AÂ Choice Magazine Significant University Press Titles for
Undergraduates, 2012-2013 2013 New Jersey Studies Academic
Alliance, Author Awards, Edited Works Category Winner New Jersey: A
History of the Garden State presents a fresh, comprehensive
overview of New Jersey’s history from the prehistoric era to the
present. The findings of archaeologists, political, social, and
economic historians provide a new look at how the Garden State has
evolved. The state has a rich Native American heritage and complex
colonial history. It played a pivotal role in the American
Revolution, early industrialization, and technological developments
in transportation, including turnpikes, canals, and railroads. The
nineteenth century saw major debates over slavery. While no Civil
War battles were fought in New Jersey, most residents supported it
while questioning the policies of the federal government. Next, the
contributors turn to industry, urbanization, and the growth of
shore communities. A destination for immigrants, New Jersey
continued to be one of the most diverse states in the nation. Many
of these changes created a host of social problems that reformers
tried to minimize during the Progressive Era. Settlement houses
were established, educational institutions grew, and utopian
communities were founded. Most notably, women gained the right to
vote in 1920. In the decades leading up to World War II, New Jersey
benefited from back-to-work projects, but the rise of the local Ku
Klux Klan and the German American Bund were sad episodes during
this period. The story then moves to the rise of suburbs, the
concomitant decline of the state’s cities, growing population
density, and changing patterns of wealth. Deep-seated racial
inequities led to urban unrest as well as political change,
including such landmark legislation as the Mount Laurel decision.
Today, immigration continues to shape the state, as does the
tension between the needs of the suburbs, cities, and modest
amounts of remaining farmland. Well-known personalities, such as
Jonathan Edwards, George Washington, Woodrow Wilson, Dorothea Dix,
Thomas Edison, Frank Hague, and Albert Einstein appear in the
narrative. Contributors also mine new and existing sources to
incorporate fully scholarship on women, minorities, and immigrants.
All chapters are set in the context of the history of the United
States as a whole, illustrating how New Jersey is often a
bellwether for the nation..
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