New Jersey is known for its beaches, resort towns, and thriving industries like pharmaceuticals, electronics, and plastics. The state also has a rich and varied history that includes American Revolutionary War battles, the earliest African American settlements in the country, and a push for women’s rights in the early twentieth century.
Native Americans inhabited the land that is now new jersey for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. In 1609, Dutch explorer Henry Hudson charted the area around the mouth of the Hudson River and the area was formally occupied by Dutch colonists in what was then New Netherland. In the 17th century, English control over New Netherland was challenged by rebellious colonists who sought independence from Britain. This led to a long, bloody struggle for sovereignty in which New Jersey was the site of more battles than any other colony. In the end, George Washington’s army defeated the British forces in Trenton and Princeton. In 1787 New Jersey became the third state in the United States and the first to approve the Bill of Rights.
Throughout the 1800s, industrialization transformed New Jersey. Initially, the state’s economy was driven by agriculture and later shifted to manufacturing. By the end of the nineteenth century, the state was one of the country’s leading producers of foodstuffs and textiles. New Jersey’s complex settler and colonial past included many ethnic and religious groups, including enslaved people who made up about 12% of the state population by 1776.
In the early twentieth century, New Jersey consolidated its position as a leader in the nation’s fight for civil rights with the passage of landmark legislation that banned discrimination on the basis of race and religion. However, racial discrimination continued to persist in the labor market as New Jersey’s African American and Hispanic/Latino/Asian populations continued to grow.
In the 1920s, Alice Paul, a Moorestown resident, founded the National Woman’s Suffrage Association and was an active advocate for the Nineteenth Amendment. The amendment was ratified in 1919, giving all women, regardless of sex, the right to vote in federal elections. In the 20th and 21st centuries, New Jersey continues to be a state of diversity. Today, New Jersey’s residents come from a wide range of countries in Europe as well as Central and South America, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. In addition to being one of the most densely populated states, New Jersey is also home to an increasingly diverse array of industries and cultural institutions. New Jersey has a reputation for being an innovative and entrepreneurial state with a long tradition of scientific research, high-tech industries, and creative culture. In addition to being a national leader in the pharmaceutical industry, the state’s other major areas of economic strength include communications and finance, biotechnology, and financial services. New Jersey’s government is committed to fostering these important industries.