This Is My New Jersey

Today is an important day in American history. In 1787, New Jersey ratified the U.S. Constitution and became the third state, following Delaware and Pennsylvania.

“Now be it known, that we, the delegates of the state of New Jersey, chosen by the people thereof, for the purpose aforesaid, having maturely deliberated on and considered the aforesaid proposed Constitution, do hereby, for and on the behalf of the people of the said state of New Jersey, agree to, ratify, and confirm, the same and every part thereof.”

New Jersey’s Ratification Convention

A History All our Own

Since that fateful day 236 years ago, we have been making strides and marching to our own drummer. While many in the United States think they have us figured out, we all know better. They have no clue. Today, we say a special Jersey “thank you” to the members of the State Convention:

Bergen: John Fell, Peter Zabriskie, and Cornelius Hennion
Essex: John Chetwood, Samuel Hay, and David Crane
Middlesex: John Neilson, John Beatty, and Benjamin Manning
Monmouth: Elisha Lawrence, Samuel Breese, and William Crawford
Somerset: John Witherspoon, Jacob R. Hardenbergh, and Frederick Frelinghuysen
Burlington: Thomas Reynolds, George Anderson, and Joshua M. Wallace
Gloucester: Richard Howell, Andrew Hunter, and Benjamin Whitall
Salem: Whitten Cripps, Edmund Wetherby, and Samuel Dick
Cape May: Jesse Hand, Jeremiah Eldredge, and Matthew Whillden
Hunterdon: John Stevens, Hon. David Brearley, and Joshua Corshon
Morris: William Windes, William Woodhull, and John J. Faesch
Cumberland: David Potter, Jonathan Bowen, and Eli Elmer
Sussex: Robert Ogden, Thomas Anderson, and Robert Hoops

You can even read the minutes of the Convention online and learn how we went from colony to state.

East vs. West

While those of us in Jersey argue in terms of the north and the south, originally, it was all about the east and the west.

Prior to the American Revolution, New Jersey was part of the original land grant to the Duke of York. He, in turn, granted it to Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret in June 1664. The province was divided, in 1676, between the proprietors. By that division, East New Jersey was assigned to Carteret, and West New Jersey to William Penn and others, who had purchased it from Lord Berkeley.

At least we all can agree on one thing – the only people that believe Central Jersey exists are those who live there.

A State Full of “Firsts”

Even though we are considered the third state, we know the real deal. Here are some of the great “firsts” we can claim as our own:

• Circa 1640: The first copper mine in America was opened by enterprising Dutch settlers in the Kittatinny Mountains.
• 1642: The first brewery in America opened in Hoboken.
• 1846: The first organized baseball game was played in Hoboken.
• November 6, 1869: The first intercollegiate football game was played by Rutgers and Princeton in New Brunswick. Rutgers won 6 to 4.
• 1870s: The first saltwater taffy was produced at the Jersey shore.
• 1870: The first boardwalk in the world was built at Atlantic City.
• 1877: The first phonograph was made by Thomas A. Edison in Menlo Park.
• 1878: The first submarine was built by John Holland of Passaic County. The submarine is now in a public museum in Paterson.
• 1879: The first incandescent lamp (light bulb) was made by Thomas A. Edison in Menlo Park.
• 1883: The first town to be lighted by electricity was Roselle.
• 1889: The first movie was developed by Thomas A. Edison in West Orange.
• 1896: The first professional basketball game was played in Trenton.
• 1897: The first condensed soup in America was cooked and canned in Camden County.
• May 3, 1919: The first airplane passenger flight flew from New York to Atlantic City.
• 1921: The first Miss America was chosen in Atlantic City.
• 1921: The first radio broadcast of the World Series was transmitted live on radio station WIZ in Newark.
• 1933: The first drive-in movie theater was built on a 10-acre plot in Camden County.
• 1933: The first national historic park in America was established in Morristown.
• 1940: The first solid body electric guitar was invented by Les Paul of Mahwah.

We all know we have everything we need right here in New Jersey. Awesome food. Beautiful rivers and mountains. The best beaches in the country. And let’s face it – we would’ve never been our own country without all the significant wins in New Jersey during the American Revolution

So I say happy birthday to us! We know we are awesome; and honestly, we don’t care if any else agrees.