New Jersey Historic Site - Essay Example

?The history of the of New Jersey goes down to ancient times, with the first people inhabiting this territory being Delaware Indians. They spoke an Algonquian dialect and lived in the area of New Jersey and Pennsylvania when first European explorers arrived. Europeans called them Delaware, which means “original people” or “genuine people”. The first European Explorer Giovanni de Verrazano sailed along the coast and anchored at Sandy Hook. Later on, in 1609 Henry Hudson sailed through Newark Bay and claimed some lands for Netherlands. This was the beginning of colonization history of New Jersey. Eventually, British took control over the colonies. After 1664 the land was officially called New Jersey after the Isle of Jersey in the English Channel. During its history New Jersey had to fight for its freedom. In 1776 New Jersey proclaimed its independency and joined the side of colonies in the Revolutionary War, with more battles fought in New Jersey than in any other state, with the turning point of the war being battles in Trenton and Princeton. In 1787 the state of New Jersey accepted the Constitution of United States and signed the Bill of Rights. From then on The State of New Jersey developed rapidly, with many cities becoming manufacturing centers. The emerging of Virginian railroad and the construction of the West Virginia Turnpike became important events for the city, which transformed it into center of commerce. These are only snap shots of the history of New Jersey. There are a lot of noteworthy stories and characters. There are also a lot of “prove” of this history – landscapes, battlefields, homes, etc. Many places that are dating back to Revolutionary War were recreated. There are National parks, historical villages, lighthouses and more. There are also historical homes of famous people such as Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, who was among first professors appointed to work in the Institute for Advanced Study, which was founded in Princeton in 1930. This institute became the first residential institute for scholars and research personnel. Now, let us localize our research of major historical sites of New Jersey to the city of Princeton. The first permanent settlers came to the place that was to become the Princeton Township in the late 17th century. It started with the “house of accommodation” or tavern, built on the highway by Henry Greenland. Then, six Quaker’s families built a community along Stony Brook, thus, the settlement got to be known by the same name. The community started to grow and in 1724 it got its name Princeton – in honor of the Prince William of Orange and Nassau. In 1756 a new building was erected on the Nassau Hall – College of New Jersey. This added prominence to Princeton. There are mansions that were built around what was a village at the time, one of them being Morven. Since Princeton is located halfway between New York and Philadelphia, it was a usual place to stop for the night for the travelers. Thus, many taverns grew. Later, the rail road was built and made the commerce easier. Later, in 1776 some states ratified Declaration of Independence. Once the states were independent, they adopted constitutions and waged war against England to be permanently freed from its control. The state of New Jersey took part in Revolutionary War and the battle of Princeton was waged here and became a turning point in the war. This also made Princeton famous. After the revolution Princeton was a capital of the United States, albeit briefly. Here in Princeton, while awaiting ratification of the Peace Treaty with England, in Nassau Hall Continental Congress had its meetings. General Washington also resided nearby. After the Civil War many new buildings were built. The College has been expanding to reach the number of twenty-seven buildings total within the next fifty years. As the city grow, nearby mansions and farms became a part of it. Nowadays Princeton is among the most populated cities of America. To name several historical sites of Princeton, there are Maybury Hill, Princeton Battlefield-Stony Brook Settlement Historic District, Castle Howard, Delaware and Raritan Canal Historic District, Joline-Gulick House, Constitution Hill, Lake Carnegie Historic District. We will take a look at the Princeton Battle field State Park. It was opened in 1946 on the area that is a part of the original battle field. The highlights of the Park are Thomas Clark House museum, Mercer Oak tree, the gravesite of British and American soldiers. Another feature of the park is The Princeton Battle Monument. Almost as a continuation of the park, a part of the same historical district is a Thomas Clark House – a part of the original settlement and the house, on the farm of which the battle of Princeton was fought. Thomas Clark House is one of Quaker’s meetings houses from the eighteen’s century. Quakers were early settlers in New Jersey and were religious people. For the most part they tried to refrain from any war conflicts that were many during the time of the Revolution. Their buildings, though, were often used during those conflicts. Thomas Clark meeting house, built in 1772, was used as a hospital during that time. Notable is that Quakers cared for wounded from both sides, thus exercising their Christian faith and showing mercy and kindness despite the nationality and citizenship. One of the wounded soldiers was American General Hugh Mercer. To honor his name Mercer County was named as well as numerous streets in different cities. This meeting house as now open for exhibition and is furnished in the Revolutionary period. There is also a research library of the 18th century subjects. Several rooms contain military artifacts and exhibits. Mercer oak tree is so old that it survived the battle of Princeton and finally was torn out by the high winds in March 2000. This was a lone standing tree on the battlefield that was a 300 years old. Mercer oak tree is a symbol of Princeton Township. It got its name after the general Hugh Mercer, who was a hero of the Princeton battle. General Mercer’s brigade was a part of left wing of General Washington’s army. On the onset of the battle of Princeton, on the morning of January 3rd, 1777, General Hugh Mercer and his 350 soldiers were sent to destroy Stony Brook Bridge to delay arrival of British army. However, they were preceded by one of British forces and the General had to lead his soldiers to the battle. They were overpowered, and soldiers run. The general was trying to rally them back and was exposed to the enemy’s fire, then he was captured, though he bravely resisted. He received an inhuman treatment from the enemy. He was saved by Washington’s army, and, before the battle was over, he was put under the oak tree. After the battle he was taken to the hospital, but died there only nine days later. He was 55 years old. The Mercer Oak became more than a symbol of Revolution. It also is found on the seals of Mercer County, New Jersey State Park Service etc. Also, in the movie “IQ” about the life of Princeton’s prominent resident Albert Einstein it played a role in the final scene. The American Revolution, or Revolutionary War, started in 1775 as a conflict between 13 colonies in North America and their parent country, England. There were many causes for the revolution such as long term social and economical issues. The conflicts grew to such proportion that the war broke out in the fall of 1775 when British government decided to use military forces, which were overwhelming to crush what seems like a revolt. The task seemed to be easy for the numerous English armies. However, Americans had some advantages: they fought on their own territory and were close to the sources of supply. The leaders of American army were military leaders who participated in the previous war conflict between France and Indians. Also, later during the course of war, the rebellious colonies received aids form France and Spain. In the beginning of war, American Army had many losses. However, in December 1776 the American Army, led by General Washington, crossed the Delaware River, and defeated English forces in the city of Trenton. The main attack took British army by surprise and the first victory in the war was won. This was a very important victory as it helped to restore soldiers’ morale. Up until now it was a defensive war; Americans were losing many battles. They were poorly equipped and were not trained. General Washington was willing to take a risk and take a chance against British even after Contitental forces withdraw all the way across Ney Jersey. After the battle of Trenton Washington withdrew to the west bank of the Delaware River, but some of the troops were left unsupported across the river. Washington received the information that 8 000 British troop were going to attack Washington’s defenses in Trenton. The General decided not to wait for the British Army to come upon them, but to meet them, so he led his troops toward Princeton. The main army came to Princeton at the time when British army was advancing on Mercer’s brigade. Washington rode his horse against the flow of retreating men and urged them to turn around. Soldiers were inspired by their commander’s bravery and charged British army, which put them to flight. The whole battle was very short, but very vital. This second victory in the battle of Princeton that followed only a week after the battle of Trenton was a turning point in the Revolutionary war. After suffering many grave defeats in New York, Washington proved that his army can be winsome. Also, these two victories secured positions of American’s Army between two colonial cities New York and Philadelphia. Now the only British positions in New Jersey were limited to New Brunswick. It further demoralized British and gave a boost of confidence to American army. In 1922 the monument was erected to commemorate the battle of Princeton. It was designed by sculptor Frederick MacMonnies. It was dedicated by President Warren G. Harding. Sculptor depicts General Washington as he leads his troops into the battle and the death of General Hugh Mercer. There are seals of the original thirteen states on the sides of the Monument and the inscription. In 2006 the donations were gathered to illuminate the monument, and many gifts came toward that. Works Cited: Davis, P.M., “The Biography of the American Military and Naval Heroes, of the Revolutionary and Late Wars” . 1826 Print. Mitchell, Craig “George Washington's New Jersey: A Guide to the Crossroads of the American Revolution” B&A Publishers, Bergen County Historical Society. 2003. Print Princeton Township. Mercer County, New Jersey. Princetontwp.org. Web. 22 April 2011. The American Revolutionary War. Myrevolutionarywar.com. 2011. Family History 101. Web. 22 April 2011 Historical society of Prinston.princetonhistory.org. 2011. Historical Society of Princeton. Web. 21 April 2011 The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey state.nj.us. State of New Jersey.2011. Web. 21 April 2011 Read More