American Colonists Influence On New Jersey

For much of the eighteenth century, American colonists were content in being referred to as British. However, this changed after the French and Indian War in 1763, as King George III began to tax the American colonists, resulting in much outrage throughout the American colonies. The Americans were unwilling to negotiate on this matter and thus initiated war against the British. Once the revolution commenced, there was much fighting between British forces and American colonies, but also among the American colonists as differing loyalties divided those who adhered to the crown or favored independence. At the heart of this fighting was New Jersey, which some historians have referred to as the “cockpit of the Revolution.” New Jersey saw widespread combat that involved almost every inhabitant of the colony. By the end of the war, New …show more content…
It came to be a middle ground for both the British and Patriots to battle without sacrificing their bases in Philadelphia and New York. This ultimately proved to be disastrous for the people of New Jersey as much of their land was ravaged during the war. Not only that, but many of the colonists were forced to pick sides as the war was clearly headed in their direction. Theodore Sedgwick explained this idea in his A Memoir of The Life of William Livingston when he argued, "During the next six years, as we have said, New Jersey was the frontier state, and exposed to all the miseries of a frontier warfare.” Thus, Sedgwick highlighted how New Jersey was forced to be at the forefront of the war because of its close proximity to New York and Philadelphia. In addition, it was exposed to the horrors of the war because much of the combat took place on its land. All in all, New Jersey’s position between New York, a British stronghold, and Philadelphia, America’s capital, made it an integral location in the