lessonsText=The following is a list of lessons available in the American Revolution section of this website. Click the links to view the lessons.

Land Riots and the Revolution in New Jersey


A Diplomatic Dilemma: The Lenape Indians and the Revolutionary War


Liberty vs. Slavery: New Jersey's Quakers and the American Revolution


The Two Governors: An Exploration of Loyalist and Revolutionary Thought

Revolutionary Ideology in New Jersey: The Constitution of 1776


African Americans' Quest for Freedom during the Revolutionary War


Petticoats vs. Redcoats: New Jersey's Women and the American Revolution


The Battle of Trenton: A Turning Point in the American Revolution


Revolutionary Heroes: George Washington and Molly Pitcher

&documentsText=ANTECEDENTS
  • Letter from a Delaware Indian Woman in Kenshena, Wisconsin, 20 June 1864.
  • Letter to the New-York Gazette, 15 January 1770.
  • Tobias Freeman to the New-York Gazette or Weekly Post Boy, 20 February 1770.
  • Woodbridge Celebrates the Repeal of the Stamp Act, Supplement to the New-York Gazette; or, the Weekly Post-Boy, 5 June 1766.
    • THE LENAPE
  • A Moravian Missionary's Account of a Dispute between Captain Pipe and Captain White Eyes, 1818.
  • Treaty of Fort Pitt, 1778.
  • Lenape Complaints about the Treaty of Fort Pitt, 1779.
  • Lenape Memorial to George Washington and Congress, 10 May 1779.
  • George Washington's Speech to the Lenape Chiefs, 12 May 1779.
  • Treaty of Fort M'Intosh, 1785.
    • THE QUAKERS
  • John Hepburn, The American Defense of the Christian Golden Rule, or An Essay to Prove the Unlawfulness of Making Slaves of Men, 1715.
  • John Woolman, Some Considerations on the Keeping of Negroes, Recommended to the Professors of Christianity of Every Denomination, 1754.
  • Samuel Allinson to Patrick Henry, 17 October 1774.
  • Petition of the Inhabitants of Chesterfield to the New Jersey Legislature, 1775.
  • Samuel Allinson to William Livingston, 13 July 1778.
    • THE TWO GOVERNORS
  • William Franklin to Lord Hillsborough, 23 November 1768.
  • William Franklin's Speech to the New Jersey Assembly, 13 January 1775.
  • William Franklin to the Lord Dartmouth, 5 June and 2 August 1775.
  • William Livingston's Speech to the New Jersey Legislature, 13 September 1776.
  • William Livingston's "Hortentius" Essay, New Jersey Gazette, 9 September 1778.
  • William Livingston's Message to the New Jersey Assembly, 19 May 1783.
    • 1776 STATE CONSTITUTION:
  • New Jersey State Constitution, 2 July 1776.
  • New Jersey State Oath of Office, August 1776.
  • Letter to the Trenton True American, 18 October 1802.
  • An Act to Regulate the Election of Members of the Legislative Council and General Assembly, Sheriffs and Coroners in this State, 1807.
  • On Dr. Condict's Speech, Trenton Federalist, 30 November 1807.
    • AFRICAN AMERICANS
  • John Corlies' Ad for Runaway Slave Titus, a.k.a. Col. Tye, 12 November 1775.
  • Samuel Sutphen's Pension Application, 26 May 1834.
  • David Forman to William Livingston, 9 June 1780.
  • Newspaper Reports on Col. Tye, June 1780.
  • Negro Prime's Petition to the New Jersey Legislature, 1786.
  • An Act to Prevent the Importation of Slaves into the State of New-Jersey, and to Authorize the Manumission of Them Under Certain Restrictions, and to Prevent the Abuse of Slaves, 2 March 1786.
    • WOMEN
  • "Belinda" (pseud. William Livingston) to New Jersey Gazette, 6 May 1778.
  • Article in the Pennsylvania Journal; and the Weekly Advertiser, 2 April 1777.
  • William Barton letter, 17 November 1778.
  • Announcement by the Ladies of Trenton, New-Jersey Gazette, 12 July 1780.
  • "The Sentiments of a Lady in New-Jersey," New-Jersey Gazette, 12 July 1780.
  • George Washington to Annis Boudinot Stockton, 31 August 1788.
  • Annis Boudinot Stockton to Julia Stockton Rush, 22 March 1792.
    • THE WAR
  • George Washington to Lund Washington, 17 December 1776.
  • Thomas Paine, The Crisis, 23 December 1776.
  • Henry Knox to Lucy Knox, 28 December 1776.
  • Thomas Rodney to Caesar Rodney, 30 December 1776.
  • Sergeant R. Describes the Aftermath of the Battle of Trenton, 24 March 1832.
    • HEROES
  • Thomas Dunn English, "Battle of Monmouth." (Middle school version)
  • Thomas Dunn English, "Battle of Monmouth." (High school version)
  • Parson Weems' Account of the Battle of Monmouth, 1809.
    • &timelineText=1734
  • The wave of religious revivals known as the Great Awakening begins.
    • 1737
  • Lenape representatives and descendants of William Penn agree to the Walking Purchase; the terms of the agreement would later become a source of contention.
    • 1739
  • Slaves participating in the Stono Rebellion are defeated by South Carolina authorities.
  • Methodist revivalist George Whitefield begins his tour of the American colonies.
    • 1745-1747
  • Land rioters protest the payment of quitrents in tracts with disputed land titles.
    • 1748
  • The College of New Jersey (Princeton University) is founded.
    • 1754
  • The French and Indian War begins.
  • New Jersey Quaker John Woolman publishes his antislavery pamphlet, Some Considerations on the Keeping of Negroes, Recommended to the Professors of Christianity of Every Denomination.
    • 1758
  • The Brotherton Indian Reservation is established in Burlington County.
    • 1763
  • William Franklin becomes the royal governor of New Jersey.
  • The Treaty of Paris concludes the French and Indian War.
  • The Proclamation of 1763 restricts westward migration of American colonists.
    • 1765
  • Parliament passes the Stamp Act, a tax on documents designed to raise revenue for the British Empire.
  • The New Jersey General Assembly denounces the Stamp Act.
    • 1766
  • Parliament repeals the Stamp Act and passes the Declaratory Act, which asserts Parliament's right to legislate for the colonies.
  • Queens College (Rutgers University) is founded in New Brunswick.
    • 1767
  • Parliament enacts the Townshend duties on imported paint, lead, glass, paper, and tea.
  • American women, as well as men, sign public statements asserting that they will not consume or import goods covered by the Townshend duties.
    • 1768
  • The New Jersey General Assembly petitions King George III to repeal the Townshend duties.
    • 1770
  • Protestors calling themselves "Sons of Liberty" denounce New Jersey's treatment of debtors.
  • Parliament repeals the Townshend duties, except for the tax on tea.
  • Tension between residents and British soldiers stationed in Boston leads to the Boston Massacre.
    • 1773
  • Parliament passes the Tea Act.
  • Bostonians protest the Tea Act by destroying 90,000 pounds of tea during the Boston Tea Party.
    • 1774
  • Students at the College of New Jersey burn tea in sympathy with the Boston protesters.
  • Parliament passes the Coercive Acts to punish Massachusetts for the Tea Party.
  • A general meeting of committees of correspondence in New Brunswick elects representatives to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
    • 1775
  • The Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends publishes its Testimony of the People Called Quakers, committing members to neutrality in the contest between Great Britain and its colonies.
  • Fighting begins when British soldiers and the Massachusetts militia skirmish at Lexington and Concord.
  • New Jersey's Provincial Congress, an extralegal governing body consisting of representatives from thirteen counties, meets in Trenton.
  • The Continental Congress sends its Olive Branch Petition to King George III.
  • Earl Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, issues a proclamation promising freedom to all indentured servants and slaves willing to fight for the British cause, prompting many slaves to flee their masters.
  • The slave Titus, later known as the guerrilla leader Colonel Tye, escapes bondage in Monmouth County.
  • The New Jersey General Assembly adopts resolutions opposing independence from Great Britain.
    • 1776
  • Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense.
  • The Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends forbids its members to own slaves.
  • Governor William Franklin is arrested in Perth Amboy on orders from the Provincial Congress.
  • Samuel Sutphen, a Somerset County slave, agrees to serve in the New Jersey militia in order to earn his freedom; his master would later renege on the deal.
  • Richard Stockton, Abraham Clark, John Hart, Francis Hopkinson, and John Witherspoon are elected to represent New Jersey in the Continental Congress with instructions to vote for independence.
  • The New Jersey Provincial Congress adopts a state constitution that enfranchises female and African-American property holders.
  • The Continental Congress votes unanimously to declare independence from Great Britain.
  • New Jersey's first state legislature elects William Livingston governor.
  • The British capture Fort Lee, forcing Washington's army to begin its long retreat through New Jersey and across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania.
  • Thousands of New Jersey residents swear allegiance to the British Crown.
  • Thomas Paine writes the first in his series of wartime pamphlets entitled The American Crisis; the text is read aloud to American troops just before the Battle of Trenton.
  • Washington re-crosses the Delaware to defeat Hessian forces at Trenton.
    • 1777
  • The Continental Army defeats British troops at the Battle of Princeton.
  • The British army evacuates New Brunswick.
    • 1778
  • France allies itself with the United States against Great Britain.
  • The British army under Sir Henry Clinton evacuates Philadelphia to return across New Jersey to New York City.
  • The Continental Army claims victory in the Battle of Monmouth where, according to legend, Molly Pitcher manned a gun, replacing her wounded husband.
  • General Charles Lee is court-martialed for failure to follow orders at the Battle of Monmouth.
  • Lenape representatives sign the Treaty of Fort Pitt, but Congress never ratifies the treaty.
  • White Eyes, a leading Lenape neutralist who helped negotiate the Treaty of Fort Pitt, is murdered by American militiamen; Americans claim he died of smallpox.
    • 1779
  • Monmouth County patriots hang captured Tories; New Jersey loyalists in New York City plan retaliation.
  • A veteran of the Battle of Monmouth, Colonel Tye leads loyalist raids in his home state, plundering and kidnapping local revolutionary leaders.
    • 1780
  • The Connecticut Line mutinies at the Morristown winter encampment.
  • The Battle of Springfield is fought in Connecticut Farms, now Union.
  • Inspired by a similar effort in Pennsylvania, prominent New Jersey women raise funds to assist Washington's troops.
  • Colonel Tye dies of a bullet wound.
    • 1781
  • The Articles of Confederation is approved by all thirteen states.
  • General Charles Cornwallis surrenders to Washington at Yorktown, Virginia.
  • Annis Boudinot Stockton publishes her celebratory poem, "On Hearing of the News of the Capture of Lord Cornwallis and the British, by Gen. Washington," in the New-Jersey Gazette.
    • 1782
  • Colonel David Williamson leads an attack on unarmed, neutral Lenapes at Gnadenhutten in Ohio country, murdering ninety-six persons.
  • Captain Joshua Huddy is hanged by loyalists in Monmouth County.
    • 1783
  • Thousands of black and white loyalists depart the U.S. for exile in England, Canada, or other crown colonies.
  • The Continental Congress meeting in Princeton receives word that the Treaty of Paris has been signed.
  • George Washington issues his farewell orders to the Continental Army in Rocky Hill.
    • 1786
  • The New Jersey legislature bans the importation of slaves.
  • Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Clark anonymously publishes The True Policy of New Jersey, Defined; a champion of indebted farmers and mechanics, Clark criticizes the state's monetary policies and property laws for undermining republican ideals.
    • 1787
  • Delegates meet in Philadelphia with the assignment of amending the Articles of Confederation; instead, they author a new federal constitution in sessions closed to the public.
  • Representing the interests of the smaller states at the Constitutional Convention, William Paterson offers his New Jersey Plan as an alternative to James Madison's proposal for proportional representation in both houses of the new federal legislature.
  • New Jersey delegates unanimously ratify the Constitution.
    • 1788
  • The Federal Constitution is ratified.
    • 1789
  • Prominent New Jersey women welcome George Washington on his way through Trenton to his inauguration as president.
  • George Washington is elected the nation's first president; John Adams becomes vice president.
    • 1790
  • After William Livingston's death, William Paterson is elected governor of New Jersey by the state's legislators.
  • New Jersey becomes the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.
    • 1801
  • The Lenape at Brotherton petition the New Jersey state government to sell their remaining land.
    • 1804
  • The New Jersey legislature adopts a gradual abolition of slavery law.
    • 1807
  • The New Jersey legislature disfranchises women, African Americans, and aliens.