New Jersey History and Government Lessons
New Jersey is often the butt of jokes, but as Bruce Springsteen explains: Jerseyans “bear the coolness of the forever uncool. . . .This is not our curse. It is our blessing.” Stand proud, and put a little New Jersey in your classroom! We have so much history to be proud of in New Jersey and so much to learn from exploring it.
Since its creation in 1664, New Jersey has played an instrumental role in the establishment of our country, serving as the location of more military engagements than any other colony during the American Revolution, and becoming the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights. The Industrial Revolution had its roots in New Jersey, and our state has been the home of innovators such as John Stevens, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein.
With support from the New Jersey Historical Commission, we celebrated the 350th anniversary of the founding of New Jersey in 1664 by developing lessons about the history, government, people and historic sites in New Jersey for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. The lessons have been updated to correlate with the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards and will continue to be updated and expanded—a celebration of our past and a legacy for our future.
Lessons
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For Grades K-2
For Grades 3-5
- pdf A Mock Trial in New Jersey
- pdf Across the Curriculum with Lighthouses
- pdf Canal Transportation in New Jersey
- pdf Colonial Immigration to NJ
- pdf Colonial Life in New Jersey
- pdf Great Falls: Water Power and Industrialization
- pdf How did New Jersey become a British Colony
- pdf Improving Your Community
- doc National, State and Local Government
- pdf New Jersey Women
- pdf New Jersey's Counties
- pdf New Jersey's Judiciary
- pdf New Jersey's Railroads
- pdf Slavery and the Underground Railroad in New Jersey
- pdf What Happened to the Lenni Lenape
- doc Who Can Be Governor of New Jersey?
- pdf Who Represents You in Trenton?
- pdf Why was New Jersey the Crossroads of the American Revolution?
For Grades 6-8
- pdf Alice Paul and Women's Suffrage
- pdf Improving Your Community
- pdf New Jersey and the American Revolution
- pdf New Jersey and the Civil War
- pdf New Jersey and the Federal Convention, 1787
- pdf New Jersey and the War of 1812
- pdf New Jersey Women You Should Know
- pdf New Jersey's First Constitution, 1776
- pdf New Jersey's Judiciary
- pdf New Jersey's Legislature
- pdf New Jersey's Powerful Governor
- pdf Slavery and the Underground Railroad in New Jersey
For Grades 9-12
- pdf Alice Paul and Women’s Suffrage
- pdf Civil Rights and Urban Race Riots in New Jersey
- pdf Democracy and Governance in Colonial New Jersey
- pdf Immigration Policy and its Impact on New Jersey
- pdf Improving Your Community
- pdf Innovations from New Jersey
- pdf Land Use in New Jersey
- pdf New Jersey and the Civil War
- pdf New Jersey and the Federal Convention, 1787
- pdf New Jersey and the War of 1812
- pdf New Jersey and World War I
- pdf New Jersey and World War II, The Front and the Homefront
- pdf New Jersey in the 1930s The Depression and the Media
- pdf New Jersey Political Machines and Efforts to End Political Corruption
- pdf New Jersey Women You Should Know
- pdf New Jersey's Constitutional Framework, 1776-1947
- pdf New Jersey's Judiciary
- pdf New Jersey's Legislature
- pdf New Jersey's Powerful Governor
- pdf Rockin’ in New Jersey
- pdf School Desegregation and School Funding in New Jersey
- pdf Slavery and the Underground Railroad in New Jersey
- pdf Standard Oil of New Jersey and Monopolies
- pdf The Paterson Silk Strike 1913