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A Brief History of New JerseyBy Art Gib The recorded history of New Jersey goes back to some Dutch and Swedish communities that were established before the English arrived here. When Henry Hudson was exploring this part of America, the Hudson and Delaware valleys were claimed for the Dutch in 1609. At this time, small colonies were located on what is now Hoboken and Gloucester City. The Swedish came to dominate the Delaware Valley sometime after 1638 and were then annexed by the New Netherland colony around 1655. This area was then claimed by the English in 1664, but the Dutch tried to dispute this claim. The dispute divided the region into two. In 1676, New Jersey was divided into East Jersey and West Jersey. East Jersey was governed and held by a man named Carteret at this time, but was purchased in 1681 by William Penn and eleven other Quakers. In 1702, the holders of Jersey land were made to surrender their governmental powers to the crown, but they retained their land rights. New Jersey's independence from New York occurred not long after these events, but authority was still vested in the New York governor until 1738. East Jersey and West Jersey came to be dominated by two different religious groups. East Jersey was with Calvinism while West Jersey was led by the Quakers. In 1776, the provincial congress adopted New Jersey as a state. Since New Jersey was located in a strategic position, it was very important in the American Revolution. Washington's most memorable attack was in Trenton against the Hessians in 1776. From there, the general took over Princeton and restored confidence to the patriots. In June of 1778, General Washington had another important victory at Monmouth. Nearly one hundred important battles were fought in this state throughout the course of the Revolution. In 1787 at the United States Constitutional Convention, New Jersey delegates sponsored smaller states' cause with their plan for equal representation in the Senate. New Jersey was the third state to ratify in December of 1787. During these important events, New Jersey's population had grown immensely from fifteen thousand in the year of 1700 to one hundred eighty-four thousand before Trenton was declared the capital in 1790. Over the course of the next fifty years, there was enormous economic expansion in the state of New Jersey. Heavy aristocracy in this state gave way to a more democratic state and to industrial growth. The textile industry became very important and was powered by the waterfalls of the Passaic. About the author RE/MAX of New Jersey (http://www.remax-nj.com/newark-nj-real-estate.aspx) has some of the most qualified New Jersey Realtors to help you find real estate in NJ. Art Gib is a freelance writer. |
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