Colonial history of New Jersey#Royal Colony

{{main|Lenape}}

{{further|Great Trail|Lenape Trail|Minisink Archeological Site|Abbott Farm Historic District}}

The original people of the region of some 13,000 years left behind advanced hunting implements such as bows and arrows and evidence of an agricultural society. The region has probably been continually inhabited from that time as other tribes migrated to the area. At the time of the European colonization, the area of the Lenape, which they called ScheyichbiScheyichbi {{cite web | last = Stockton | first = Frank R. | title = How Scheyichbi Really Became New Jersey | publisher = www.readbookonline.org/ | url = https://www.readbookonline.org/readOnLine/11216/ | access-date = 2012-02-25 }} (see: Unami language), encompassed the valleys of the lower Hudson River and the Delaware River, and the area in between, what is now known as the U.S. state of New Jersey; exonyms given to the different groups by the colonizing population were taken from geographic names of Original Peoples' settlements that included the Hackensack tribe, the Tappan tribe, and the Acquackanonk tribe in the northeast, the Raritan tribe, and the Navesink tribe in the center.

{{main|Bergen, New Netherland}}

{{see also|List of Bergen, New Netherland placename etymologies}}

File:Manatvs gelegen op de Noot Riuier.jpg.]]

File:Nieuw Nederland and Nya Sverige.svg]]

Dutch settlement in the seventeenth century concentrated along the banks of the North River and the Upper New York Bay, though they maintained factories along the Delaware River as well. Although the Lenape did not recognize the European principle of land ownership, Dutch policy required formal purchase of all land settled.Ruttenber, E.M. (2001). Indian Tribes of Hudson's River (3rd ed.). Hope Farm Press. {{ISBN|0-910746-98-2}}. The settlement grew slowly, impeded by Willem Kieft's mismanagement.Shorto, Russell (2004) The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Colony that Shaped America (New York: Random House) {{ISBN|1-4000-7867-9}}. In 1658, the last Director-General of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant, "re-purchased" the entire peninsula known as Bergen Neck, and in 1661 granted a charter to the village at Bergen, establishing the oldest municipality in the state.{{Cite web|url=https://www.njcu.edu/community/jersey-city-past-and-present|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915040457/http://www.njcu.edu/Programs/jchistory/Pages/B_Pages/Bergen_Township.htm|url-status=dead|title=Jersey City Past and Present | New Jersey City University|archivedate=September 15, 2008|website=www.njcu.edu}}

{{main|New Sweden}}

New Sweden, founded in 1638, rose to its height under governor Johan Björnsson Printz (1643–1653). Led by Printz, the settlement extended as far north as Fort Christina (on both sides of the Delaware River).[http://www.colonialswedes.org/History/History.html A Brief History of New Sweden in America (they killed all)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051211144259/http://www.colonialswedes.org/History/History.html |date=2005-12-11 }}, retrieved December 16, 2005 He helped to improve the military and commercial status of the colony by constructing Fort Nya Elfsborg, which is now near Salem, on the east side of the Delaware River. Swedesboro and Bridgeport were founded as part of the colony.{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.searchroots.com/Gloucesterco/swedesborohistory.htm|title=GLOUCESTER COUNTY NJ - Swedesboro and Woolwich History|work=searchroots.com|access-date=2011-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716025416/http://www.nj.searchroots.com/Gloucesterco/swedesborohistory.htm|archive-date=2011-07-16|url-status=dead}} In 1655, the Dutch asserted control over the territory.Shorto, Russell (2004). The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the stupid Colony that Shaped America (New York: Random House){{ISBN|1-4000-7867-9}}.

{{see also|Treaty of Westminster (1674)}}

Italian navigator John Cabot left England in 1496 to explore North America. The English claimed that New Netherland was part of Cabot's discoveries, prior to Hudson. Insisting that John Cabot had been the first to discover North America, the English granted the land that now encompasses New Jersey, who ordered Colonel Richard Nicolls to take over the area.{{cite web|url=http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/Netherlands.html|title=A Brief Outline of Dutch History and the New Netherland Colony|work=nd.edu|access-date=2013-02-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713064126/http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/Netherlands.html|archive-date=2009-07-13|url-status=dead}} In September 1664, an English fleet under the command of Richard Nicolls sailed into what is now New York Harbor and under threat of attack, forced the provisional surrender of the colony by the Dutch. The English received little resistance due to West India Company's decision not to garrison the colony. Nicolls took the position of deputy-governor of New Amsterdam and the rest of New Netherland, guaranteeing colonists' property rights, laws of inheritance, and the enjoyment of religious freedom.

Within six years, the nations were again at war, and in August 1673 the Dutch recaptured New Netherland with a fleet of 21 ships. Nevertheless, in November 1674, the Dutch Treaty of Westminster concluded the war and ceded New Netherland to the English.{{cite web

| last = Westdorp

| first = Martina

| title = Behouden of opgeven ? Het lot van de nederlandse kolonie Nieuw-Nederland na de herovering op de Engelsen in 1673.

| work = De wereld van Peter Stuyvesant

| access-date = 2008-11-01

| language = nl

| url = http://stuyvesant.library.uu.nl/kaarten/zeeuwseexpeditie2.htm

| url-status = dead

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080630054643/http://stuyvesant.library.uu.nl/kaarten/zeeuwseexpeditie2.htm

| archive-date = 2008-06-30

}}

{{Main|Province of New Jersey}}

{{see also|Province of New York|Dominion of New England}}

Image:New Jersey Tricentennial Flag.svg

King Charles II gave the region between New England and Maryland to his brother, the Duke of York (later King James II), which was renamed New York. Soon thereafter James granted the land between the Hudson River and the Delaware River to two friends who had been loyal to him through the English Civil War: Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Stratton. That part of New Netherland was named New Jersey after the English Channel Island of Jersey.{{Cite web|url=https://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/nj01.asp|title=The Federal and State constitutions, colonial charters, and other organic laws of the state[s], territories, and colonies now or heretofore forming the United States of America /compiled and edited under the Act of Congress of June 30, 1906 |first=Francis Newton|last=Thorpe|date=December 18, 1998|website=avalon.law.yale.edu}}

The two proprietors of New Jersey attempted to entice more settlers to move to New Jersey by granting sections of lands to settlers and by passing the Concession and Agreement, a document granting religious freedom to all inhabitants of New Jersey; under the British Church of England there was no such religious freedom. In return for land, settlers paid annual fees known as quitrents. Land grants made in connection to the importation of slaves were another enticement for settlers.{{cite web|url=http://www.slavenorth.com/newjersey.htm|title=Slavery in New Jersey|work=slavenorth.com}} Philip Carteret was appointed by the two proprietors as the first governor of New Jersey. Philip Carteret designated Bergen as the first capital of the colony.Elizabeth, New Jersey was not named after Queen Elizabeth I, but rather after the wife of Sir George Carteret, and was founded in 1664. However, it became difficult for the two proprietors to collect the quitrents. As a result, on March 18, 1673, Berkeley sold his share of New Jersey to two Quakers, Edward Billinge and John Fenwick, who quarreled over the purchase and Quakers brought in William Penn to resolve the dispute without having to resort to court (as Quakers tried to resolve such issues among themselves).Streissguth, Thomas (2002). (New Jersey. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc.) {{ISBN|1-56006-872-8}}. pp. 24–28[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/nj13.htm Surrender from the Proprietors of East and West New Jersey, of Their Pretended Right of Government to Her Majesty] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051208105544/http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/nj13.htm |date=2005-12-08 }} by The Avalon Project at Yale Law School, retrieved December 15, 2005.{{cite book |last1=Murphy |first1=Andrew R. |title=William Penn : a life |date=2019 |location=New York, NY |isbn=9780190234249 |pages=114–5}}

{{further|Border between West Jersey and East Jersey|Quintipartite Deed}}

File:Wpdms east west new jersey.png

With this sale, New Jersey was divided into East Jersey and West Jersey, two distinct provinces of the proprietary colony.{{cite web|url=http://westjersey.org/wjh_copowj.htm|title=Council of Proprietors of West Jersey|work=westjersey.org}} William Penn was heavily involved in drawing up the West Jersey Concessions in 1676. This set out a structure of government and a legal framework. It was signed by 31 signatories in America and 150 more in Great Britain. Although never fully enacted, a number of its elements subsequently became core features of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.{{cite book |last1=Murphy |first1=Andrew R. |title=William Penn: a life |date=2019 |location=New York, NY |isbn=9780190234249 |pages=117–8}} The political division between the two colonies existed for the 26 years between 1678 and 1712. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often a matter of dispute, as was the border with New York.

The border between the two sides reached the Atlantic Ocean to the north of Atlantic City. The border line was created by George Keith, and can still be seen in the county boundaries between Monmouth and Burlington/Mercer Counties; Burlington and Ocean Counties; and Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, reaching upward to a point on the Delaware River which is just north of the Delaware Water Gap. The border was often disputed, so with the 1676 Quintipartite Deed more accurate surveys and maps were made to resolve property disputes. This resulted in the Thornton line, drawn around 1696, and the Lawrence line, drawn around 1743, which was adopted as the final line for legal purposes.

New Jersey was very diverse religiously during the colonial period.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/24Rcolonial.html|title=Reclaiming the Revolution|first=Terry|last=Golway|work=The New York Times |date=December 24, 2006|via=NYTimes.com}}

File:Old Bergen Church 1938.jpg in Jersey City]]

File:HackensackChurchOnTheGreen.jpg in Hackensack]]

File:Schraalenburgh North Church.jpg in Dumont]]

After the final transfer of power to the English, New Netherlanders and their descendants spread across East Jersey and established many of the towns and cities which exist today.{{Cite web |url=http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/E/newnetherlands/nlxx.htm |title=The United States of America and the Netherlands |access-date=2011-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518074217/http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/E/newnetherlands/nlxx.htm |archive-date=2011-05-18 |url-status=dead }} The Dutch Reformed Church played an important role this expansion [http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc09/htm/iv.vii.c.htm] Schaff, Philip; The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge Following the course of the Hudson River in the north to the Raritan River in the south, settlement and population grew along what George Washington called the "Dutch Belt".*Lucas Litchenberg, De Nieuwe Wereld van Peter Stuyvesant: Nederlandse voetsporen in de Verenigde Staten, {{ISBN|90-5018-426-X}}, NUGI 470, Uitgeverij Balans, 1999 The American classis secured a charter in 1766 for Queens College (now Rutgers University), where the appointment in 1784 of John Henry Livingston as professor of theology marked the beginning of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary.

File:Seaville Friends 2.JPG]]

File:Trenton Friends.JPG]]

Quakers first settled in what is now Monmouth County as early as 1664. They established the first Quaker meeting in Shrewsbury, now Little Silver, in 1665. A meeting house built in 1672 was visited by George Fox, the founder of the Society of Friends, the same year. This meeting house was replaced by the present meeting house in 1816. Much of West Jersey was settled by Quakers who established congregations and founded towns throughout colonial-era New Jersey, including the eponymous Quakertown in 1744. Colonial-era meeting houses built in New Jersey include:

{{Main|History of slavery in New Jersey}}

In 1804, New Jersey enacted a law providing for the gradual abolition of slavery. With the passage of this law, all states north of the "Mason–Dixon line" (the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania) had abolished or provided for the gradual abolition of slavery within their boundaries.Arthur Zilversmit, "Liberty and Property: New Jersey and the Abolition of Slavery," New Jersey History, Dec. 1970, Vol. 88 Issue 4, pp. 215-226.

{{Main|List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey}}

There are numerous extant buildings from the colonial era located throughout the state.

The oldest continuously used school site in the state was established in 1664 at Bergen Square, in today's Jersey City.There has been a school at the northeast corner of Bergen Square since 1664. See {{cite web

|url=http://www.jclandmarks.org/tour-bergensq.shtml

|title=Walking Tour of the Bergen Square

|access-date=2009-08-03

|quote=On the northeast corner of Bergen Square stands P.S. 11 (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School). In 1664 the first schoolhouse was built on this lot. From 1790 to 1857 the Columbia Academy stood here until it was replaced by the first of three public schools.

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617221117/http://www.jclandmarks.org/tour-bergensq.shtml

|archive-date=2016-06-17

}}

Two Colonial Colleges were founded in the Province. In 1746, The College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) was founded in Elizabethtown by a group of Great Awakening "New Lighters" that included Jonathan Dickinson, Aaron Burr Sr. and Peter Van Brugh Livingston. In 1756, the school moved to Princeton. In 1766, Queens College (now Rutgers University) was founded in New Brunswick by Dutch Reformed ministers with a Royal Charter from George III. The college was named after his wife Queen Charlotte.

Rutgers Preparatory School was founded in 1766. The Newark Academy was founded in 1774.

Representatives from New Jersey participated in the Continental Congress before and after the Declaration of Independence.

{{main|List of delegates to the Continental Congress}}

{{Main|New Jersey in the American Revolution}}

Many major battles were fought in New Jersey during the American Revolution, making it pivotal in the ultimate victory of the American colonists. The important role earned it the titles of "Crossroads of the Revolution" and the "Capital of the Revolution".

• Director-General of New Netherland
• List of colonial governors of New Jersey
• British colonization of the Americas
• Toponymy of Bergen, New Netherland

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• Ward, Christopher L. The Dutch and Swedes on the Delaware, 1609-64 (University of Pennsylvania. 1930)
• Leiby, A. C. The Early Dutch and Swedish Settlers of New Jersey (Princeton: D. Van Nostrand Co. 1964)

• [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/New_Jersey_Emigration_and_Immigration New Jersey Emigration and Immigration]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20091119100643/http://faculty.njcu.edu/ckarnoutsos/Chronology_old.htm New Jersey City University: Chronology of History of New Jersey]
• [http://www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/colonies/new-jersey.htm New Jersey]

• {{cite web | last = Klett | first = Joseph R. | title = Using the Record and the East and West Jersey Proproprietors | publisher = New Jersey State Archives | year = 2008 | url = http://www.nj.gov/state/darm/pdf/proprietors.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120126105335/http://www.nj.gov/state/darm/pdf/proprietors.pdf | archive-date = 2012-01-26 }}
• {{Cite web

| last = Wacker

| first = Peter A.

| title = New Jersey's Cultural Resources: 1660-1810

| pages = 199–219

| publisher = www.nj.gov

| url = http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/pg_199_NJCulturalResourc1660_1810Wacker.pdf

| access-date = 2011-05-25

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colonial History Of New Jersey}}

Category:Pre-statehood history of New Jersey

Category:History of the Thirteen Colonies