to
ratify U.S. Constitution in 1787.
Aaron Burr's famous duel with Alexander Hamilton took place in Weehawken
in 1804. Burr, who at the time was Vice President, shot and killed
Hamilton.
Francis Hopkinson is credited with the design of the first American flag
with thirteen stars and stripes. The Continental Congress adopted his
design on June 14, 1777.
John Roebling, who built the Brooklyn Bridge, opened his company in
Trenton.
Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States, was
born in Caldwell in 1837.
Famous Firsts in
New Jersey.
-
The first organized
baseball game was played in Hoboken in 1846.
-
The first boardwalk in the world was built in 1870 at Atlantic City.
-
The first copper mine in America was opened by enterprising Dutch settlers
in the Kittatinny Mountains, circa 1640.
-
The first
drive-in movie theater was built on a 10-acre plot in Camden County in
1933.
-
The first ferry service in the U.S. operated between Hoboken and Manhattan
in 1811.
-
The first seashore resorts opened in Cape May and Long Branch in the early
1800s.
-
The first Miss America was chosen in Atlantic City in 1921.
-
The
first movie was developed by Thomas A. Edison in West Orange in 1889.
-
The first brewery in America opened in Hoboken in 1642.
-
The first phonograph was made by Thomas A. Edison in Menlo Park in 1877.
-
The first balloon flight in America was made by Jean-Pierre Blanchard. On
January 9,1793, he landed a balloon at Deptford carrying a letter from
George Washington.
-
The first professional
basketball game was played in Trenton in 1896.
-
The first incandescent lamp (light bulb) was made by Thomas A. Edison in
Menlo Park in 1879.
-
The first submarine was built in 1878 by John Holland of Passaic County.
The submarine is now in a public museum in Paterson.
-
The first condensed soup in America was cooked and canned in Camden County
in 1897.
-
The first robot to replace a human worker was used by General Motors in
Ewing Township in 1961.
-
The first saltwater taffy was produced at the Jersey shore in the 1870s.
-
The first solid body electric guitar was invented by Les Paul of Mahwah in
1940.
-
The first national historic park in America was established in 1933 in
Morristown.
-
The first cultivated blueberries were marketed by
Elizabeth White of Whitesbog in 1916.
-
The first steam locomotive to actually pull a train on a track was built
by John Stevens of Hoboken in 1824.
-
The first town to be lighted by electricity was Roselle in 1883.
-
The first radio broadcast of the World Series was transmitted live on
radio station WIZ in Newark in 1921.
-
The first intercollegiate
football game was played by Rutgers and Princeton in New Brunswick on
November 6, 1869. Rutgers won 6 to 4.
-
The first
airplane passenger flight flew from New York to Atlantic City on May
3, 1919.
New Jersey Timeline.
1524 - Verrazano explores the Jersey coast
1609 - Hudson explores Newark Bay
1660 - Bergen, now Jersey City, becomes the first permanent town in New
Jersey
1664 - The British take control of New Jersey from the Dutch
1758 - The Old Barracks in Trenton is built
1766 - Rutgers University is founded
1776 - N.J.'s first newspaper, the New Jersey Gazette, issues its first
edition
1776 - New Jersey adopts its first state constitution
1783 - Princeton briefly serves as the nation's capital
1784 - Trenton briefly serves as the nation's capital
1787 - New Jersey is the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution
1790 - New Jersey is the first state to sign the Bill of Rights
1804 - Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr have a famous duel in Weehawken
1824 - The first ferry service in the U.S. opens between Hoboken and
Manhattan
1844 - New Jersey adopts its second state constitution
1858 - The first nearly complete dinosaur fossil is found in Haddonfield
1869 - The first intercollegiate football game is played in New Brunswick
1876 - Thomas Edison opens laboratories in Menlo Park
1879 - Edison invents a practical incandescent lamp
1882 - The first amusement pier over the ocean is built in Atlantic City
1883 - Roselle is the first U.S. town to be lighted by electricity
1887 - Thomas Edison moves his laboratories to West Orange
1912 - New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson is elected President of the U.S.
1918 - A German U-boat sinks six American ships off the coast of New Jersey
1921 - The first Miss America Pageant is held
1927 - The Holland Tunnel opens
1933 - The first drive-in movie theater in the U.S. opens in Camden
1943 - The U.S.S. New Jersey battleship is put into active service
1947 - Larry Doby, from Paterson, becomes the second African American to
play Major League Baseball
1947 - New Jersey adopts its third state constitution
1951 - The New Jersey Turnpike opens
1957 - The first New Jersey State Little League Baseball Tournament is
played
1963 - Snowboarding pioneer Tom Sims of Haddonfield creates the "ski board,"
an early version of the snowboard
1976 - The Meadowlands Sports Complex opens
1993 - Christine Todd Whitman is elected New Jersey's first female governor
1995 - The New Jersey Devils win the Stanley cup, becoming the first New
Jersey team to win a major league professional sports championship
1998 - The Toms River East Little League team wins the Little League World
Series
2000 - The New Jersey population in the 2000 Census is 8,414,350
2001 - The U.S.S. New Jersey battleship becomes a museum
|
Historic Links:
State Archives
Historical Documents
Historical
New Jersey Maps
NJ Historical Commission
Historic Trust
Historical Documents Post 1776
History of the Old Barracks
Meet
the Past
New Jersey Gazette
Historical Commission Print Publications
Genealogical Society
of New Jersey
A Short History of
New Jersey
The Cartoon History
of New Jersey
The History of Movies
in NJ
The Battle of
Princeton
Conservation:
Pinelands Natural Reserve
Parks and Forestry
Natural Resource Conservation
Highlands Protection Act
Endangered Species
Regulating the Environment
Site Remediation Program
Solid and Hazardous Waste
Known Environmentally Contaminated Sites in NJ
Hazardous Waste Facilities
Recycling Computers Electronics
Reporting Environmental Incidents, Abuses and
Complaints
Voluntary Cleanup Program
Audubon Conservation Education
Maintaining Forestry in My Community
NJ Green Acres Program
|
