A New Jersey Anthology: A New Jersey Anthology, Second Edition

Preface

ix Preface The first edition of this book grew out of a perceived need for a book of readings on New Jersey history that could be used in courses on New Jersey or United States history taught at both the college and high school levels. At times it also happily appealed to the general reader, those curious to learn more about the state in which they lived. I remember when I started to put it together, I met Richard P. McCormick in Alexander Library at Rutgers University and he asked me “but how will you chose” what to include? His point was that much had been written about New Jersey, in both book and article format. While selection has not been easy, I used several guidelines both in the first, and in this the second, edition of the book. First, the selections deliberately cover the chronological scope of New Jersey history, to give readers a sense of how the state has developed and changed over time. Second, they try to illustrate the varieties of history. Thus, the selections include political, social, and legal history. Several are from biographies or analytical works. Third, an attempt was made to pick pieces that are interesting to read and that deal with important issues (what constitutes a fair trial, treatment of workers, or housing policy). I hope all will engage readers, leading them in the process to think about the questions with which historians wrestle, while also learning more about New Jersey. Each selection is preceded by a headnote, which provides questions to be considered while reading. Because many of the selections in this edition come from books rather than from articles in scholarly journals , some of the headnotes provide additional background context from the larger work. All of them try to present issues and methods that have engaged historians, and they end with a list of suggested readings for those inclined to follow up either on the particular topic or the historical genre. In all, ten of the seventeen chapters are new. The changes were made to reflect scholarship done in the last fifteen years, adding new information or interpretations. Others have been added to increase the scope of topics covered—thus two chapters in this volume deal with war (the American Revolution and the Civil War) x / Preface in two very different ways. They are included in response to the recognition that Americans have more often been at war than at peace, and that, even when not fought on New Jersey soil, wars have impacted the state’s citizens. In addition, the introduction has been updated to bring the story closer to the present, while the footnotes have been expanded to incorporate recent scholarship. When the first edition was published I thanked a number of people. This work still reflects their assistance: Jonathan Lurie; Susan Schrepher and Richard P. McCormick of Rutgers University; Kathryn Grover and Robert Burnet then at the New Jersey Historical Society. I have now accumulated additional debts for assistance with this second edition. These include Felicitas Ruetten, Elizabeth Schiller, Shayle Abelkop, and the staff of the Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center at Seton Hall University for their help with scanning and proofreading entries; the Provost and Office of Grants and Research Services for financial assistance for production costs; and Seton Hall University for the sabbatical that enabled me to finish this and another project. For help with images: Laura M. Poll at Monmouth Historical Association; Lauren Morrell, Office of the Curator, the Supreme Court of the United States; Bob Leach and John Beekman at Jersey City Public Library; Joanne Nestor at the New Jersey State Archives; David Kuzma, Erica Gorder, Bonita Craft Grant, and the staff at Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University; Michael Siegel at the Rutgers Cartography Lab; Jill Slaight, New-York Historical Society; James Osbourn. Newark Public Library. And, of course, the authors who consented to the inclusion of their work. Also Linda Epps at New Jersey Historical Society; Marlie Wasserman, Christina Brianik, and Marilyn Campbell at Rutgers University Press for their help in making this project work. Maxine N. Lurie April 2009 A NEW JERSEY ANTHOLOGY Blueberry picker on the Lower Bank, Burlington County, about 1960. Despite its industrial image, New Jersey has been largely rural throughout much of its history; areas of the state remain devoted to the production of fruits and vegetables. Augustine Collection Photographs...