64-568: The Provincial Congress of New Jersey was a transitional governing body of the Province of New Jersey in the early part of the American Revolution . It first met in 1775 with representatives from all New Jersey's then-thirteen counties, to supersede the Royal Governor . In June 1776, this congress had authorized the preparation of a constitution, which was written within five days, adopted by
128-553: A father his children," and began the task of rebuilding the physical and moral state of the colony. In September 1647 he appointed the Nine Men , an advisory council composed of representatives of the colonists, to help rebuild relationships with them, temper his rule with their guidance, and restore New Netherland to the kind of well-run place that the Dutch preferred. In 1648 a conflict began between him and Brant Aertzsz van Slechtenhorst,
192-532: A great expansion for the settlement of New Amsterdam beyond the southern tip of Manhattan . Among the projects built by Stuyvesant's administration were the protective wall on Wall Street , the canal that became Broad Street , and Broadway . Stuyvesant, himself a member of the Dutch Reformed Church , opposed religious pluralism and came into conflict with Lutherans , Jews , Roman Catholics , and Quakers as they attempted to build places of worship in
256-510: A position he held until 1644. In April 1644, he coordinated and led an attack on the island of Saint Martin —which the Spanish had taken from the Dutch. Peter thought they had few men. When Peter raised the Dutch flag the Spanish fired. A cannonball hit Peter. They lost the battle and Peter had his lower leg amputated. Stuyvesant returned to the Netherlands for convalescence, where his right leg
320-526: A result, Carteret and Berkeley became the two English lords proprietors of New Jersey. The two proprietors of New Jersey attempted to attract more settlers to move to the province by granting sections of lands to settlers and by passing the Concession and Agreement , a 1665 document that granted religious freedom to all inhabitants of New Jersey; under the British government, there was no such religious freedom as
384-558: A system of fire wardens and a volunteer fire watch that patrolled the streets to keep an eye on any fire, or potential fire, from nine o'clock in the evening until the morning drum-beat. As such Stuyvesant became the organizer and head of the first volunteer firemen in America The colony of New Netherland had severe external problems. The population was too small and contentious, and the Company provided little military support. The most serious
448-655: The Church of England was the state church . In return for the land, the settlers were supposed to pay annual fees known as quit-rents . In 1665, Philip Carteret became the first governor of New Jersey , appointed by the two proprietors. He selected Elizabeth as the capital of New Jersey. Immediately, Carteret issued several additional grants of land to landowners. Towns were started and charters granted to Newark (1666), Piscataway (1666), Bergen (1668), Middletown (1693), Woodbridge (1669), and Shrewsbury . The idea of quit-rents became increasingly difficult because many of
512-501: The Dutch Reformed Church remains an important part of the community, as well as shopping centers, yacht clubs and other buildings and facilities throughout the area where the Dutch colony once was. The Peter Stuyvesant Monument by J. Massey Rhind situated at Bergen Square in Jersey City was dedicated in 1915 to mark the 250th anniversary of the Dutch settlement there The World War II Liberty Ship SS Peter Stuyvesant
576-509: The East River and to erect a fortification. In 1653, a convention of two deputies from each village in New Netherland demanded reforms, and Stuyvesant commanded that assembly to disperse, saying: "We derive our authority from God and the company, not from a few ignorant subjects." In 1654, Stuyvesant signed a deed for an allotment of land 10,000 square feet (930 m ) that corresponds to
640-654: The Governor , who served as the Council president, if a vacancy occurred in that office. The Provincial Congress ceased to function when the first session of the new Legislature convened on August 27, 1776, under the New Jersey State Constitution it had prepared. The Provincial Congress met in late May, June and August in Trenton . During their sessions in the first week, they elected from their members: Hendrick Fisher as
704-589: The Stuyvesant Town housing complex; the site of the original Stuyvesant High School , still marked Stuyvesant on its front face, on East 15th Street near First Avenue, Stuyvesant Square , a park in the area; and the Stuyvesant Apartments on East 18th Street. The new Stuyvesant High , a premier public high school, is on Chambers Street near the World Trade Center. His farm, called the "Bouwerij" –
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#1732851764339768-567: The Treaty of Hartford , to settle the border between New Amsterdam and the English colonies to the north and east. The border was arranged to the dissatisfaction of the Nine Men, who declared that "the governor had ceded away enough territory to found fifty colonies each fifty miles square." Stuyvesant then threatened to dissolve the council. A new plan of municipal government was arranged in the Netherlands, and
832-664: The United States Constitution 's provision on freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights . In 1664, King Charles II of England ceded to his brother, the Duke of York, later King James II , a large tract of land that included all of New Netherland . This came at a period of considerable conflict between England and the Netherlands in the Anglo-Dutch Wars . Four English ships bearing 450 men, commanded by Richard Nicolls , seized
896-573: The University of Franeker , where he studied languages and philosophy, but several years later he was expelled from the school after he seduced the daughter of his landlord. He was then sent to Amsterdam by his father, where Stuyvesant – now using the Latinized version of his first name, "Petrus", to indicate that he had university schooling – joined the Dutch West India Company (GWC). In 1630,
960-499: The director-general of New Netherland from 1647 to 1664, when the colony was provisionally ceded to the Kingdom of England . He was a major figure in the history of New York City and his name has been given to various landmarks and points of interest throughout the city (e.g. Stuyvesant High School , Stuyvesant Town , Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood , etc.). Stuyvesant's accomplishments as director-general of New Netherland included
1024-433: The right to vote . The Supreme Court was established in 1704, to sit alternately at Perth Amboy and Burlington, consisting of a chief justice, a second judge and several associate judges. 40°48′32″N 74°31′12″W / 40.809°N 74.520°W / 40.809; -74.520 Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant ( c. 1610 – August 1672) was a Dutch colonial administrator who served as
1088-515: The 1676 Quintipartite Deed helped to lessen the disputes. More accurate surveys and maps were made to resolve property disputes. This resulted in the Thornton Line , drawn around 1696, and the Lawrence Line , drawn around 1743, which was adopted as the final line for legal purposes. The Dominion of New England was a short-lived administrative union. On May 7, 1688, the Province of New York ,
1152-617: The Amsterdam Chamber of the GWC in 1654, he hoped that "the deceitful race, — such hateful enemies and blasphemers of the name of Christ, — be not allowed to further infect and trouble this new colony." He referred to Jews as a "deceitful race" and "usurers", and was concerned that "Jewish settlers should not be granted the same liberties enjoyed by Jews in Holland, lest members of other persecuted minority groups, such as Roman Catholics, be attracted to
1216-575: The Articles of Capitulation. The Dutch settlers mainly belonged to the Dutch Reformed church, a Calvinist denomination, holding to the Three Forms of Unity (Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of Dordt). The English were Anglicans, holding to the 39 Articles , a Protestant confession, with bishops. In 1665, Stuyvesant went to the Netherlands to report on his term as governor. On his return to
1280-472: The Dominion was dissolved in 1689. On April 17, 1702, under the rule of Queen Anne , the two sections of the proprietary colony were united, and New Jersey became a royal colony . Edward Hyde, Lord Cornbury , became the first governor of the colony as a royal colony. However, he was an ineffective and corrupt ruler, taking bribes and speculating on land. In 1708, Lord Cornbury was recalled to England. New Jersey
1344-533: The Dutch colony. On 30 August 1664, George Cartwright sent the governor a letter demanding surrender. He promised "life, estate, and liberty to all who would submit to the king's authority." On 6 September 1664, Stuyvesant sent Johannes de Decker , a lawyer for the West India Company, and five others to sign the Articles of Capitulation. Nicolls was declared governor, and the city was renamed New York . Stuyvesant obtained civil rights and freedom of religion in
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#17328517643391408-848: The English Connecticut Colony were strained, with disputes over ownership of land in the Connecticut valley, and in eastern Long island. The treaty of Hartford of 1650 was advantageous to the English, as Stuyvesant gave up claims to the Connecticut Valley while gaining only a small portion of Long island. In any case, Connecticut settlers ignored the treaty and steadily poured into the Hudson Valley, where they agitated against Stuyvesant. In 1664, England sent an expeditionary force to capture New Netherland. The colony's settlers refused to fight, forcing Stuyvesant to surrender and demonstrating
1472-458: The GWC in 1651. Stuyvesant did not tolerate full religious freedom in the colony, and was strongly committed to the supremacy of the Dutch Reformed Church . In 1657 he refused Lutherans the right to organize a church. When he also issued an ordinance forbidding them from worshiping in their own homes, the directors of the GWC, three of whom were Lutherans, told him to rescind the order and allow private gatherings of Lutherans. The Company position
1536-564: The Province of East Jersey, and the Province of West Jersey were added to the Dominion. The capital was located in Boston , but because of its size, New York, East Jersey, and West Jersey were run by the lieutenant governor from New York City . After news of the overthrow of James II by William of Orange in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 reached Boston, the colonists rose up in rebellion, and
1600-598: The Province of New Jersey was divided into East Jersey and West Jersey , each with its own governor . Each had its own constitution: the West Jersey Constitution (1681) and the East Jersey Constitution (1683). The exact border between West and East Jersey was often disputed. The border between the two sides reached the Atlantic Ocean to the north of present-day Atlantic City . The border line
1664-604: The Provincial Congress, and accepted by the Continental Congress . The Constitution of 1776 provided for a bicameral legislature consisting of a General Assembly with three members from each county and a legislative council with one member from each county. All state officials, including the governor , were to be appointed by the Legislature under this constitution. The Vice-President of Council would succeed
1728-581: The body's President, Jonathan D. Sergeant as secretary, and William Paterson and Frederick Frelinghuysen as assistants. The members, or deputies of the Congress, were received at its first session on May 23, 1775. At Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1776, three Provincial Congress deputies, Abraham Clark , John Hart , and Reverend John Witherspoon , signed the Declaration of Independence , becoming of
1792-618: The border was finalized in 1773. The Province of New Jersey was originally settled in the 1610s as part of the colony of New Netherland. The surrender of Fort Amsterdam in September 1664 gave control over the entire Mid-Atlantic region to the English as part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War . The English justified the seizure by claiming that John Cabot , an Italian under the sponsorship of the English King Henry VII , had been
1856-422: The charter was equivalent to a conveyance of land conferring on him the right of possession, control, and government, subject only to the limitation that the government must be consistent with the laws of England. The Duke of York never visited his colony and exercised little direct control of it. He elected to administer his government through governors, councils, and other officers appointed by himself. No provision
1920-624: The city and practice their faiths. Stuyvesant was in particular antisemitic , loathing both the Jewish ethnicity and religion . Peter Stuyvesant was born around 1610 in Peperga or Scherpenzeel , Friesland , in the Netherlands , to Balthasar Stuyvesant, a Reformed Calvinist minister, and Margaretha Hardenstein. He grew up in Peperga, Scherpenzeel, and Berlikum . At the age of 20, Stuyvesant went to
1984-481: The colony had left the colony in terrible condition. Only a small number of villages remained after Kieft's wars, and many of their inhabitants had been driven away and returned home, leaving only 250 to 300 men able to carry arms. Kieft himself had accumulated a fortune of over 4,000 guilders during his term in office, and become an alcoholic. Certain that righting New Netherland was the work which God had saved him for, Stuyvesant told its people "I shall govern you as
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2048-422: The colony stopped sheltering runaways from New Netherland. In 1657, the GWC's directors wrote to Stuyvesant, telling him that they were not going to be able to send him all the tradesmen that he requested and that he would have to use slaves as well. Although it is commonly thought that Stuyvesant was New Netherland's largest slaveholder, he only owned two slaves, purchasing them as part of the farm he bought from
2112-476: The colony, he spent the remainder of his life on his farm, Stuyvesant Farm , of sixty-two acres outside the city, called the Great Bouwerie, beyond which stretched the woods and swamps of the village of Nieuw Haarlem . A pear tree that he reputedly brought from the Netherlands in 1647 remained at the corner of Thirteenth Street and Third Avenue until 1867 when it was destroyed by a storm, bearing fruit almost to
2176-481: The colony." Stuyvesant's decision was again rescinded after pressure from the directors of the company. As a result, Jewish immigrants were allowed to stay in the colony as long as their community was self-supporting. However, Stuyvesant would not allow them to build a synagogue, forcing them to worship instead in a private house. In 1657, the Quakers , who were newly arrived in the colony, drew his attention. He ordered
2240-399: The commissary of the patroonship Rensselaerwijck , which surrounded Fort Orange (present-day Albany). Stuyvesant claimed he had power over Rensselaerwijck, despite special privileges granted to Kiliaen van Rensselaer in the patroonship regulations of 1629. When Van Slechtenhorst refused, Stuyvesant sent a group of soldiers to enforce his orders. The controversy that followed resulted in
2304-492: The company assigned him to be their commercial agent on a small island just off of Brazil , Fernando de Noronha , and then five years later transferred him to the nearby Brazilian state of Pernambuco . In 1638, he was moved again, this time to the colony of Curaçao , the main Dutch naval base in the West Indies , where, just four years later, aged 30, he became the acting governor of that colony, as well as Aruba and Bonaire ,
2368-471: The death of Sir George Carteret in 1680. However, he was unable to remove the position of governorship from Governor Phillip Carteret and subsequently moved to attack him and brought him to trial in New York. Carteret was later acquitted. In addition, quarrels occurred between Eastern and Western New Jerseyans, between Native Americans and New Jerseyans, and between different religious groups. From 1674 to 1702,
2432-476: The dilemma of domestic dissatisfaction, small size, and overwhelming external pressures with inadequate military support from the Company that was fixated on profits. Stuyvesant became involved in a dispute with Theophilus Eaton , the governor of English New Haven Colony , over the border of the two colonies. In September 1650, a meeting of the commissioners on boundaries took place in Hartford, Connecticut , called
2496-517: The disputed border between the two American colonies the Province of New York and the Province of New Jersey. Border wars were not unusual in the early days of settlements of the colonies and originated in conflicting land claims. Because of ignorance, willful disregard, and legal ambiguities, such conflicts arose involving local settlers until a final settlement was reached. In the largest of these squabbles some 210,000 acres (850 km ) of land were at stake between New York and New Jersey. The conflict
2560-507: The early instruction of youth." In 1661, New Amsterdam had one grammar school, two free elementary schools, and had licensed 28 schoolmasters. As director-general of New Netherland, Stuyvesant greatly increased the colony's involvement with slavery . During the late 1640s, authorities in the neighboring English colonies of Connecticut and Maryland encouraged New Netherland slaves to escape there, refusing to return them. In 1650, Stuyvesant threatened to offer freedom to Maryland slaves unless
2624-415: The first to discover the place, but it was probably to assert control over the profitable North Atlantic trade. Director-General of New Netherland Peter Stuyvesant , unable to rouse a military defense, relinquished control of the colony and was able in the articles of transfer to secure guarantees for property rights, laws of inheritance, and freedom of religion . After the surrender, Richard Nicolls took
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2688-410: The founding of the new settlement, Beverwijck . In an effort to remedy the neglect on the town, previously under Kieft's administration, Stuyvesant took measures to improve the appearance and safety of the town, with numerous regulations to achieve this end that were routinely issued by his office. Building codes were established for houses and other structures, including fences in an effort to control
2752-555: The last. The house was destroyed by fire in 1777. He also built an executive mansion of stone called Whitehall . In 1645, Stuyvesant married Judith Bayard ( c. 1610 –1687) of the Bayard family . Her brother, Samuel Bayard, was the husband of Stuyvesant's sister, Anna Stuyvesant. Petrus and Judith had two sons together: He died in August 1672 and his body was entombed in the east wall of St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery , which sits on
2816-552: The modern-day Financial District of lower Manhattan . It was co-signed by land grantee and secretary of the New Netherland Council Cornelis van Ruijven (alternative spelling Ruyven). The lot was given and granted to van Ruijven. The deed conveys a tract of land on Manhattan island in the Sheep Pasture. It was bounded by present-day Broad Street to William Street , and Beaver Street to Exchange Place . In
2880-520: The name "New Amsterdam" was officially declared on 2 February 1653. Stuyvesant made a speech for the occasion, saying that his authority would remain undiminished. Stuyvesant was then ordered to the Netherlands, but the order was soon revoked under pressure from the States of Holland and the city of Amsterdam. Stuyvesant prepared against an attack by ordering the citizens to dig a ditch from the North River to
2944-478: The nation's 53 Founding Fathers . Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1776. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after the surrender of Fort Amsterdam in 1664, becoming a proprietary colony . The English renamed
3008-787: The position as deputy-governor of New Amsterdam and the rest of New Netherland, including those settlements on the west side of the North River (Hudson River) known as Bergen and those along the Delaware River that had been New Sweden . In March 1664, King Charles II granted his brother, James , the Duke of York , a Royal colony that covered New Netherlands and present-day Maine . This charter also included parts of present-day Massachusetts , which conflicted with that colony's charter. The charter allowed James traditional propriety rights and imposed few restrictions upon his powers. In general terms,
3072-483: The province after the island of Jersey in the English Channel . The Dutch Republic reasserted control for a brief period in 1673–1674. After that it consisted of two political divisions, East Jersey and West Jersey , until they were united as a royal colony in 1702. The original boundaries of the province were slightly larger than the current state, extending into a part of the present state of New York , until
3136-462: The public torture of Robert Hodgson, a 23-year-old Quaker convert who had become an influential preacher. Stuyvesant then made an ordinance, punishable by fine and imprisonment, against anyone found guilty of harboring Quakers. That action led to a protest from the citizens of Flushing , which came to be known as the Flushing Remonstrance , considered by some historians to be a precursor to
3200-586: The settlers refused to pay them. Most of them claimed that they owed nothing to the proprietors because they received land from Richard Nicolls , governor of New York . This forced Berkeley to sell West Jersey to John Fenwick and Edward Byllynge , two English Quakers . Many more Quakers made their homes in New Jersey, seeking religious freedom from English (Church of England) rule. Meanwhile, conflicts began rising in New Jersey. Edmund Andros , governor of New York, attempted to gain authority over East Jersey after
3264-549: The seventeenth-century Dutch word for "farm" – was the source for the name of the Manhattan street and surrounding neighborhood named " The Bowery ". The contemporary neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn includes Stuyvesant Heights and retains its name. Also named after him are the hamlets of Stuyvesant and Stuyvesant Falls in Columbia County, New York , where descendants of the early Dutch settlers still live and where
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#17328517643393328-399: The site of Stuyvesant's family chapel. The last acknowledged descendant of Peter Stuyvesant to bear his surname was Augustus van Horne Stuyvesant, Jr., who died a bachelor in 1953 at the age of 83 in his mansion at 2 East 79th Street. Rutherfurd Stuyvesant , the 19th-century New York developer, and his descendants are also descended from Peter Stuyvesant; however, Rutherford Stuyvesant's name
3392-468: The summer of 1655, he sailed down to the Delaware River with a fleet of seven vessels and about 300 men and took possession of the colony of New Sweden , which was renamed "New Amstel." In his absence, Pavonia and Staten Island were attacked by Native Americans on 15 September 1655 in what became known as the Peach War . In 1660, Stuyvesant was quoted as saying that "Nothing is of greater importance than
3456-582: The widespread problem of wandering livestock about the town. As the housing and other structures in New Amsterdam were built almost entirely from wood and stood very close together the possibility of a spreading fire was very great. As governor, Stuyvensant forbid the construction of wooden chimneys, and imposed a tax of a beaver skin, or its trade equivalent, on every householder to finance the cost of two hundred and fifty leather fire buckets and hooks and ladders, which he had sent from Holland. He also established
3520-513: Was changed from Stuyvesant Rutherford in 1863 to satisfy the terms of the 1847 will of Peter Gerard Stuyvesant . His descendants include: According to historian Eleanor Bruchey: Stuyvesant and his family were large landowners in the northeastern portion of New Amsterdam, and the Stuyvesant name is currently associated with four places in Manhattan 's East Side, near present-day Gramercy Park :
3584-523: Was created by George Keith and can still be seen in the county boundaries between Burlington and Ocean counties, and between Hunterdon and Somerset counties. The Keith line runs north-northwest from the southern part of Little Egg Harbor Township , passing just north of Tuckerton , and reaching upward to a point on the Delaware River which is just north of the Delaware Water Gap . Later,
3648-425: Was eventually settled by royal commission in 1769. The Provincial Congress of New Jersey was a transitional governing body of the Province of New Jersey in the early part of the American Revolution . It first met in 1775 with representatives from all New Jersey's thirteen counties, to supersede the royal governor. New Jersey's first state constitution was adopted on July 2, 1776. The American Revolutionary War
3712-463: Was made for an elected assembly. Later in 1664, the Duke of York gave the part of his new possessions between the Hudson River and the Delaware River to Sir George Carteret in exchange for settlement of a debt. The territory was named after the island of Jersey, Carteret's ancestral home. The other section of New Jersey was sold to Lord Berkeley of Stratton , who was a close friend of the Duke. As
3776-468: Was replaced with a wooden peg . Stuyvesant was given the nicknames "Peg Leg Pete" and "Old Silver Nails" because he used a wooden stick studded with silver nails as a prosthesis . The West India Company saw the loss of Stuyvesant's leg as a "Roman" sacrifice, while Stuyvesant himself saw the fact that he did not die from his injury as a sign that God was saving him to do great things. A year later, in May 1645, he
3840-750: Was selected by the company to replace Willem Kieft as Director-General of the New Netherland colony, including New Amsterdam , the site of present-day New York City . Stuyvesant had to wait for his appointment to be confirmed by the Dutch States-General . During that time he married Judith Bayard, who was the daughter of a Huguenot minister and hailed from Breda . Together, they left Amsterdam in December 1646 and, after stopping at Curaçao, arrived in New Amsterdam by May 1647. Kieft's administration of
3904-412: Was that more tolerance led to more trade and benefited everyone. Freedom of religion was further tested when Stuyvesant refused to allow the permanent settlement of Jewish refugees from Dutch Brazil in New Amsterdam (without passports), and join the handful of existing Jewish traders (with passports from Amsterdam). Stuyvesant attempted to have Jews leave the colony "in a friendly way". As he wrote to
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#17328517643393968-468: Was the economic rivalry with England regarding trade. Secondarily there were small scale military conflicts with neighboring Indian tribes, involving fights between mobile bands on the one hand, and scattered small Dutch outposts on the other. With a large area and limited population, defense was a major challenge. Stuyvesant's greatest success came in dealing with the Delaware River colony of New Sweden , which he invaded and annexed in 1655. Relations with
4032-406: Was then again ruled by the governors of New York, but this infuriated the settlers of New Jersey, accusing those governors of favoritism to New York. Judge Lewis Morris led the case for a separate governor and was appointed governor by King George II in 1738. The New York – New Jersey Line War was a series of skirmishes and raids that took place for over half a century between 1701 and 1765 at
4096-441: Was underway, and General George Washington recently had been defeated in New York, putting the state in danger of invasion. The 1776, the New Jersey State Constitution was drafted in five days and ratified within the next two days to establish a temporary government, thereby preventing New Jersey from collapsing and descending into anarchy. Among other provisions, it granted unmarried women and blacks who met property requirements
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