Religion in New Jersey in 18th century.....

The Great Awakening through the American colonies between the 1730s and 1770s was a revival of the holiness. The beginnings of the Great Awakening appeared in New Jersey with the Presbyterians. These revivals were led by Reverend William Tennent with his four sons; which later Presbyterians established a system that trained clergyman. These revivals by Tennent and Whitefield exhibited the religious renewal in the 18th century. Many revivals motivated converts to become missionaries. In the 1720s, there was Dutch revivals in New Jersey with churches led by Bernardus Freeman and Theodore Frelinghuysen; they "emphasized personal discipline rather than emotion as evidence for true conversation." (Becoming America: The Revolution before 1776. Harvard University Press, 2000, 199).

In the 1740s, the revivals became somehwhat conservative they encouraged New Jersey's Scottish Presbyterians to a conservative Calvinism. By the late 1740s, New Jersey Presbyterian preachers began "proselytizing" in the Virginia Piedmont. Dutch and many other immigrants went into the New Englanders and Quaker settlements from New Jersey colony. By the 1750s, Calvinism dominated Scottish Presbyterian in the colonies.

Sources:

Butler, Jon. Becoming America: The Revolution before 1776. Harvard University Press, 2000.

Heyrman, Christine Leigh. “The First Great Awakening.” Divining America, TeacherServe©. National Humanities Center. Accessed on November 1, 2008.

Economy.....

In the 18th century, New Jersey was named the "Garden State" because of its agricultural richness besides having an economy based on manufacturing. In between the Revolutionary Wars and Civil Wars, New Jersey went under a considerably large amount of industrialization including the construction of canals, railways, with many advancements in transportation.

Alexander Hamilton, wanted to help spread economic growth within New Jersey because of some instablility in the 1780s. Hamilton purchased land with other New York and New Jersey Federalists and called themselves the Associates of New Jersey Company in 1804. The improvements of many canals and roads began the economy to flourish. Also the construction of the 1824 Morris Canal, the 1826 Delaware Canal, and Raritan canal which brought to the eartern side of the colony coal and iron. While the canals, were improving and being developed the Camden and Amboy Railroad were being completed by 1834. Transportation in New Jersey was a major contributor to the economic stability in the 18th century these advancements in trasportations with the roads, canals, and railroads increased the trade and helped sustain the manufacturing and urbanization in the colony.

Although New Jersey was a culturally diverse colony by the second half of the 18th century it developed into a economically equalized colony with a middle class society. It also developed into an industrial based colony with good agricultural aspect. The glassware making also provided economic advancement and iron played a good role in the economy. Most importantly,

transportation advanced the economy into a more stable colony. Transportation in New Jersey was a major attributor because of its location between Philadelphia and New York which helped in 1764 when the first road was built. Many goods were transported with the Jersey Wagon, and it was later on used for transporting people too. This wagon became America's first indigenous vechicles making New Jersey the first place to offer public transportation. Overall, New Jersey had a powerful farming conditions with cultivated gardens. Many farming grew well in New Jersey including lettuce, grains, cabbage and basic vegetables. Many fruit trees grew in the colony with apple, peach, and pears. The honey bee was a major source for the economy that during the Revolutionary War they put the Honey bee on New Jersey currency. Mining was dominate in the colony also with the iron industry operating by 1790 making New Jersey mining 10,000 tons of iron per year.

The War of 1812, made New Jersey's economy flourish due to the high demand of war goods, specifically; the iron aspect of the industry with the production shells, bombs, and cannons. Overall, New Jersey during the 18th century grew into a flourished colony with a main foucus on transportation providing New Jersey with economic stability.

Sources:

Lazzerini, Rickie. The History of New Jersey. Historical Review 1.14, 2006.

US History Encyclopedia. New Jersey. Answers Corporation, 2008.