New Jersey
New Jersey's colonial history began with Dutch and Swedish settlement as part of New Netherland, with the Dutch proving victorious over the Swedes in 1655. The English seized New Netherland in 1664, renaming it the Province of New Jersey as a proprietary colony, though the Dutch briefly reasserted control in 1673–1674 before relinquishing it under the Treaty of Westminster. Under British rule, the province was divided into East Jersey and West Jersey until they were united as a royal colony in 1702. New Jersey ultimately broke from British rule as one of the Thirteen Colonies, adopting the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Pre-contact era
Native Americans moved into New Jersey soon after the reversal of the Younger Dryas, approximately 15,000 years ago, as the ice sheet that had made northern New Jersey uninhabitable retreated. At the time of European contact, many tribes of the Lenape lived in the area.
Colonial history
Settlement initially stalled because of policy mismanagement by the company and conflicts with Native Americans. The Swedish South Company's settlement of New Sweden encroached on its southern flank during this period.
Swedish presence overlapped with Dutch claims in the New Jersey region; the Dutch proved victorious in 1655 per the primary article.
The colony experienced dramatic growth during the 1650s and became a major center for trade across the North Atlantic.
The English renamed the province after the island of Jersey in the English Channel. The province consisted of two political divisions, East Jersey and West Jersey.
The Dutch Republic reasserted control for only a brief period in 1673–1674.
East Jersey and West Jersey were united as a royal colony in 1702. The original boundaries of the province were slightly larger than the current state, extending into part of present-day New York, until the border was finalized in 1773.
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State history content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Historic sites data: National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
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