New Jersey Legacy: The Two New Jerseys

Summary

The video script chronicles the early history of New Jersey, focusing on its complex political and social struggles during the late 1600s. It explores the conflicting land ownership claims between the English and Dutch, the establishment of Quaker settlements, and the division into East and West Jersey. The narrative also touches on tensions between the colonies and New York, the rise of religious and ethnic disputes, and the eventual unification of New Jersey under the British crown in 1702. Despite this, unresolved issues about land ownership and political unity persisted.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Martha Smith praised the new colony of Salem, New Jersey, and encouraged her family to join her despite omitting the colony's difficulties.
• 🏰 New Jersey faced early political struggles, such as independence from New York and determining land ownership rights.
• ⚔️ King Charles II granted New Jersey to his brother, the Duke of York, who then gave the land to loyalists Sir George Carteret and John Berkeley.
• 🚜 The English land ownership system, which gave proprietors power over the land without full ownership, caused tension with settlers who held land from New York's governor.
• 📜 The 1665 'Concessions and Agreements' constitution introduced governance and landholding rules, including annual fees called 'quit rents.'
• ⚖️ Conflicting land grants led to disputes about ownership, governance, and paying quit rents, leading to a 1672 rebellion against Governor Philip Carteret's authority.
• 🛑 Governor Andros of New York challenged Carteret's authority, leading to a trial in 1679 where Carteret was acquitted due to local support.
• 🕊️ Quakers, who sought to establish a society based on equality and pacifism, settled in both East and West Jersey, but faced conflicts over land and governance.
• 🏛️ East Jersey's Quakers eventually lost control of their colony, and West Jersey's Quakers struggled to live up to their ideals, with both colonies eventually merging in 1702 under Queen Anne.
• 🔀 The division and unification of New Jersey raised ongoing questions about political unity, land ownership, and reconciling religious and ethnic diversity.

Q & A

What was Martha Smith's impression of her new home in Salem, New Jersey?

Martha Smith described her new home in Salem, New Jersey, as a brave country where she experienced more comfort in one day than she had in many days in England. She mentioned the availability of cows, swine, and hands, and the likelihood of having sheep shortly.

What were some of the fundamental problems New Jersey faced from the start?

From the start, New Jersey faced several fundamental problems including whether it would be politically independent from New York, who would own the land, and what kind of society would emerge.

Who was granted the land that comprises present-day New Jersey and why?

The land comprising present-day New Jersey was granted by King Charles II to his brother, the Duke of York, as a royal patent for the region between the Connecticut and Delaware Rivers. The Duke then granted a portion of this land to two close friends, George Carteret and John Lord Berkeley, who had supported the royalists during the English Civil War.

What was the purpose of Governor Nichols' land grants in New Jersey?

Governor Nichols gave out two large land grants in New Jersey to New Englanders to recruit English settlers and dilute the Dutch population, hoping to establish a more English-influenced society.

What was the conflict over land grants and quit rents in New Jersey?

The conflict arose because some settlers, known as the Nichols patentees, refused to pay quit rents to the New Jersey proprietors, arguing that their land had been granted by the Governor of New York. This grew into a challenge to the authority of the proprietors to govern.

How did the Duke of York respond to the rebellion against Carteret's authority in 1672?

The Duke of York responded by declaring the Nichols patents null and void and Sir George Carteret ruled that no person could vote unless they had a proprietary patent. The rebellion was crushed, and Governor Carteret's authority was reasserted.

Why was New Jersey divided into East and West Jersey in 1676?

New Jersey was divided into East and West Jersey in 1676 because Lord Berkeley sold his half interest in the province, leading to the division of the colony into two separate entities.

What was the vision of society for the Quaker proprietors of East Jersey?

The Quaker proprietors of East Jersey sought to establish a society based on Quaker principles, which included pacifism, the equality of all individuals, and a belief in the inner light of divinity within every person.

How did the introduction of slavery affect the social structure of East Jersey?

The introduction of slavery in East Jersey led to the establishment of a stratified society with large estates farmed by landless laborers, which was attractive to slaveholders from New England, New York, and Barbados. This resulted in a society that was not as egalitarian as the Quakers had intended.

What was the significance of the Western Concessions and Agreements of 1677?

The Western Concessions and Agreements of 1677 was a document that placed almost full political power in the hands of an assembly elected annually by all adult male inhabitants of West Jersey, reflecting the Quakers' aspirations for a democratic society.

Why did the two New Jerseys unite as a single royal province in 1702?

The two New Jerseys united as a single royal province in 1702 because all parties began to think that the two colonies were unmanageable separately, and they jointly surrendered their governmental powers to Queen Anne, leading to their unification under the jurisdiction of the crown.