The territory that became New Jersey was originally part of New Netherland and then New York. The Dutch established a trading post at Bergen in 1620, which was followed by others, including Fort Nassau and Pavonia, which is present-day Jersey City. In 1638, the Swedes moved into the area and established New Sweden. In 1655, New Netherland captured New Sweden and incorporated the settlements. After the English took control of New Netherland, the area was renamed New Jersey. The Duke of York granted the land between the Hudson River and Delaware River to his friends, Sir George Carteret and Lord John Berkeley. At one point, the colony was divided into East Jersey and West Jersey. In 1702, the two regions were merged into a Royal Colony called the Province of New Jersey.
Essential Facts
- Year Founded — 1664
- Founded By — Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret
- General Assembly Established — 1664
- Region — Middle Colonies
- Part of — Restoration Colonies
Biographies
- Abraham Clark
- Joseph Borden
- Elias Dayton
- Philemon Dickinson
- Hendrick Fisher
- John Hart
- Francis Hopkinson
- William Maxwell
- Thomas McKean
- Robert Ogden
- Richard Stockton
- John Witherspoon
History
Colonial America
- Dominion of New England (1686–1689)
- King William’s War (1688–1697)
- Albany Congress (1754)
- French and Indian War (1754–1763)
Key Concepts
- Agriculture in Colonial America
- Board of Trade
- Mercantilism
- Navigation Acts
- Salutary Neglect
- Transatlantic Slave Trade
- Triangular Trade
- Taxation Without Representation — Overview and History
American Revolution
- Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)
- Proclamation of 1763
- Sugar Act (1764) — Guide
- Stamp Act (1765) — Guide
- Sons of Liberty
- Townshend Acts (1767—1768)
- Committees of Correspondence
- Tea Act (1773)
- Intolerable Acts (1774)
- New Jersey — Delegates to the First Continental Congress (1774)
- First Continental Congress (1774)
- Continental Association (1774)
American Revolutionary War
1775
1776
- Declaration of Independence (Rough Draft)
- Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)
- Washington’s Retreat Through New Jersey (November 20, 1776—December 25, 1776)
- Washington Crossing the Delaware (December 25–26, 1776)
- Battle of Trenton (December 26, 1776)
1777
- Second Battle of Trenton at Assunpink Creek (January 2, 1777)
- Battle of Princeton (January 3, 1777)
- Battle of Bound Brook (April 13, 1776)
- Battle of the Short Hill (June 26, 1777)
