New Jersey History
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As one of the original thirteen colonies, a strategic base in the Revolutionary War, and a key industrial and transportation center for the newly formed U.S., New Jersey has played an important role in U.S. history.
Before Europeans arrived in what is now New Jersey, the Lenape, or Delaware, Tribe lived there, and survived by hunting, fishing, gathering, and some limited farming. The first explorer to sight the region was Giovanni de Varazano in 1524, followed later by Henry Hudson in 1609, who traveled up the river named after him. Beginning in 1618, a series of Dutch and Swedish settlements sprung up along the coast until 1664 when England acquired New Jersey from the Netherlands.
During the Revolutionary War, New Jersey witnessed fierce fighting in nearly 100 encounters between the British and the Americans. Two main turning points in the war took place in New Jersey, the famous crossing of the Delaware at what is now Washington Crossing State Park and the defeat of the British forces at Trenton at what is now Princeton Battlefield State Park. George Washington and the Continental Army also spent two long winters at what is now Morristown National Historic Park. After the victory in the Revolutionary War, New Jersey was the third state to ratify the new constitution on December 18, 1787.
New Jersey has been home to inventors, scientists, and statesmen that have shaped the United States and the world. Inventions made in New Jersey include the light bulb by Thomas Edison, the telegraph by Samuel Morse, and the submarine by John Holland. Famous statesmen such as Aaron Burr, Grover Cleveland, and Richard Nixon were all New Jersey natives. Football and baseball were both first played in New Jersey.
New Jersey built its economy on heavy industry, manufacturing, and agriculture. Early oil refineries and manufacturing plants, especially chemical manufacturing, were the main components of the economy. Recently, with steep declines in manufacturing and development of land once used for agriculture, high tech industries like pharmaceuticals are becoming the driving forces of the economy.
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