NEW JE RS E Y. The name of one of the original thirteen states of the United States of America.
The territory of which the state is composed was included within the patent granted by Charles II. to his brother James, duke of York, bearing date on the 12th of March, '1663-4. This grant comprised all the lands lying between the western aide of Connecticut river and the east aide of Delaware bay, and conferred powers of government over tbe granted territory. At this time the province was in the possession and under the government of Hol land. Before the close of the year the inhabitants of the province submitted to the government of Eng land, on the 23d and 24th of June, 1664. The duke of York, by deeds of lease and release, conveyed to John Lard Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, their heirs and assigns forever, "all that tract of land adjacent to New England and lying and being to the westward of Long Island and Manhitas Is land, and bounded on the east part by the main sea, and part by Hudson river, and hath upon the west Delaware bay or river, and extendeth south ward to the main ocean as far as Cape May at the mouth of Delaware bay, and to the northward as far as the northernmost branch of the said bay or river of Delaware, which is in 41 degrees and 40 minutes of latitude, and crosseth over thence in a straight line to Hudson's river in forty-one degrees of latitude ; which said tract of land is hereafter to be called Nova Cmsaria, or New Jersey." This grant first defined the boundaries and gave the name of the province. It conferred upon the grantees, with the territory, powers of government in as full and ample manner as they were conferred by the crown upon the duke of York. Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, being by virtue of this conveyance the sole proprietors of New Jersey, on the 10th of February, 1664-5, signed a constitution which they published under the title of "The con cessions and agreement of the fords proprietors of the province of Nova Cmsaria, or New Jersey, to and with all and every of the adventurers, and all such as ahail settle or plant there." This document, under the title of "The Concessions," was regarded as the first constitution of New Jersey, and con tinued in force until the division of the province in 1676. The instrument was considered as irrevocable, and therefore of higher authority than the acts of assembly, which were subject to alteration and re peal. War having been declared by England against
Holland in 1673, the Dutch were again in possession of the country, and the inhabitants submitted to their authority.
By the treaty of peace between England and Hol land on the 9th of February, 1674, the country was restored to the possession of the English. On the conclusion of peace, in order to remove all grounds of objection to his title on account of the recapture of the country by the Dutch, the duke of York ob tained from the crown a new patent, similar to the first, and dated on the 29th of June, 1674. On the 20th of July in the same year, the duke of York made a second grant of a portion of the province to Sir George Carteret individually. The partition which thih patent was intended to secure, in addi tion to the confirmation of Carteret'a grant, was ac complished by deeds of partition executed July 1, 1676, between Carteret and the trustees of Byllinge In 1702, the proprietors of the two provinces, called respectively East New Jersey and West New Jer sey, surrendered their powers of government to Queen Anne, still retaining their title to the land. Tha two divisions constituted thenceforth but one colony. The colony was governed by a governor and council appointed by the crown, and an as sembly of the representatives of the people chosen by the freeholders. This form of government con tinued till the American revolution.
The firet constitution of the state of New Jersey was adopted by the provisional congress on the second day of July, 1776. This body was composed of representatives from all the counties of the state, who were elected on the fourth Monday of May, and convened at Burlington on the tenth day of June, 1776. It was finally adopted on the second day of July, but was never submitted to a popular vote. This constitution continued in force until the first day of September, 1944, when it was superseded by the existing constitution. The new constitution was adopted May 14, 1844, by a convention composed of delegates elected by people in pursuance of an act passed by the legislature. The constitution thus framed, having been submitted to and adopted by the people at an election held on the thirteenth day of August, took effect and went into operation, pursuant to one of its provisions, on the twenty second of September, 1844. This constitution was amended at a special election held September 7, 1875.