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  #  Entered Union     Year Settled 3rd       Dec. 18, 1787      1660  Nickname Garden State  Rank  Population 11th           8,682,661  Rank  Square Miles 47th           8,721  State Bird  State Flower  State Tree  State Motto Liberty and prosperity  Italian Giovanni da Verrazano, in 1524, was the first European to explore the area we know today as New Jersey. One of the original 13 states (it joined the Union in 1787), it was named after the island of Jersey in the English Channel. New Jersey is referred to as the "Garden State" because of its fertile farmland. Its capital is Trenton.  General George Washington won a key Revolutionary War battle at Trenton when he crossed the Delaware River from Pennsylvania and surprised the Hessian soldiers stationed there. Trenton is the state capital. Atlantic City, a resort town and former home to the Miss America pageant, attracts visitors from around the world."  It is nicknamed the "Garden State," and yet it is one of the most developed and industrialized states in America. Famous for its beaches and for hosting the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, it also exports manufactured goods around the world.  New Jersey Approved The Constitution What state is it? Approving the Constitution on December 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to join the Union, following Delaware and Pennsylvania. This diverse state has a long history. Prior to the American Revolution, New Jersey was part of the original land grant to the Duke of York. It was divided up among different caretakers in 1676, and divided again and again until Queen Anne, in April 1702, reunited the land into one province with one governor.  New Jersey gained its nickname of the "Garden State" in the 18th century, because it had so much rich and fertile soil. But over the next two centuries, farmland has given way to urban industry. In addition to exporting goods all over the world, New Jersey is also a popular tourist destination.  One hundred twenty-five miles of coastline with cool ocean breezes tempt city dwellers to vacation here. President Grant was among the vacationers in the 1800s who flocked to resorts at Longbranch and Cape May. Open in 1870, the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk continues to draw visitors from all around the world.  New Jersey is home to Princeton University and Rutgers University. Singer Frank Sinatra was from "Jersey," as were suffragist Alice Paul, football coach Alonzo Stagg, and musicians Bruce Springsteen and Lauryn Hill.  It is also home to Lucy the Elephant, an American landmark built in Atlantic City in 1881. President Woodrow Wilson stepped inside the giant elephant-shaped building, Lucy, as did car manufacturer Henry Ford. New Jersey often is seen in the shadow of its metropolis neighbor New York. But residents know the amazing resources the state has to offer, as well as its diverse and lively personality.  New Jersey has more diners than any other state and is the shopping mall capital of the world, with seven malls in a 25-mile radius. The "Garden State" still manages to produce two-thirds of the world's eggplants.  New Jersey is a state of many firsts too: the first ever baseball game was played in Hoboken; inventor Thomas Edison had his first lab here; and John P. Holland took his invention, the submarine, for its first ride down the Passaic River in New Jersey. Visit the "Garden State" and see for yourself what's growing in New Jersey.  Her name was Mary Hays McCauly, but she was better known as Molly Pitcher. Do you know who she was? Or how she got her name?  Mary Hays was the wife of William Hays, an artilleryman who fought in the Battle of Monmouth during the Revolutionary War.  The battle began as General Henry Clinton led his British forces from Philadelphia and started marching through New Jersey. On the morning of June 28, 1778, a scorching hot day, General George Washington ordered General Charles Lee to attack the British near Monmouth, New Jersey. The British and American armies fought all day in the intense heat.  Dodging the bullets was Mary Hays, who brought pitcher after pitcher of water to the thirsty troops. She also assisted the injured troops. When her husband fell in battle, she took his place at the cannon. This was the second time on an American battlefield that a woman had worked a cannon. (The first was Margaret Corbin during the defense of Fort Washington in 1776.)  For her heroic role, General Washington made her a noncommissioned officer. After that she was widely known as "Sergeant Molly." A sculpture on the battle monument commemorates her courageous efforts.  Women's Suffrage and Alice Paul Do you ever hear people talking about voting or elections? Could you imagine if only men could vote but women could not? More than likely, when your great grandmother was young, she wasn't allowed to vote, even though your great grandfather could.  Today, your mother and grandmother can participate in electing public officials because of the hard work of a lot of women. More than eighty years ago, women were on their way to gaining the right to vote after Congress approved the women's suffrage amendment. On June 4, 1919, Congress sent the potential amendment to the Constitution to the individual states for ratification, or approval. It took more than a year to complete ratification.  Once three-fourths of the states had ratified the 19th Amendment, women were granted the right to vote in 1920. A woman named Alice Paul, who had fought for suffrage, stitched the final star in a banner celebrating the victory of the suffrage movement. Women like Alice Paul were called suffragettes, and they fought for more than seventy years for the right to vote alongside men on Election Day. |
