| History of New Jersey |
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| Colonial period |
| American Revolution |
| Nineteenth century |
| Twentieth century |
| Twenty-first century |
The history of what is nowNew Jersey begins at the end of theYounger Dryas, about 15,000 years ago.Native Americans moved into New Jersey soon after the reversal of the Younger Dryas; before then anice sheet hundreds of feet thick had made the area of northern New Jersey uninhabitable.
European contact began with the exploration of theJersey Shore byGiovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. At the time of European contact, many tribes of theLenape lived in the area.
In the 17th century, the New Jersey region came under the control of theSwedes and theDutch, resulting in a struggle in which the Dutch proved victorious (1655). However, the English seized the Dutch colony ofNew Netherland in 1664, renaming it theProvince of New Jersey. New Jersey became one of theThirteen Colonies which broke away from Britain in theAmerican Revolution, adopting theDeclaration of Independence in 1776. Becoming astate upon the formation of the United States, New Jersey saw significant action during theAmerican Revolutionary War. New Jersey's delegates signed theArticles of Confederation in 1779.Princeton acted as the nation's capital for four months in 1783, whileTrenton served as the capital in November and December 1784. Trenton was also under consideration as the permanent U.S. capital, along withNew York City andPhiladelphia, before southern states, led byThomas Jefferson, pushed for a capital to be established south of thePotomac River.[1]
In 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify theUnited States Constitution.[2]
In the 19th century, New Jersey cities led the United States into theIndustrial Revolution and New Jersey soldiers fought in many of the United States wars throughout the 1800s, including 88,000 soldiers during theAmerican Civil War. The state also became a component of theUnderground Railroad. The state's transportation system continued to improve with the construction of canals and more rail lines that helped industrialization develop further. During the early 20th century New Jersey prospered, but the economy weakened in theGreat Depression of the year of 1930 DuringWorld War II (1939–1945) and theCold War (c. 1947–1991), New Jersey's shipyards and military bases played an important role in the defense of the United States.[citation needed] In the 1960s, New Jersey became the site of several race riots and of theGlassboro Summit Conference (1967), between American PresidentLyndon B. Johnson and Soviet PremierAlexei Kosygin.
Paleo-Indians first settled in the area of present-day New Jersey after theWisconsin Glacier melted around 13,000 B.C.The Zierdt site in Montague, Sussex County and the Plenge site along the Musconetcong River in Franklin Township, Warren County, as well as the Dutchess Cave in Orange County, New York, represent camp sites of Paleo-Indians. Paleo Indians werehunter-gatherers, hunting game and gathering plants for eating. They moved as soon as game or plants became scarce.
TheWoodland period ofNorth Americanpre-Columbian cultures spans the time period from roughly 1000 BCE to 1,000 CE in the eastern part of North America. TheHopewell tradition summarizes the common aspects of theNative American culture that flourished along rivers in the northeasternUnited States from 200 BCE to 500 CE.[3]
Later other Native Americans settled in New Jersey. Around the year 1000, a Native American group known as theLenape, later calledDelaware Indians, settled in New Jersey. They came from the Mississippi valley. The Lenape formed loosely organized groups who at first migrated seasonally. With the advent of the bow-and-arrow and of pottery around the year 500 A.D., extended family groups began to stay in areas longer. They practiced small-scale agriculture (companion planting), such as growing corn and pole beans together and squash. They were hunting and gathering, hunting with bow-and-arrow, and using deadfall traps and snares. They also gathered nuts in the autumn such as acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, butternuts, beech nuts and chestnuts. The Native Americans and Paleo-Indians fished in all rivers and streams using nets and fish hooks and by hand. They also fished in the region surrounding theDelaware River, the lowerHudson River, and westernLong Island Sound. Traces of theirAlgonquian language survive in many place-names throughout the state.[4]
In 1524,Giovanni da Verrazzano, sailing in the service of France, explored theJersey Shore includingSandy Hook andThe Narrows, now the site of theVerrazano–Narrows Bridge. In 1609,Henry Hudson sailing for theDutch East India Company, explored the East Coast in theHalve Maen includingDelaware Bay,Raritan Bay,Newark Bay,New York Bay and theHudson Valley. Over the next five years, on somewhat secretive missions,Adriaen Block, Hendrick Christiaensz andCornelis Jacobsz May explored and mapped the coast from Cape May to Cape Cod, naming the areaNew Netherland.[5]
Initially, the Dutch built small trading posts for the fur trade. In May 1624, a ship under the command of Cornelius Jacobsen May (for whom Cape May is named) carried thirty families who were required to spread themselves throughout the region including atFort Wilhelmus located on the east bank of the South River (Delaware River) and the site of the first European settlement in what would become New Jersey. Later another more substantial trading post was built atFort Nassau.[5]
The next European settlement was established on the banks of theUpper New York Bay across the North River (Hudson River) fromFort Amsterdam (onManhattan) in 1630. Located atPaulus Hook, it was part of thepatroonship ofPavonia, formed from land owned byMichiel Pauw, aDutch businessman andpatroon who had bought the tract from theLenape.[6] The settlement grew slowly, impeded by mismanagement by theDutch West India Company and conflicts with the indigenous population such asKieft's War and thePeach War. In 1658, theDirector-General of New Netherland,Peter Stuyvesant, "re-purchased" the entire peninsula known asBergen Neck, and granted a charter to the village atBergen in 1661, establishing the oldest municipality in the state. TheBritish conquest of New Netherland in 1664 ended Dutch control, however,North Jersey would retain a "Dutch" character for many years.[7]
Part of southwestern New Jersey was settled by theSwedes by the mid-17th century.[8]New Sweden, founded in 1638, rose to its height under governorJohan Björnsson Printz (1643–53). Led by Printz, the settlement extended along both sides of the Delaware River from Delaware Bay to theSchuylkill. Printz helped to improve the military and commercial status of the colony by constructingFort Nya Elfsborg, near present-daySalem. This action prevented the river from being settled by the English and Dutch, who were trying to expand into the region. The Swedish and Finnish colonists generally lived in peace with their Dutch andLenape neighbors.[9]C. A. Nothnagle Log House andSchorn Log Cabin are remainders of this early influence. New Sweden's colonial population may have peaked at 368 people in 1654, after being boosted by more than 250 people along with a new governorJohan Rising, however, this was not enough to stave off Director-General Stuyvesant and 317 Dutch soldiers the next year.[10]
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From the colony of New Netherland, the Dutch interfered with Britain's transatlantic trade with its North American colonies. Insisting thatJohn Cabot had been the first to discover North America, the British granted the land that now encompasses New Jersey to theDuke of York (laterJames II & VII), who orderedColonelRichard Nicolls to take over the area. In September 1664, a British fleet under Nicolls' command sailed into what is nowNew York Harbor and seized the colony. The British encountered little resistance, perhaps due to the unpopularity of the Dutch governor, Peter Stuyvesant.[11] After capturing the colony, Nicolls became deputy-governor ofNew Amsterdam and the rest of New Netherland, and guaranteed colonists' property rights, laws of inheritance, and the enjoyment of religious freedom. New Netherland west of theHudson River was renamed New Jersey after theEnglish Channel island ofJersey whichCharles II of England, after having seen their loyalty to the crown, gave to the people of Jersey as a reward for having given him hospitality in the castle ofMont Orgueil before he was proclaimed king in 1649. The city of New Amsterdam was renamed New York (after the Duke of York).
Charles II gave the region betweenNew England andMaryland to his brother, the Duke of York (later King James II & VII), as aproprietary colony. Later James granted the land between theHudson River and theDelaware River that would become New Jersey to two friends who had been loyal to him through theEnglish Civil War: SirGeorge Carteret andLord Berkeley of Stratton. The two proprietors of New Jersey tried to entice more settlers to New Jersey by granting land to settlers and by passingConcession and Agreement, a document granting religious freedom to all inhabitants of New Jersey; the BritishChurch of England allowed no such religious freedom. In return for land, settlers paid annual fees known as quitrents. The proprietors appointedPhilip Carteret as the first governor of New Jersey, who designatedElizabethtown as the colony's capital.[12] However, the two proprietors found collecting the quitrents difficult, and on March 18, 1674, Berkeley sold his share of New Jersey to theQuakers.[13][14]
This sale divided the province intoEast Jersey andWest Jersey. Theexact line between West and East Jersey generally corresponded to theKeith Line between present daySouth andNorth Jersey and was created byGeorge Keith. However, the line was constantly the subject of disputes. With the 1676Quintipartite Deed more accurate surveys and maps were made resulting in theThornton Line, drawn around 1696, and theLawrence 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 English money. Some owned slaves or hadindentured servants 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 Atlantic Ocean, 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 April 15, 1702, under the reign ofQueen Anne, West and East Jersey were reunited as aroyal colony.Edward Hyde, 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 New York, but this infuriated the settlers of New Jersey, who accused those governors of favoritism to New York.Judge Lewis Morris led the case for a separate governor, and was appointed governor byKing George II in 1738.[15] From 1701 to 1765, New Jersey's border with New York was in dispute, resulting in aseries of skirmishes and raids.
In 1746, the College of New Jersey (nowPrinceton University) was founded in Elizabethtown by a group ofGreat Awakening "New Lighters" that includedJonathan Dickinson,Aaron Burr Sr. andPeter Van Brugh Livingston. In 1756, the school moved to Princeton.
New Jersey was one of the original thirteen colonies that joined in the struggle for independence from Great Britain. Many of the New Jersey settlers still felt ties ofloyalty to the British crown, and manyslaves sided with the British in exchange for freedom.[16] The loyalists included the governor of New Jersey,William Franklin.
On July 2, 1776, the firstConstitution of New Jersey was drafted, creating a basic framework for the state government. TheNew Jersey Constitution of 1776 allowed "all inhabitants of this Colony, of full age, who are worth fifty pounds proclamation money" to vote, including non-whites and widows; married women could not own property under thecommon law. The Constitution declared itself temporary and to be void if there was reconciliation with Great Britain.[17] Both political parties in elections mocked the other for relying on "petticoat electors" for allowing women to vote.[citation needed] The right to vote was restricted to white males in 1807. Only two days after the new constitution was enacted, on July 4, 1776, theDeclaration of Independence 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.[18] Throughout the war hundreds of engagements occurred in New Jersey, more than in any other colony. Five major battles were fought atTrenton,Princeton,Monmouth,Union andSpringfield. The Battles of Trenton and Princeton are collectively referred to as theTen Crucial Days because these desperately needed victories bolstered the morale of the nation.
On the night of December 25–26, 1776, theContinental Army, commanded by GeneralGeorge Washington, made the famouscrossing of the Delaware River. The scene was immortalized inEmanuel Gottlieb Leutze's paintingWashington Crossing the Delaware,[19] and displayed on theNew Jersey State Quarter. In theBattle of Trenton which followed the crossing, the American soldiers surprised theHessians, capturing nearly 900 prisoners in 90 minutes and taking supplies that had been meant for the British army. After the victory, George Washington led the army back across the Delaware River intoPennsylvania.
A few days later, British GeneralCharles Cornwallis hoped to engage Washington's army atTrenton after Washington recrossed the Delaware River, resulting in theSecond Battle of Trenton. After recapturing Trenton, he ordered charges on fortified defenses atAssunpink Creek. 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 Princeton in theBattle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. 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 June 28, 1778, the Continental Army underGeorge Washington met a British column under SirHenry Clinton at theBattle of Monmouth. Washington hoped to surprise and overwhelm the rear of the British army. GeneralCharles Lee 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 counter-attacks, both of which failed. As temperatures increased to over 100 °F (38 °C), many soldiers fell to sunstroke. 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 "Molly Pitcher" is said to have fought.[20]
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 theBattle of Springfield.Baron von Knyphausen, 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 secureHobart Gap, from which he could attack the American headquarters inMorristown. On June 23, 1780, the British attacked soldiers under the command ofNathanael Greene. General Greene successfully stopped a two-pronged attack from entrenchments held across theRaritan River, preventing the British invasion.
New Jersey ratified and then signed theArticles of Confederation on November 26, 1779. In the summer of 1783, theContinental Congress met in Nassau Hall ofPrinceton University. It had originally convened inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, 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 theTreaty of Paris on September 3, 1783. On December 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify theUnited States Constitution, and on November 20, 1789, New Jersey became the first state in the Nation to ratify theUnited States Bill of Rights.
New Jersey played a major role in creating the structure of the newUnited States Government. When Virginia delegates proposeda plan 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.William Paterson, a New Jersey statesman, introduced theNew Jersey Plan, by which one vote would be given to each state, providing equal representation within the legislative body. TheGreat Compromise accepted both plans, creating two separate bodies in theCongress.
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 ofGeorge Hammell Cook. The publication of this survey helped to increase the state's involvement in agricultural research and direct support to farmers.[21] As agriculture became a less reliable source of income for New Jerseyans, many began turning towards more industrialized methods.
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Paterson became the cradle of theIndustrial Revolution in America. Energy was harnessed from the 77 feet (23 m) highGreat Falls of the Passaic River. The city became an important site for mills and other industries. These include the textile, firearms, silk, and railroad locomotive manufacturing industries. Because of its high silk production, it became nicknamed the "Silk City". In 1835,Samuel Colt began producing firearms in the city.
The second version of theNew Jersey State Constitution 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 abill of rights. Underneath the constitution, the people had the right to elect the governor.
The famous inventorThomas Edison was born in 1847. Edison worked inMenlo Park, 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.[22] His most famous inventions included thephonograph, thekinetoscope, thestock ticker, theDictaphone and thetattoo gun. He also is credited with improving the designs of the incandescent light bulb, radio, the telegraph, and the telephone. He started theMotion Picture Patents Company. 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 ocean-going steamboat went fromHoboken, New Jersey, sailed around southern New Jersey, and ended in Philadelphia. Later, systems of canals were built, the first of which is called theMorris Canal and ran fromPhillipsburg, New Jersey, on the Delaware River toJersey City, New Jersey, on theHudson River. TheDelaware and Raritan canal ran fromNew Brunswick, New Jersey, on theRaritan River, toBordentown, New Jersey, on the Delaware River. Locomotion was also improved; Hoboken-born inventorJohn Stevens built a 10-ton locomotive and his sonRobert L. Stevens started constructing iron railroads. By 1833,The Camden & Amboy Railroad 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.
In the nation's early history New Jersey was primarily a Federalist/Whig state like most of the smaller states as they supported the idea of a strong Federal government to protect their interests over those of the larger states. Historians have examined the emergence of theSecond Party System at the state and local level. For example, Bruce Bendler argues that in New Jersey the same dramatic changes that were reshaping the rest of the country were especially pointed in that state in the 1820s. A new political system emerged by the end of the decade as voters polarized in support or opposition to Jackson. By the mid-1830s the Democrats and the Whigs had fully mobilize practically all of the voters into pro- and anti-Jackson coalitions. Furthermore, the "Market Revolution" was well underway, as industrialization and upgraded transportation networks made the larger picture more important than the local economy, and entrepreneurs and politicians became leaders in speeding up the changes. For example, William N. Jeffers of Salem County, New Jersey, built his political success on leadership with the Jacksonian forces at the local level, while at the same time building his fortune with a bank charter and building a steam mill. At the national level, New Jersey remained resistant to the Democratic Party during the Second Party System; although Jackson carried the state in the1832 presidential election, it voted for the Whig candidate in the following four elections. With the demise of the Whigs in the 1850s New Jersey became a Democratic state.[23]
During theMexican–American War, a battalion of volunteers from New Jersey, in four companies, was active from September 1847 to July 1848.Philip Kearny, an officer who led acavalry unit, followed GeneralWinfield Scott and fought in theBattle of Contreras andBattle of Churubusco. After the war, Kearny made his home in the state of New Jersey.
TheQuaker population was especially intolerant of slavery, and the state was a major part of theUnderground Railroad. The New Jersey legislature passed an act for the gradual abolition of slavery in 1804, providing that no person born after that date would be a slave. 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 Civil War, about a dozen African-Americans in New Jersey were still apprenticed freedmen. The1860 census found just over 25,000 free African Americans in the state.[24] Thousands of former slaves—both from rural New Jersey and the South—migrated to shore communities like Red Bank, Long Branch, and Asbury Park during the last decades of the nineteenth century, creating sizable, stable communities that persisted over the next century.[25]
New Jersey at first refused to ratify theConstitutional Amendment banning slavery. 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 about 20% died in the war. 23,116 of those soldiers served in theArmy of the Potomac. Soldiers from New Jersey fought generally in the War's Eastern theater.[26]Philip Kearny, an officer from theMexican–American War, led a brigade of New Jersey regiments under Brigadier GeneralWilliam B. Franklin. Kearny distinguished himself as a brilliant officer during thePeninsula Campaign, and was promoted to the position ofmajor general.
The Republican Party was unpopular in the state and New Jersey was one of the few states to favorStephen Douglas overAbraham Lincoln in the1860 presidential election. The people of New Jersey also cast theirelectoral votes forGeorge B. McClellan when he ran for president against Abraham Lincoln in the election of 1864. The people had the distinction of being the only free state that rejected Lincoln twice. McClellan was later elected governor, serving from 1878 to 1881.
Many industrial cities likePaterson andCamden grew strong through Civil War production. They manufactured many necessities, including clothing and war materials like ammunition. These cities prospered through heavy production even after the end of the war.[27]
New Jersey remained a Democrat state during theGilded Age, voting Republican only in the1872 presidential election, and had the notorious reputation of being under boss control, as the powerful political machines inEssex County (Newark) andHudson County (Jersey City) worked closely with business leaders to control state and local politics. In1896 presidential election the state flipped Republican and would remain so for the next three presidential elections. Progressive ideas emerged in the Republican party in the New York suburbs, notably in 1906 in the short-lived "New Idea" enthusiasm led by mayorMark M. Fagan and especially the intellectualGeorge L. Record. The main goal was to raise taxes on railways to the levels ordinary residents paid.[28]
By January 1910, Wilson had drawn the attention ofJames Smith Jr. andGeorge Brinton McClellan Harvey, two leaders of New Jersey's Democratic Party, as a potential candidate in the upcominggubernatorial election.[29] Having lost the last five gubernatorial elections, New Jersey Democratic leaders decided to throw their support behind Wilson, an untested and unconventional candidate. Party leaders believed that Wilson's academic reputation made him the ideal spokesman againsttrusts and corruption, but they also hoped his inexperience in governing would make him easy to influence. Wilson agreed to accept the nomination if "it came to me unsought, unanimously, and without pledges to anybody about anything."[30]
At the state party convention, the bosses marshaled their forces and won the nomination for Wilson. He submitted his letter of resignation to Princeton on October 20.[31] Wilson's campaign focused on the Progressive theme of letting the people rule. He quickly shed his professorial style for more emboldened speechmaking and presented himself as a full-fledgedprogressive.[32] Though RepublicanWilliam Howard Taft had carried New Jersey in the1908 presidential election by more than 82,000 votes, Wilson soundly defeated Republican gubernatorial nomineeVivian M. Lewis by a margin of more than 65,000 votes. Democrats also took control of thegeneral assembly in the1910 elections, though thestate senate remained in Republican hands.After winning the election, Wilson appointedJoseph Patrick Tumulty as his private secretary.[33]
Working closely withGeorge Record, the intellectual leader of Progressivism in the state, Wilson began formulating his reformist agenda.[34] Smith asked Wilson to endorse his bid for the U.S. Senate, but Wilson refused and instead endorsed Smith's opponentJames Edgar Martine, who had won the Democratic primary. Martine's victory in the Senate election helped Wilson position himself as an independent force in the New Jersey Democratic Party.[35]
By 1910 New Jersey had gained a reputation for public corruption; the state was known as the "Mother of Trusts" because it allowed companies likeStandard Oil to escape theantitrust laws of other states.[36] Wilson and his allies quickly won passage of the Geran bill, which undercut the power of the political bosses by requiring primaries for all elective offices and party officials. A corrupt practices law and a workmen's compensation statute that Wilson supported won passage shortly thereafter.[37] For his success in passing these laws during the first months of his gubernatorial term, Wilson won national and bipartisan recognition as a reformer and a leader of the Progressive movement.[38]
Republicans took control of the state assembly in early 1912, and Wilson spent much of the rest of his tenure vetoing bills.[39] Nonetheless, he won passage of laws that restricted labor by women and children and increased standards for factory working conditions.[40] A new State Board of Education was set up "with the power to conduct inspections and enforce standards, regulate districts' borrowing authority, and require special classes for students with handicaps."[41] Before leaving office Wilson oversaw the establishment of free dental clinics and enacted a "comprehensive and scientific" poor law. Trained nursing was standardized, while contract labor in all reformatories and prisons was abolished and an indeterminate sentence act passed.[42] A law was introduced that compelled all railroad companies "to pay their employees twice monthly," while regulation of the working hours, health, safety, employment, and age of people employed in mercantile establishments was carried out.[43] Shortly before leaving office, Wilson signed a series of antitrust laws known as the "Seven Sisters," as well as another law that removed the power to select juries from local sheriffs.[44]
TheStandard Oil Company of New Jersey was a large nationwide integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing organization. Its main product at first was kerosene for lighting, and the gasoline for automobiles after 1900. In 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, viewing it as violating theSherman Antitrust Act. 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.
Between July 1 and July 12, 1916, a series ofshark attacks occurred along theJersey Shore in which four swimmers were killed and another severely injured. The incidents occurred during a deadlyheat wave andpolio epidemic in the Northeastern United States that drove thousands of people to the seaside resorts of the Jersey Shore. Scientists since then have debated which shark species was responsible, with thegreat white shark as the most cited.
New Jersey was a center of shipbuilding and manufacturing during World War I. Existing factories such as theSinger Company inElizabeth, New Jersey were converted to making weapon parts. New refineries and ammunition factories were built by companies likeDuPont Engineering. After the war, many of these companies and plants shifted to chemicals, making New Jersey one of the world's leading chemical producers. SeveralAllied ships were sunk off the New Jersey coast.
Camp Merritt, inCresskill, was activated for use in World War I. It was from there that many soldiers were deployed to Hoboken before shipping off to Europe. Camp Merritt was decommissioned in November 1919.[45]Fort Dix, inPemberton Township, New Jersey, was also constructed in 1917 to help in the war effort.[46] It was used as a training and staging ground throughout the war. After the war, it was converted into a demobilization center.
Like much of the rest of the United States, New Jersey entered aprosperous state through the 1920s. Through this period, New Jersey's population and employment rate increased greatly. Although factory production decreased after the end of World War I, production lines still churned out goods. Like all of the country outside the South, New Jersey was Republican-dominated in this era.
Transportation became much easier through the 1920s. Cars became easily affordable and roads were paved and improved such that they incorporated new road features, includingjughandle turns. As a result, people who had never been farther than the outskirts of their hometown now could travel around the state. TheJersey Shore became extremely popular as an attraction. Many bridges and tunnels were built for the ease of interstate traveling. TheBenjamin Franklin Bridge was completed linkingCamden andPhiladelphia in 1926. TheHolland Tunnel, under theHudson River, was completed in 1927, providing a means of easy transportation between New Jersey and New York City. Before, ferries were required to travel across the Hudson River. Later on, theGeorge Washington Bridge (1931) and theLincoln Tunnel (1937) were completed, making access toManhattan even easier.[47] All of the tunnels and bridges linking New York and New Jersey are managed by thePort Authority of New York and New Jersey, established on April 30, 1921.
New Jersey was the first state to ratifyProhibition, which restricted the purchasing and selling of alcohol. However, theEighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which banned alcohol manufacturing & sales, was later repealed by theTwenty-first Amendment in December 1933.Newark's breweries reopened almost immediately.
Like the rest of the United States, the people of New Jersey were hit hard by the Great Depression. By 1933, one-tenth of the population was dependent uponFranklin D. Roosevelt'sNew Deal. In fact, New Jersey issued begging licenses to the poor people because the New Jersey government funds were being exhausted.[48] Under theWorks Progress Administration, part of the Second New Deal by FDR, many new jobs were provided in order to support the poor, including the expansion ofFort Dix,Roosevelt Park inEdison, andRutgers Stadium inPiscataway.Strikes also grew common during the Great Depression; in 1937 a group of gravediggers from New Jersey went on strike.
In 1938,Orson Welles producedThe War of the Worlds 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."[49] It describedextraterrestrial 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.CBS 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 "house arrest" for a short period.
During the Great Depression, 20-month-oldCharles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., son of famous aviatorCharles Lindbergh, was abducted from his home nearHopewell, New Jersey in theLindbergh kidnapping. The police sealed off many roads to prevent the kidnapper's escape, and interrogated the members of the Lindbergh household. Federal expertArthur Koehler carefully examined the ladder used by the kidnapper, which he traced to a company inMcCormick, South Carolina.James J. Finn was a lieutenant who attempted to capture the kidnapper while he was passing off ransom bills. Finally, a ransom note was located and traced toBruno Hauptmann; the bill had the license plate number of Hauptmann'sDodge Saloon that was written down by a gas attendant. He was tried inFlemington, New Jersey in what was known as the "Trial of the Century", and was convicted. He was electrocuted in theNew Jersey State Prison inTrenton, New Jersey.[50] The Lindbergh kidnapping led to passage of theFederal Kidnapping Act, also known as the "Lindbergh Law", which made kidnapping a federal crime.
In 1937, the GermanzeppelinHindenburg exploded overLakehurst Naval Air Station inManchester. While approaching a mooring mast at 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 GermanNazis, static build-up, and flammable fabric.
New Jersey shipyards were responsible for the construction of many naval ships in World War II, including battleships, aircraft carriers, heavy cruisers and destroyers, receiving 9% of all allied war-related contracts through the war.[51] Nearly 500,000 residents enlisted for the war,[52] more than 10% of the total population of New Jersey. Many women took jobs in factories during their husbands' absences.
Camp Kilmer was a staging area nearNew Brunswick that served the port of New York. Its buildings were painted with protective camouflage patterns. Camp Kilmer helped to serve troops by offering medical care and providing supplies. Camp Kilmer was later reactivated for theKorean War and the1956 Hungarian Revolution. Fort Dix was reopened for the training of soldiers for the war effort. During the war,Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County was opened for naval production and provided ships with a safe port to take on ammunition.
Millville Airport opened on August 2, 1941. 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.[53]Fort Hancock was also opened inSandy Hook. Gunners in the fort prevented German submarines from enteringNew York Harbor. The airfield, currently known asMcGuire Air Force Base, was opened in 1937 asRudd Field, a supporting Army airfield for Fort Dix. It was expanded during wartime operations and turned over to the Air Force in 1949.[54]
One of the most dramatic war events in the Northeast occurred in 1945, when US forces hit and sank a GermanU-boat (U-869) off the coast of New Jersey. The Coast Guard station at what is now Sandy Hook Gateway Park was manned for the duration of the war to protect New York harbor.
Aninternment camp housing people of Japanese, German, and Italian descent was located inGloucester City. In addition,Seabrook Farms took advantage of Japanese-American labor to increase productivity when the government allowed small groups of people from the internment camps to work there. At the end of World War II, the government closed down the internment camps, but many people from the camps continued to work at Seabrook Farms.[55]
In 1947, the currentNew Jersey State Constitution was ratified, reorganizing the state government. Governors were allowed to serve four years instead of three, andthe Legislature was constituted with a 40-memberSenate and an 80-memberGeneral Assembly. The new State Constitution also returned the right of suffrage to females and non-whites.
In the 1950s, thePort Authority of New York and New Jersey planned and built thePort Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal in the cities ofNewark andElizabeth. This was the first port in the world tocontainerize due to the innovation ofMalcolm McLean and the founding of theSea-Land Corporation. The newly opened port quickly made the docks ofBrooklyn,Lower Manhattan andHoboken obsolete. In 1985, the port was the busiest in the world. (SeePort Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal).
During the 1960s, many African Americans felt disenfranchised, feelings exacerbated by poor urban conditions, declining industrial jobs, and biased police forces with little minority representation. This tension led to race riots, the first of which occurred inJersey City on August 2, 1964, causing heavy damage. Seventy-one stores were damaged and 46 people were injured. From August 11 to August 13, 1964, similar riots occurred inPaterson and Elizabeth. 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.[56][57]
In the summer of 1967, protests began after the alleged murder of John William Smith by two Newark cops. The protests and ensuing riots consisted mainly of the African American communities of Newark andPlainfield. While Smith was not murdered, the riots were a response to decades of racial tensions between majority-white government officials and African-American communities. Twenty-four 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. Residents who could leave, fled to the suburbs following the riots.
In the middle of theCold War from June 23 to June 25, 1967, presidentLyndon Johnson met with Soviet premierAlexei Kosygin inGlassboro, New Jersey, for the Glassboro Summit Conference.[58] at theGlassboro State College. No specific agreements were reached, especially in the area of restrictions onanti-ballistic missile 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's Cold War defense. FourteenNike anti-aircraft missile batteries in two groups were constructed in New Jersey to protect the metropolitan areas aroundPhiladelphia and New York City. In addition, a regional command center was built in New Jersey. By 1974, the missile sites were deactivated. In addition to these, air defense radar 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 Soviet Air Force.[59]
In 1973, the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered the legislature to pass a statute funding schools more equitably for impoverished areas. The legislature did this in 1975 but failed to fund it. The Court thereupon shut down all public schools for eight days in 1976, until the legislature passed an income tax bill. Prior to this bill, the state had no income tax.[60]
In 1998, the south side ofEllis Island came under the jurisdiction of New Jersey following a US Supreme Court decision,New Jersey v. New York.[61] Before, the island had been governed by the state of New York. 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.[citation needed]
In theSeptember 11, 2001, attacks, hijackers took control of four domestic U.S. commercial airliners, includingUnited Airlines Flight 93 which departed fromNewark International Airport. The attacks caused 2,986 deaths, including about 700 residents of New Jersey.[62] Over 160,000 people were evacuated by ferries and small boats from the Manhattan area to New Jersey because theNYCS andPATH stations were closed down.[63]
The destruction of Lower Manhattan office space accelerated the pre-2001 trend of moving jobs from Lower Manhattan to Midtown and New Jersey. TheGoldman Sachs Tower was constructed in Jersey City as part of this relocation.[64]
For several weeks beginning on September 18, 2001, letters bearing aTrenton, New Jersey postmark andcontaining anthrax bacteria were mailed to several news media offices and two US Senators. The letters were ultimately determined to have been mailed there by a Maryland-based scientist.
Former GovernorJames E. McGreevey resigned on November 15, 2004, after charges ofpay-to-play 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 PresidentRichard Codey served as Acting Governor (then Governor) in McGreevey's place.Jon Corzine was electedGovernor of New Jersey on November 8, 2005, and took office on January 17, 2006. On Election Day, November 8, 2005, the voters passed an amendment to the state constitution creating the position ofLieutenant Governor, effective with the 2009 elections. This position was first filled by the election ofKim Guadagno who assumed office in 2009.
