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Apr. 7-Apr. 27, 2010 |
The Tower
Once Upon a Time In New Jersey By Shayneice Elaine Northan
The Jersey Shore may be the summertime playground for Mike “The Situation,” Snookie, and Pauley D., but did you know that the Jersey shore practically aided in our independence? It’s true, but that’s not all that New Jersey is responsible for but only history will tell. David Hackett Fischer, a historian and Pulitzer Prize winner for his book Washington’s Crossing—graced the Kean campus last Thursday March 4th. Several Kean students and teachers, as well as outside Fischer followers gathered throughout a few buildings to learn about the great importance that New Jersey and George Washington had during the Revolutionary War. Fischer attempted to send a valuable message in which he illustrated by bringing the audience back to basics in his lecture entitled: “New Jersey in the American Revolution,” but the message may have been a bit hard to interpret—due to technical difficulties. New Jersey is home to several historical
sites: it is the “ground zero” for the American Revolution. Unfortunately these sites are becoming endangered, according to Fischer. This is detrimental for our children and ultimately the future because history is an important factor to consider when moving forward—can’t go where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. “It’s important to do history on the ground and to teach history on the ground…We’re not doing so well with young people in the schools,” said Fischer. From March to July of 1777—an extremely volatile period in history, Washington and his troops were stationed in familiar places like: New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, and Morristown—also the residence of Washington’s Headquarters. Fischer also acknowledged that several battles took place in Garden State towns such as Princeton, Monmouth, and Fort Lee. New Jersey also contributed about 50 percent of its men to this war—that’s more than any other state! The war lead by General Washington has
been quite disappointing: he’d lost much of his army in attacks, some 90 percent. “Washington’s despair has been reduced to tears of helplessness…,” said Fischer. He had lost more battles than any other general which was pretty discouraging, and many lost hope. “Washington was sitting on the Jersey Shore—wondering if he should just call it off,” said Fischer. Luckily he decided not to call it off: could it have been the happiness and fun atmosphere that the Jersey shore promotes? Washington knew that a new approach had to be taken: so he decided to try something new as a leader by experimenting through trial and error. He began to listen to his army of “cantankerous Yankees” as well as the public—an unfamiliar approach in Great Britain, according to Fischer.”They [Great Britain] were not good at listening, a peculiar form of social deafness,” Fischer noted. Washington discovered that people wanted a leader with prudence, one who would do the right thing. He started to
plan ahead by formulating complex operations and organizing his troops into sectors—he wanted to be prepared. These leadership strategies helped lead a victorious revolution, followed by his presidency in which he was unanimously chosen by the people. Unlike opposing leaders, Washington lead the way a true leader should: from the front, Fischer said. He adopted a policy of humanity within his leadership because he knew that people had the right to life. To Washington, this was which included humanity had a cause: that of liberty and freedom—a sort of “meta-idea” that he adopted by intertwining these values according to Fischer. “I think there is much we have to learn with this,” said Fischer. Washington is an authentic model of leadership for this country: he brought together so many on the basis of fair leadership to carry out the American Revolution. “I think we can go with a little more fairness along with our freedom, and that’s the whole punch line…”
Slavery as it Existed in New Jersey During the American Revolution By Laura Urban
Freedom was the thing most sought after during the American Revolution. The American colonies wanted to be freed from the rule of the British monarchy, and American slaves desired freedom from the chains that bonded them to their owners. New Jersey hosted a slave society during this time and slaves were relied on for labor demands, such as farming. “The natural right for liberty was not the language of the day,” said Dr. Sue Kozel of Kean University, who along with other panelists discussed the experience of slaves during the American Revolution in the Carriage House at Liberty Hall. Here are some of the facts mentioned during the discussion: • The runaway slave rate in NJ was relatively low compared to other colonies. The opportunity to escape slavery was minimal and most slaves in NJ stayed enslaved to minimize the risks of being separated from their families. • In NJ during the American Revolution, the male to female ratio of slaves was almost equal. Slave owners usually lived close to one another, which allowed slaves to interact with each other and start families. • Several freedom suits were brought to the Supreme Court of New Jersey where slaves sued their owners for illegally enslaving them. As a result, freedom of certain slaves was granted. • The Supreme Court of New Jersey saw an opportunity to establish decorum in the practicing of slavery. The court granted freedom to slaves that were held illegally by their owners.
Another outlet that slaves had towards freedom was joining the British army during the American Revolution. The British, who had not yet outlawed slavery, offered American slaves the chance of freedom if they could provide service to their army.
Photo: Laura Urban
Prof. Timothy Hack of Salem County College speaks on a panel discussion about slavery and freedom in New Jersey around the American Revolution.
“The Patriots were not offering anything like that,” said Professor Timothy Hack of Salem County College, who was also a part of the panel discussion. Despite the offer from the British, however, many slaves, including those in NJ, continued to stay working for their owners. “As much as slaves wanted freedom, we cannot use that against those who wanted to stay with their families because it was a difficult decision,” said Emily Blanck of Rowan University, a panelist during the discussion. The panel was chaired by Dr. Mark Lender, interim vice president for academic affairs and included original research findings on the topic of slavery and freedom in New Jersey. Jonathan Mercantini of Kean University also spoke as a panelist.
Pick up The Tower at these locations • • • •
Administration Building, First floor lobby Bruce Hall, First Floor Lounge Center for Academic Success, Lobby Communications Department Office, CAS 402 • ESL Office, Willis Hall 301 • Harwood Arena, by the basketball courts
• Hutchinson Hall, First Floor Lobby • Hennings Hall, First Floor Lobby • Science Building, First Floor in hallway between Rooms 121 and 122 • Technology Building, hallway inside front door • Tower Newsroom, CAS 413
• University Center, across from the cafeteria entrance • Townsend Hall, First Floor reception area • Vaughn-Eames Hall, First Floor Lobby • Willis Hall, First Floor, across from the elevator