New Jersey-History From Colonization To The Civil

War Essay, Research Paper

New Jersey-A History, by Thomas Flemming, provides a clear and unbiased historical account from the early stages of this colony far into its birth as a state separate from imperialistic England. Although his historical account tends to be incomplete at times and a few misconceptions are evident, he touches on the many important points in New Jersey history, pointing out that, by observing how this state has dealt with her divisions is instructive, “for it demonstrates on a small scale how Americans have dealt with alarming social conflicts.”1

Fleming begins his historical account of New Jersey when the English first began their involvement, yet this cannot be considered the beginning of New Jersey history. To fully understand the roots of the social and economic conflicts, the settlement and early economy must be examined.

Paul G. E. Clemens, author of The Uses of Abundance, points out that New Jersey’s first settlers were the Lenape. The economic history begins here at a time when people survived by farming in small villages and were pre-occupied by the demands of growing food. They were, in fact, quite successful, a feat that was accomplished by a balance between food and population supply. Unlike the many greedy European settlers who soon were to invade their home, they had no desire to build up their wealth and obtained all of their necessary goods through labor instead of trading with other communities.2

The elimination of the Original People was not caused a single group of settlers, which most colonies had experienced, but three diverse peoples from three nations. The Dutch arrived first in 1629 and were followed by Swedish traders. The English did not disembark until the 1660s, at which point Fleming begins his commentary, leaving the reader questioning exactly what kind of situation the British Empire had entered.3

When historians take on the task of writing about the Revolutionary War, it tends to be difficult for them to not show a bias towards one side. Flemming even admits that, “depending on who is quoted, a writer can make New Jersey sound like a volcano of revolutionary ardor-or a swamp of unenthusiasm for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”4 By comparing Flemming’s account of the Revolutionary War to The Revolutionary War in the Hackensack Valley, by Adrian C. Leiby, this statement becomes even more evident. Leiby, though he provides a description of the role of the Jersey Dutch and the Neutral Ground which Flemming ignores, reveals his prejudices against the loyalists instead of allowing the reader to realize that both sides had their positive and negative characteristics. At points, he describes the rebels as the “good men,” and openly agrees with their decision to live “impoverished and die in British prisons rather than submit to British oppression…to whom generations unborn owe eternal gratitude.5 Though sometimes incomplete, Flemming provides a picture of this war without this tendency to exhibit favoritism. He avoids glorifying New Jersey, showing its tendencies to both support independence as well as withdraw to the comfort of the imperialistic system.

There was obvious tension between New Jersey and the Parliament. Like other colonies, they resisted the taxation attempts of the Stamp and Townsend Act, but their protests were always mild compared to the violence that exploded in the surrounding states. New Jersey tended to shift its attention to itself when its many colonial conflicts arose.6

Another factor that reduced New Jersey’s level of enthusiasm was the colony’s rustic lifestyle. Its largest populated city, Elizabethtown, only had 1,200 inhabitants. This was far less than its neighbors, New York and Philadelphia. New Jersey also lacked a newspaper, “the other indispensable engine of eighteenth-century agitation.” Their imperial connection also helped New Jersey’s economy and made it feel protected between its two large and aggressive neighbors. Governor Franklin also played a role in creating a more favorable view of England when he announced that the king wanted to settle the dispute and, as proof, gave New Jersey permission to print 100,000 pounds of paper money.7

Flemming also points out, though, that New Jersey did show signs of independence and that the fight for this was won more by force than persuasion. Early on when New Jersey had a proprietary government, they discovered that the people’s representatives could limit, if not control, the governor’s power by “pulling tight on the purse strings.” Sensing this trend towards independence, Governor Hunter traveled to London in 1719, informed the Parliament of this trend, and recommended that the crown should pay the governor’s salary so he would not be dependent on the assembly, yet he was ignored, a treatment that the colonies were growing used.8

In 1728, Jerseyans once again showed frustration with their rulers. They felt that, in order to become a more prosperous colony, it was necessary to have their own governor instead of sharing one with New York. All of their governors, after all, spent most of their time in New York, and they were being neglected because of their larger neighbors booming economy and population. They petitioned the crown for a separate governor, and though ignored for ten years, Lewis Morris was appointed as New Jersey’s first separate royal governor.9