"Liberty and prosperity" New Jersey The United States of America Carol A. Haberkern Trenton I Save A Tree Electronic Books C 2003 I Save A Tree Inc. ISBN# 0-9714299-1-X
Table of Contents Location 5 History before statehood 7 History since statehood 9 State government 11 State flag 13 Current facts 15 Industry today 17 State landmarks 19 Weather and land 21 Animals in New Jersey 23 State bird 25 State tree 27 State flower 29 Famous people from New Jersey 31 Things to do in New Jersey 33 Popular sports in New Jersey 35 Fast facts 37 Glossary 39 Web sites / books for information 41 Index 43 Credits 45
Location New Jersey is a mid-atlantic state. It is located along the Atlantic Ocean. New York borders it to the north, Pennsylvania, to the west. Two bodies ofwater bordernewjersey. They are the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Trenton is the capital. It is located on the Delaware River. Trenton is in the middle of state along the western border. Trenton 6
History Before Statehood Colonist In the 1500s,The Lenni-Lenape Indians were the main tribe living in New Jersey. Early immigrants included the Dutch, Swedes and English. In 1664, New Jersey became an English colony. Later, immigrants from Ireland and Germany arrived and settled in the English colony. Native Americans New Jersey was part of the original thirteen English colonies. In 1775, the colonists fought England for their freedom. It was called the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). England lost this war. 8
History Since Statehood New Jersey became the third state in 1787. During the Civil War (1861-1865), New Jersey fought against slavery. After the war, the population grew. New factories, farms and canning factories provided jobs. Computer keyboard During World War II (1939-1945), factories in New Jersey made airplane engines and ships. After the war, people left the cities for the suburbs and the cities declined. In the 1990s, computer companies created thousands of jobs for the people of New Jersey. Union Soldiers 10
Government Senate building The state government of New Jersey isdividedintothreebranches. Governor James E. McGreevy is head of the executive branch. This branch is in charge of carrying out the laws. The legislative branch makes the laws. It is made up of the Senate and the General Assembly. The judicial branch interprets the laws and holds court. New Jersey has 21 counties. Each county has a local government. Gov. James E. McGreevy 12
State Flag New Jersey's flag is buff color. In the center of the flag is the state seal. The round seal has two goddesses in it. The goddess Liberty stands for freedom. The goddess Ceres stands for agriculture. The plows in the center stand for how important farming is to New Jersey. The state flag was adopted in 1896. 14
Current Facts Jersey shoreline Over 8,414,350 people live in New Jersey. Thestate is rankedthe9thlargeststateforthe numberofpeoplelivinginit. NewJersey isasmallstate. Itcovers7,419 square milesandranks46th intotalarea. Thestateearneditsnickname, the "GardenState," by having a lot of farms that grow fruits and vegetables. Boardwalk 16
Industry Today Tourismis abigindustry. TheNew Jersey shore and mountain areas attract manytourists. Chemicalmanufacturing and food processing are also important industries. Medicine, telephones and electronics are also manufactured. Factories make computers, metals andtools. Manybanksandinsurance companies are located in New Jersey. Farms produce tomatoes, blueberries, peaches and milk. Jersey tomatoes Chemical transport 18
Landmarks Lighthouse The Delaware Water Gap is one of New Jersey's most famous landmarks. This scenic area is located on the New Jersey and Pennsylvania border. The famous Appalachian Trail goes through New Jersey and offers miles and miles of hiking trails. Other famous landmarks include the Edison National Historic Site, the Morristown National Historic Park and The New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve. New Jersey has almost 40 state parks. Woodlands 20
Weather & Land Scrub land at the Jersey shore New Jersey has warm humid summers. The winters can be cold in the northern part of the state, and mild along the coast. Summer temperatures average 75, and winter temperatures average 31 Fahrenheit. Averageprecipitation is 45 inches. New Jersey has mountains in the north and an area of rolling hills. The southern part of the state is fairly flat. Winter scene 22
Animals In New Jersey InNewJersey'sforestsroam whitetailed deer and bears. Smaller animals like rabbits,raccoons,otters and squirrels also live there. Many lakes and streams provide homes for the bass, trout and catfish that swim in them. Birds such as blue jays, woodcocks and wading birds live in the state. Snakes and other reptiles also call New Jersey home. The horse was named the state animal in 1977. Horse Turkey 24
State Bird Goldfinch The bright yellow eastern goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) was named the New Jersey state bird in 1935. The males have ablack cap. Both themale and female goldfinches have black wings and tails with white markings. Goldfinches are social birds. They travel in flocks and enjoy singing with each other. Their song lasts two to three seconds. Goldfinch 26
State Tree Red oak leaf Red oak forest Majestic red oak trees (Quercus rubra) growinnew Jersey's forests. These large trees produce many acorns. The acorns provide food for many animals. Early Indians also ate them. In the fall the green leaves turn red. The tree got its name forits red fall leaves. The red oak was named the state tree of New Jersey in 1950. 28
State Flower Violet In 1972, the violet (Viola sororia)was named the state flowerofnew Jersey. These purple flowers bloom in the spring on small plants. The violetblossom has five petals around a yellow center.the green leaves are shaped like a heart. In the winter the violet plant shrinks, and it swells in the spring. Because of this shrinking,the plant is nicknamed "the shrinking violet." Violet 30
Famous People Jack Nicholson New Jersey produced one U.S. President,Grover Cleveland. Whitney Houston,the famous singer and actress, was born in Newark. Other famous New Jerseyites include singers Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen, comedian Jerry Lewis, actor Jack Nicholson and author Norman Mailer. The famous inventor Thomas Edison had several laboratories in New Jersey. He invented many things including the light bulb. Frank Sinatra 32
Things to Do In New Jersey Roller coaster New Jersey has many historical places to visit. Near Trenton is the Old Barracks Museum and Washington Crossing State Park. This is the site where George Washington crossed the Delaware on December 25, 1776. Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in West Orange. His lab is open to the public. Visitors also enjoy Six Flags Great Adventure theme park, Steel Pier in Atlantic City and the Victorian city of Cape May. Phonograph 34
Sports In New Jersey Ice fishing New Jersey is proud to be the home of many professional sports teams. Teams include the Jersey Nets, New York Giants, New York Jets and the New Jersey Devils. Also, many college and university teams keep fans coming back. New Jersey's 125 miles of coastline, lakes and rivers invite swimming, boating, and fishing. Popular winter sports include skiing, bobsledding, hunting and ice fishing. Sailing 36
The Jersey shore Fast Facts Governor:James E.McGreevey Capital:Trenton Size:7,419 square miles,46th in the U.S. Population:8,414,350,9th in the U.S. Major cities:newark,jersey City, Paterson,Trenton,Camden Nickname:"GardenState" Statebird:easterngoldfinch State animal:horse Statetree:red oak Stateflower:violet State song:"i'mfromnewjersey" State motto:"liberty and prosperity" Baby raccoons 38
Glossary buff, a yellow-brown color. colonist, a person who lives in a place that has just been settled. gap, a space between the mountains that was made by a river. immigrants, people who permanently move from one country to live in another country. majestic, strong and noble looking. plow, a piece of farm equipment used to turn over the soil. shrinks, becomes smaller. social, live together in groups. suburbs, an area of homes outside of the city. wading, walk through water. 40
Links & Books For more information Link1 Link2 Link3 TITLE:The Colony of New Jersey AUTHOR: Susan Whitehurst PUBLISHER: PowerKids Press COPYRIGHT: 2000 TITLE: New Jersey AUTHOR: Anne Welebacher PUBLISHER: Abdo & Daughters COPYRIGHT: 1998 TITLE:New Jersey Facts and Symbols AUTHOR: Shelly Swanson Sateren PUBLISHER: Capstone Books COPYRIGHT: 2000 Visit our website @ www.isaveatree.com 42
Index acorns, 27 Appalachian Trail, 19 Civil War, 9 Cleveland, Grover, 31 Delaware Water Gap, 19 Edison, Thomas, 20, 32, 34 farms, 9, 16, 18 goddesses, 13 goldfinch, 25, 26 horse, 24 light bulb, 32 McGreevy, James E., 11 mid-atlantic, 5 oak, red, 27, 28 president,31 Revolutionary War, 8 Violet, 29, 30 Washington, George, 33 World War II, 10 44
Credits Written by Carol A. Haberkern Edited by Linda Coyner Produced by Robert Rance Technologies Doug Meyers Design Dan Mader Photo credits New Jersey Department of Natural Resources www.arttoday.com I Save A Tree Inc. reserves the right to remove or exchange any photo/illustration at any time without notice. 46