History of New Jersey

The history of New Jersey traces the Lenape homeland, European colonization, the American Revolution, and the state’s growth into a major industrial and suburban center.

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Lenape: An Indigenous people whose ancestral homelands include present-day New Jersey and parts of neighboring states. Lenape communities lived across the region before European colonization.
Lenapehoking: A name commonly used for the Lenape homeland, encompassing parts of present-day New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. It frames New Jersey as part of a larger Indigenous homeland rather than an isolated territory.
William Penn: An English Quaker leader and proprietor of Pennsylvania who also held interests in West Jersey. Pennsylvania’s founder helped shape West Jersey’s early government and settlement.
Battle of Trenton: A December 1776 American victory over Hessian forces in Trenton, New Jersey. The victory helped revive the Continental Army after a series of defeats.
New York: A U.S. state bordering New Jersey to the north and northeast, with New York City across the Hudson River. Colonial boundary disputes and later metropolitan ties repeatedly connected and divided the two states.
New Netherland: A Dutch colony in northeastern North America, centered on the Hudson River, from the early seventeenth century until 1664. Dutch settlement established European claims and communities in northern New Jersey.
Dutch colonization of the Americas: The establishment of Dutch colonies and trading posts in the Americas during the seventeenth century. Dutch colonial expansion brought settlers and trade to the region.
Philip Carteret: The first colonial governor of New Jersey, appointed by its proprietors in 1665. Carteret administered the colony during its early English period.
Battle of Princeton: A January 1777 American victory over British forces near Princeton, New Jersey. It strengthened the revolutionary position in the state after Trenton.
Pennsylvania: A U.S. state west of New Jersey, separated in part by the Delaware River. The river boundary and shared colonial histories shaped New Jersey’s western ties.