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New
Jersey at the Turn of the Century
New
Jersey went through a number of changes during the
transition from the 19th to the 20th century. The
physical landscape changed from rural-agricultural
to industrial, and the political landscape morphed
into a Republican-run Big Business-friendly machine.
The Panic of 1893 damaged New Jersey's economy and
prompted a political change to the Republican Party
in order to do away with corruption. Unfortunately,
corruption returned when the Republican Party teamed
up with big business. Unlike most of the other states
in the Union, New Jersey did not enact any anti-trust
laws, so the state was specifically suited for large
corporations. This allowed large companies, such
as Standard Oil, to settle into the state. Eventually,
big business leaders were appointed into political
offices, creating a close tie with the Republican
Party. The chief lobbyist for the Pennsylvania Railroad
was made Commissioner of Banking and Insurance and
the two senators were the president of Prudential
Insurance and the chief executive of Elizabethtown
Gas and Light Company. Appointments such as these
dramatically increased the power of the large corporations
in New Jersey.
A
backlash against the corporations' power and links
with Republicans erupted in 1901 after an Irishman,
Mark Fagan, ran for mayor of Jersey City on the
Republican ticket and won. He vowed to build better
schools, hospitals and streets, but found it difficult
to keep his promises due to lacking funds. Going
to the State Republican Party for help, he proposed
equal taxation and a limitation on public utility
franchises. He was ignored. Fagan responded by protesting
against corporate control of the Republican Party.
Many others who were discontent with the situation
joined his protest. This outrage launched the New
Idea Movement. The New Idea movement, a precursor
to the Progressive movement, called for the denunciation
of boss rule, the end to utility franchises, equal
tax for big businesses, and the replacement of the
convention with a direct primary. These demands
inspired many anti-bossism and anti-big business
Democrats and Republicans to join the movement.
The movement did not last long in Jersey City, and
Fagan eventually lost support, but it prompted reforms
elsewhere in the state. Woodrow Wilson was elected
governor of New Jersey and embraced New Idea thought,
inducing a wave of progressivism. During his term,
Governor Wilson was able to enact an Election Law
that created a direct primary for all state officials,
a Corrupt Practices Act that would combat ballot
stuffing and other election fraud, a Public Utilities
Law to help regulate utilities, and Workmen's Compensation.
Progressive politics also inspired citizens to become
involved in political and charitable organizations.
There was an increase in women's membership in civic
clubs, a women's suffrage movement, and a push for
better schools. Progressivism in New Jersey began
with the corruption of big business and unfortunately
came to an end with American involvement in World
War I.
World War I New Jersey
New
Jersey was very busy during the First World War.
Industrial production reached high levels, the military
presence in the state increased, and the citizens
became very active in raising money and support
for the war. New Jerseyans showed their support
through the purchase of Liberty Bonds and the planting
victory gardens. Anti-German sentiment gripped the
nation and German place-names were changed throughout
the state. For example, German Valley became Long
Valley, and Newark's Hamburg, Dresden, and Bismarck
Streets became Wilson, London, and Pershing. New
Jersey's industries produced many war goods, including
munitions, chemicals, ships and airplanes. The New
York Shipbuilding Company in Camden employed thousands
of workers and produced many war ships. New Jersey
was also a major port for soldiers leaving for overseas.
There were sixteen complexes for training soldiers,
and Hoboken was a major embarking point for soldiers.
Nearly forty percent of soldiers on their way to
Europe passed through Hoboken. World War I helped
increase and solidify New Jersey's industries and
build up the state's military base.
The Great Depression
New
Jersey was extremely vulnerable to the Great Depression
because it was highly industrialized. In 1932, 30
percent of New Jersey's workers were unemployed,
which was higher than the national average of 25
percent.(13)
President Roosevelt's New Deal brought some relief
to the state. The Works Progress Administration
put men to work building an infrastructure, including
new post offices, hospitals, schools, and two new
stadiums in Jersey City and Rutgers. The New Deal
also helped conservation efforts, creating new state
parks such as Jockey Hollow National Park. New Jersey
artists and writers were also put to work writing
histories and painting murals, including the Newark
Airport's Old Terminal. Also, New Jersey received
"Greenbelt Cities" that were created to provide
work and serve as model communities. These cities
were built outside of Washington D.C., Cincinnati,
Milwaukee, and Jersey Homestead. These communities
attracted many Jewish families and socialists from
New York who wanted to live in a cooperative society.
The communities were designed to be self sufficient
with a factory, farm, and homes. The communities
eventually turned into normal towns; Jersey Homestead
became Roosevelt. The New Deal helped many New Jersey
families live through the Depression, but only the
demand of the Second World War had the power to
end it.
World War II
The
Second World War affected New Jersey much in the
same way that the First World War did. New Jersey
became a major producer, building ships and airplanes
and manufacturing munitions, medical supplies, and
processed foods. The New York Shipbuilding Company
employed 35,000 workers. The Du Pont Company employed
many workers who produced chemicals, ammunition,
and gunpowder in Salem County, and the R.C.A. plant
transformed to war mode and produced military electrical
equipment. The Campbell Soup Company also converted
into producing war goods. Atlantic City hotels were
temporarily used as military hospitals. Similar
to WWI, but on a larger scale, New Jersey ports
were used to send soldiers oversees. Over 2 million
soldiers were processed through New Jersey before
heading to Europe. The war enabled New Jersey to
recover its industry from the despair caused by
the Great Depression.
Exploring Heritage Through Place-names
Many
things can be learned about an area through its
place-names. Cities, towns, rivers, streams, and
mountains all provide names that reflect the heritage
and cultural contributions of the areas past settlers.
The Dutch and English settlers of New Jersey left
an early mark on the land. The Dutch word for stream,
kill, is used in a number of place-names, including
the Wakill River, the Arthur Kill Channel, and the
Kill Van Kull Channel. Town names also reflect a
plethora of different heritages and trends. Many
of the early settlers used Lenni-Lenape names for
towns, which are reflected in the naming of Hackensack,
Wickatunk, Totowa, and Musconetcong. In naming counties,
the British settlers had Colonial namesakes in mind.
Camden, Essex, Salem, Gloucester, and Sussex are
only a few examples of county names taken directly
from maps of England. There was also a trend during
the med-19th century to use names from classical
Greece and Rome as inspiration for place-names.
This trend is seen with the cities Troy Hill and
Sparta. Another trend was to name places after famous
political figures. Washington, Carteret, Madison,
Monroe, and Lincoln are all represented throughout
the state. William of Orange is represented with
the towns of East, South, and West Orange, as well
as the city of Orange. Ethnic and religious groups
also left their mark on the land. Religious presence
prompted the names of Baptistown, Quakertown, and
Quaker Bridge. Ethnicity is clearly shown in the
names of Englishtown, Frenchtown, Dutch Neck, Scotch
Plains, Swedesboro, New Russia, New Lisbon, and
New Egypt. There are also instances of naming cities
and towns after town names in Europe. Hamburg, Berlin,
and Cologne are good examples of that trend. By
examining the place-names of New Jersey, its ethnic
and cultural history can be further explored. Place-names
are a vital source in studying the history of any
area.
(13) Maxine
N. Lurie, A New Jersey Anthology, (Newark: New Jersey
Historical Society, 1994), 23.
Bibliography
Compiled and Written by the Federal Writers Project
of the Works Progress Administration for the State
of
New Jersey, New Jersey, A Guide to its Present and
Past, New York: The Viking Press, 1939.
Cunningham, Barbara, The New Jersey Ethnic Experience,
Union City, New Jersey: Wm. H. Wise & Co.,
1977.
Fleming, Thomas, New Jersey, A Bicentennial History,
New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1977.
Stansfield, Charles A. Jr., New Jersey, A Geography,
Boulder: Westview Press, 1983.
Websites
Ditmire, Suzanne, New Jersey History,
<www.usgennet.org/usa/nj/state/NJ_History.htm>
Koedel, R. Craig, South Jersey Heritage: A Social,
Economic, and Cultural History,
<http://westjersey.org/sjh/sjh_chap6.htm>
By
Rickie Lazzerini
Historian
BA History
University of California, Santa Barbara
Index
of Historical Reviews
© 2006 Rickie Lazzerini,
All Rights Reserved
This page may be freely linked to but may not
be reproduced
in any form without prior written consent from
the author.
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