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The
Religious Background of New Jersey
New
Jersey has a vibrant religious history beginning
with the early Dutch and English colonizers. During
the Colonial period, New Jersey was home to many
different religions. The Dutch who remained after
the English takeover usually belonged to the Dutch
Reformed Church. A significant number of the settlers
from New England and Long Island were Puritans.
A group of Baptists from New England, specifically
Rhode Island, arrived in New Jersey in 1668 and
established the first Baptist church in the colony.
Also from New England were the Congregationalists.
They arrived from Connecticut in 1666 and founded
the city of Newark. They ruled the town, making
it a theocracy where in order to vote you had to
be a member of the church. The Church of England
was founded in Perth Amboy in 1698, but it received
much criticism when citizens were upset with the
crown and soon became a scapegoat for political
troubles. The church dissolved and reassembled as
the Episcopal Church. Quakers began to settle in
New Jersey, particularly West Jersey, in 1675. Lutheranism
was brought to New Jersey when a group of immigrants
from the German Palatinate settled in Mahwah, Oldwick,
Long Valley and New Brunswick. Other smaller sects
were developed in New Jersey during the 18th century
as well, including the Seventh Day Baptists and
the Universalists. Methodism got its start in New
Jersey right before the Revolution and became a
leading religion among the people of south New Jersey.
The first recorded Methodist to arrive in New Jersey
was John Early. Early arrived from Ireland in 1764
and settled in Gloucester County. A group of Methodists
began to meet in Burlington in 1770 under the leadership
of Thomas Webb, an English soldier. Another Methodist
group met in Trenton soon after, and in 1773, the
first Methodist church in New Jersey was built.
Although known for its religious tolerance, New
Jersey failed to welcome Catholics. In 1700, legislature
was passed against Catholic priests, calling for
their imprisonment. Despite the resentment, a small
number of Catholics lived in New Jersey during the
18th century. The first Catholic Church was not
constructed in New Jersey until 1814, and it wasn't
until 1844 that Catholics were legally allowed to
hold public offices.
During
the 19th century, many new religions were introduced
to New Jersey, and many of the established religions
grew. Methodism grew tremendously after the Revolutionary
War. The practice of holding camp meetings where
Methodists could learn more about the religion and
recruit others helped them gain a large number of
followers. In 1869 the Methodists opened a religious
resort called Ocean Grove, which eventually became
the town of Ocean Grove, and is still a popular
vacation destination today. Roman Catholicism also
grew during the 19th century, largely because of
Irish immigration beginning in 1840, and Italian
immigration, which increased after 1870. The amount
of Jews in New Jersey increased as well. There are
records of Jews living in New Jersey during the
18th century, but it wasn't until 1848 when there
were enough to form a temple. The Congregation B'nai
Jeshurun, founded in Newark, was the first temple
in the state. After 1880, the immigration of Eastern
European Jews increased, which in turn increased
the number of Orthodox Jews in the state. Smaller
sects also found a home in New Jersey, sometimes
only for a short time. In 1837, a group of Mormons
settled in South Toms River. They lived there for
ten years before moving west to join other Mormons
in Utah.
| Table 1: New Jersey
Religion, 1926(6) |
|
Religion/Sect
|
Number of Members
|
|
Roman Catholic
|
1,055,998
|
|
Protestant
|
900,000
|
|
Presbyterian
|
175,134
|
|
Methodist Episcopal
|
149,204
|
|
Protestant Episcopal
|
91,559
|
|
Baptist
|
62,998
|
|
Dutch Reformed
|
38,375
|
|
United Lutheran
|
37,458
|
|
Congregationalist
|
17,036
|
|
Jewish
|
225,306
|
|
Quakers
|
3,546
|
|
Greek Orthodox
|
5,424
|
|
Russian Orthodox
|
9,783
|
| Table 2: New Jersey
Religion, 2000 (7) |
|
Religion/Sect
|
Percentage of Population
|
|
Christian
|
77%
|
|
Roman Catholic
|
39%
|
|
Protestant
|
36%
|
|
Baptist
|
9%
|
|
Methodist
|
6%
|
|
Presbyterian
|
4%
|
|
Other Protestant
|
17%
|
|
Other Christian
|
2%
|
|
Jewish
|
5%
|
|
Muslim
|
1%
|
|
Other
|
1%
|
|
Non-Religious
|
16%
|
Population and Immigration During the 19th Century
By
mid-century, New Jersey had recovered from its population
slump, and by 1860, the state's population growth
rate surpassed the national average for the first
time.(8) During
this period, New Jersey was flooded with European
immigrants. From 1840 to 1880, the majority of European
immigrants settling in New Jersey were from Ireland,
Germany and other northern European countries. After
1880, immigrants from southern and eastern Europe
joined the flow of northern Europeans to America.
In order to provide an understanding of the different
reasons immigrants chose to come to America, here
is an overview of selected ethnic groups that came
to New Jersey during this time.
Irish
- The Irish presence in New Jersey dates back to
before the Revolution, however it is difficult to
distinguish between the Irish Catholics and the
Scotch-Irish during this time. The first Irish Catholic
church was created in 1814, signifying a strong
Irish presence, but before then, Irish Catholics
usually worshiped in private. Most of the early
Irish in New Jersey were indentured servants who
entered into labor contracts that brought them to
the New World. These early Irish immigrants seemed
to have fully assimilated into American society,
often marrying non-Irish and giving up their Catholic
beliefs. During the 19th century, Irish immigration
changed dramatically. Irish immigration during the
first three decades remained minimal, consisting
of Irish escaping overpopulation in their homeland.
Skilled Irish laborers could be found in Newark,
Jersey City, Paterson, and Trenton. Irish laborers
built canals along the Morris and the Delaware in
the 1820s, and worked on the Camden and Amboy Railroad.
Discrimination befell the Irish quickly, especially
after the public celebration of St. Patrick's Day
in 1834. After 1840, Irish immigration to America
grew tremendously due to the potato famine. The
potato was Ireland's major food staple; therefore
the blight that struck crops throughout the 1840s
caused a major famine and brought many diseases.
In New Jersey, these new immigrants settled in urban
areas and took whatever jobs they could find. Irish
enclaves formed in the cities, including Trenton's
Fourth Ward, Jersey City's Horseshoe, and Newark's
Ironbound district.(9)
The lives of these immigrants revolved around family,
church, and work. Many Irish men often went to pubs,
and many mutual aid societies were formed to help
fellow Irishmen. Through the pubs and clubs, the
Irish were able to form networks of political alliances,
which made the Irish increasingly more politically
significant as the century progressed. By 1860,
the Irish made up over half of New Jersey's foreign-born
population. Although most started in low paying
jobs, many Irish worked their way up to important
and influential positions. Many early labor leaders
were Irish, such as Peter J. McGuire, who was a
proponent of the eight-hour workday and a founder
of the American Federation of Labor. Towards the
turn of the century, many Irish had become firemen
and policemen, and by 1900, the Irish boasted more
lawyers and public officials than any other ethnic
group in New Jersey.(10)
Swedes
- The Swedish presence in New Jersey dates back
to before English control. New Sweden was created
on the banks of the Delaware in 1637. The colony
was short-lived, being conquered by the Dutch in
1655, but it marks the beginning of the Swedish
presence in New Jersey and America. A Swedish culture
was present in the area for a century to come as
the colonists retained their language and Lutheran
beliefs. Assimilation was hard to avoid during the
18th and early 19th centuries, but a strong Swedish
presence formed in America again as large numbers
of Swedes immigrated during the 19th century. Until
1870, the Swedish population of New Jersey was small,
numbering less than 500, but as immigration increased,
the Swedish population grew to 13,500 by 1930.(11)
The immigration was stimulated by overpopulation
in Sweden and the opportunity for economic gain
in America. Rural farmers in Sweden lost their land
due to overpopulation, but were able to relocate
to America and take advantage of cheap land made
available by the government and the railroad companies.
Swedes became more abundant in New Jersey as skilled
laborers emigrated from Sweden in search of higher
wages, such as those found in New Jersey's iron
industry.
Italians
- Although Italian immigration to the United States
peaked between 1900 and 1914, Italians could be
found in New Jersey as early as 1800. These early
immigrants were mostly from the northern part of
Italy, while the majority of the later Italian immigrants
came from the south. One of the first Italian immigrants
to settle in New Jersey, Giovanni Battista Sartori,
settled in Trenton and founded the first spaghetti
factory in America and the first Catholic Church
in New Jersey.(12)
The mass immigration of Italians to America began
in the 1870s. Most of the Italians who settled in
New Jersey during this time were from the southern
regions of Italy and Sicily. Italians leaving Italy
during the late 19th and early 20th centuries did
so to escape diseases, droughts, bad land, and oppressive
landlords. The unification of the Italian states
in 1861 failed to bring economic peace to the land,
prompting many Italians to look for opportunities
elsewhere. In New Jersey, Italians worked in agriculture,
as skilled and unskilled laborers, bakers, and tailors
and in many other fields. Many were recruited to
work in agriculture because of a labor shortage
in New Jersey. Italian agricultural workers formed
settlements in Vineland and Atlantic City. Italian
immigrants became an important part of New Jersey
society and serve as an example of the difficulties
that were indicative to immigrants who spoke a different
language or had different beliefs.
Continue
>>
(6) Federal Writers Project of the Works
Progress Administration for the state New Jersey,
New Jersey: A Guide to its Present and Past, (New
York: The Viking Press, 1939), 147.
(7) Census Data taken from Wikipedia,
<http://wn.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey>
(8) Stansfield,
71.
(9) Barbara
Cunningham, The New Jersey Ethnic Experience, (Union
City: Wm. H. Wise & Co., 1977), 271.
(10)
Cunningham, 273.
(11) Cunningham,
411.
(12) Cunningham,
275.
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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