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| History of New Jersey |
|---|
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| Colonial period |
| American Revolution |
| Nineteenth century |
| Twentieth century |
| Twenty-first century |
New Jersey in the twentieth century underwent many changes. New Jersey's position along theAtlantic Ocean made it a prominent part of both of the World Wars. Despite rising in the Roaring Twenties, New Jersey's economy slowed with the start of theGreat Depression. It also became a site forNike missile batteries during theCold War. In the 1960s, several race riots occurred following the start ofurban decay. Through the 1970s, urbanization increased again, and these problems slowed.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 1,883,669 | — | |
| 1910 | 2,537,167 | 34.7% | |
| 1920 | 3,155,900 | 24.4% | |
| 1930 | 4,041,334 | 28.1% | |
| 1940 | 4,160,165 | 2.9% | |
| 1950 | 4,835,329 | 16.2% | |
| 1960 | 6,066,782 | 25.5% | |
| 1970 | 7,168,164 | 18.2% | |
| 1980 | 7,364,823 | 2.7% | |
| 1990 | 7,730,188 | 5.0% |
TheStandard Oil Company of New Jersey was a large integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing organization, founded byHenry H. Rogers,William Rockefeller, andJohn D. Rockefeller. In 1911, theUnited States 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.
New Jersey's African American population grew rapidly in the early 20th century during the phases of theGreat Migration andSecond Great Migration from 1910 to 1970. African Americans migrated north for the growing numbers of industrial jobs and to get the right to vote, a better education for their children, and improved living conditions. They fleddisfranchisement in the South,Jim Crow laws, and a fear oflynching.
New Jersey was a site of shipbuilding throughout theWorld War I period.Refineries andammunition factories were also built to supply war material. Factories such as theSinger Company based inElizabeth converted from makingsewing machines to making weapon parts. Several camps and the forts were opened for soldiers during the war. The roles of these sites were generally to provide a location for soldiers to stock up on supplies, receive medical treatment, or become discharged. SeveralAllied ships were sunken off of the coast of New Jersey. Other factors contributing to the U.S. Entry into the war include German sabotage of bothBlack Tom inJersey City, and theKingsland explosion in what is nowLyndhurst.[citation needed]
Camp Merritt was activated for use inWorld War I. It was from there that many soldiers headed for war in Europe were deployed toHoboken in order to be shipped off to Europe. Camp Merritt was decommissioned in November 1919.[2]Fort Dix, inPemberton Township, was also constructed to help in the war effort starting in June 1917.[3] It was used as a training and staging ground throughout the war. After the end of the war, it was converted into a demobilization center.[citation needed]
In addition to camps for training soldiers, factories were needed desperately to produce ammunition to help the war effort. Four companies that produced ammunition were created during the World War I period: Atlantic Loading Co., Bethlehem Loading Company,DuPont Engineering Company, andT. A. Gillespie Loading Company. Around 1919, after the end of World War I, these companies and plants slowed and ceased production of war materials. (The Gillespie plant was destroyed by explosions on October 4, 1918.)[4][5] In addition, New Jersey became a leading chemical producer worldwide after discoveringGerman secrets. Many chemical companies in New Jersey were able to exploit their advantage to become some of the largest chemical producers.[citation needed]
Like much of the rest of the United States, New Jersey entered a prosperous state through the 1920s. Through this period, New Jersey's population and employment rate increased greatly. Thoughfactory production decreased after the end of World War I, production lines still remained in relatively high production.[citation needed]
Transportation became much easier through the 1920s.Cars became easily affordable and common. Roads were paved and improved greatly. As a result, many people who had never been farther than their hometown now could travel around the state. TheJersey Shore became extremely popular through this period of time. TheBenjamin Franklin Bridge was completed, linkingCamden, New Jersey andPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania in 1926. TheHolland Tunnel, under theHudson River, was completed in 1927 providing a means of easy transportation between New Jersey andNew York City. Before,ferries were required to travel across theHudson River. Later on, theGeorge Washington Bridge (1931) and theLincoln Tunnel (1937) were completed, making access toManhattan even easier.[6]
New Jersey was also the first state in the United States to ratifyProhibition, which restricted the purchasing and selling ofalcohol. However, theEighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which banned alcohol manufacturing & sales, was later repealed by theTwenty-first Amendment in December 1933.Newark'sbreweries reopened almost immediately.[citation needed]
Like all the rest of the United States, New Jersey was hit hard by theGreat Depression. By 1933, one-tenth of the population were dependent upon theFranklin D. Roosevelt'sNew Deal. In fact, New Jersey issued begging licenses to the poor and unemployed people because the New Jersey government funds were growing low and were being exhausted.[7] Under theWorks Progress Administration, part of the Second New Deal by FDR, many new jobs were provided in order to support the poor and unemployed. These projects included the expansion ofFort Dix,Roosevelt Park inEdison, andRutgers Stadium inPiscataway. InJersey City political bossFrank Hague secured the construction theMedical Center, theArmory, andRoosevelt Stadium.Strikes also grew common during the Great Depression; in 1937 a group of gravediggers from New Jersey went on strike.[citation needed]
In 1938Orson Welles' produced his infamousThe War of the Worlds radio broadcast from New Jersey. Listeners were told that a "huge, flaming object, believed to be ameteorite, fell on a farm in the neighborhood of Grover’s Mill, New Jersey, twenty-two miles from Trenton." It went on to describeextraterrestrial monsters that destroyed massive stretches of lands in New Jersey as well as massacring many people. Although it was announced in advance and at conclusion as a radio play, the broadcast resulted in widespread panic into New Jersey and the surrounding areas.[8] Many people had believed the bulletin to be real, and that New Jersey truthfully was being torn up by giant and immensely powerfulMartians. People fled the New Jersey area, while others worked hard to blockade their homes and ensure safety from the reported monsters. Listeners were relieved to discover at the end of the broadcast that it had been a fictional account.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 of time while being bombarded by questions by news reporters.[citation needed]
During the Great Depression, 20-month-oldCharles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., son of famous aviatorCharles Lindbergh, was abducted from his home nearHopewell, New Jersey. A long investigation ensued as detectives attempted to round up the kidnapper of the baby. The police proceeded to seal off many roads in order to prevent the kidnapper's escape, and interrogated the members of the Lindbergh household. The stress of being under police questioning led to the suicide of Violet Sharpe. Dr. John F. Condon became a negotiator between the kidnapper "John" and the Lindbergh family. The kidnapper demanded a ransom of $50,000, which was paid but turned out to be a hoax. Two other hoaxes were perpetrated by two other people who were not involved in the kidnapping, desperate to get their hands on ransom money. Both were charged after their declarations proved false. The baby was later found dead.[citation needed]
However, federal experts and detectives slowly managed to locate and capture the kidnapper.James J. Finn was a lieutenant who tracked the ransom money. He had agents travel to banks to capture the kidnapper while passing the ransom bills. Meanwhile,Arthur Koehler, a federal expert, carefully examined the ladder used by the kidnapper. He traced the ladder to a company inMcCormick, South Carolina. Finally, a ransom note was located and traced toBruno Hauptmann; the bill had the license plate number of Hauptmann's blueDodge 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.[citation needed]
Bruno Hauptmann was electrocuted in theNew Jersey State Prison inTrenton, New Jersey.[9] As a result of the Lindbergh kidnapping theFederal Kidnapping Act, also known as theLindbergh Law, was passed making kidnapping a federal law. TheAgatha Christie mystery novelMurder on the Orient Express may have been based upon this kidnapping, with events paralleling many of the Lindbergh kidnapping.[citation needed]
In 1937 the GermanzeppelinHindenburg exploded overLakehurst, New Jersey. 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 GermanNazis, static buildup, and flammable fabric.[citation needed]
The Hindenburg was not the first flaming shipwreck to encounter New Jersey during the 1930s, though. TheSS Morro Castle caught fire during anor'easter and beached herself near Asbury Park in 1934.[citation needed]
New Jersey shipyards were responsible for the construction of many naval ships, includingbattleships,aircraft carriers,heavy cruisers anddestroyers. New Jersey received 9% of all allied war-related contracts throughout theWorld War II atFederal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, andNew York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden[10][11] During the war,Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County was opened for naval production, which provided ships with a safe port to take on ammunition. A GermanU-boat (U-869) was sunk off the coast of New Jersey in 1945.[citation needed]
Camp Kilmer was a staging area nearNew Brunswick serving theport of New York. 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 became inactive in 1949 but was reactivated for theKorean War. It again became inactive in 1955, but was reactivated for the1956 Hungarian Revolution.Fort Dix was opened again for the training of soldiers for the war effort. Nearly 500,000 soldiers enlisted for the war,[12] leading many women to take jobs in their husbands’ absences.[citation needed]
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.[13]Fort Hancock, New Jersey was also opened inSandy Hook (New Jersey). Gunners in the fort prevented German submarines from enteringNew York Harbor.[citation needed]
Aninternment camp housing people of Japanese, German, and Italian descent was located inGloucester City, New Jersey. In addition,Seabrook Farms, New Jersey 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 ofWorld War II, the government closed down the internment camps, but many people from the camps continued to work at Seabrook Farms.[14]
In 1947 the current version of theNew Jersey State Constitution was ratified, reorganizing the state government. Governors were allowed to serve four years instead of three, and a bicameralLegislature was created, consisting of a 40-memberSenate and an 80-memberAssembly. The new State Constitution also returned the right of suffrage to females and blacks.[citation needed]
In 1947 theTrenton Six Case went to trial inTrenton, New Jersey. Six African American defendants were convicted by anall-white jury and sentenced to death for the murder of an elderly white shopkeeper based oncoerced confessions.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
In the early 1950s, the cities of New Jersey began experiencing urban decay. Governments attempted to intervene with the urban decay, focusing on the officeGateway Center and several other projects. However, suburbs continued to grow. Revolts occurred, often due to frustration about the poor urban conditions. As urban decay started a gap between the wealthier suburbs and poorer cities, state income taxes were implemented to stop the gap. Around the 1970s, urbanization started increasing again.[citation needed]
During the 1960s, many African Americans felt disenfranchised. This feeling was exacerbated by police forces, which often sided against African Americans. This tension led to race riots, the first of which occurred inJersey City on August 2, 1964, causing heavy damage to the Jersey City area. 71 stores were damaged and 46 people were injured. From August 11 to August 13, 1964, similar riots occurred inPaterson andElizabeth. 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.[16][17]
In the middle of theCold War from June 23 to June 25, 1967, presidentLyndon Johnson met with Soviet premierAlexei Kosygin inGlassboro, New Jersey[18] 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.[citation needed]
Also in the summer of 1967, urban residents, primarily African Americans, rioted for 5 days inNewark and the neighboring city ofPlainfield. These two riots are known as the1967 Newark riots and the1967 Plainfield riots. The cause was the feeling that African Americans were being disenfranchised. 26 people died in the Newark 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 thesuburbs following the riots. Race related violence would continue to plague the state with smaller riots occurring inTrenton in 1968,Camden in 1969, andAsbury Park in 1970.[citation needed]
Because of its strategic location on the East Coast, New Jersey played an important role in the United States' Cold War defense. 14Nike anti-aircraft missile batteries in two groups were constructed in New Jersey to protect the metropolitan areas aroundPhiladelphia andNew York City. Also, a regional command center was built in New Jersey. By 1974, the missile sites became inactive. In addition to these, air defenseradar 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 theSoviet Air Force.[19]
In 1998, theSupreme Court of the United States ruled in the case ofNew Jersey v. New York that most ofEllis Island came under the jurisdiction of New Jersey.New York State disputed this claim and retains jurisdiction of a small portion of the island. The dispute has little practical effect since the federal government administers the island through theNational Park Service.[citation needed]