Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia; soldiers such as "Light Horse"Harry Lee of Virginia; as well as founders of other colleges, governors of States, lawyers, attorney-generals, judges, congressmen, and indeed a very powerful assemblage of intellectual lights.Nor should the names of James Madison, Aaron Burr, and Jonathan Edwards be omitted.
East Jersey with her New England influence attempted something like free public schools.In West Jersey the Quakers had schools.
In both Jerseys, after 1700 some private neighborhood schools were started, independent of religious denominations.The West Jersey Quakers, self-cultured and with a very effective system of mental discipline and education in their families as well as in their schools, were not particularly interested in higher education.But in East Jersey as another evidence of intellectual awakening in colonial times, Queen's College, afterward known as Rutgers College, was established by the Dutch Reformed Church in 1766, and was naturally placed, near the old source of Dutch influence, at New Brunswick in the northerly end of the dividing belt.
New Jersey was fortunate in having no Indian wars in colonial times, no frontier, no point of hostile contact with the French of Canada or with the powerful western tribes of red men.Like Rhode Island in this respect, she was completely shut in by the other colonies.Once or twice only did bands of savages cross the Delaware and commit depredations on Jersey soil.This colony, however, did her part in sending troops and assistance to the others in the long French and Indian wars; but she had none of the pressing danger and experience of other colonies.Her people were never drawn together by a common danger until the Revolution.
In Jersey colonial homes there was not a single modern convenience of light, heat, or cooking, and none of the modern amusements.But there was plenty of good living and simple diversion--husking bees and shooting in the autumn, skating and sleighing in the winter.Meetings and discussions in coffeehouses and inns supplied in those days the place of our modern books, newspapers, and magazines.Jersey inns were famous meeting places.Everybody passed through their doors--judges, lawyers, legislators, politicians, post riders, stage drivers, each bringing his contribution of information and humor, and the slaves and rabble stood round to pick up news and see the fun.
The court days in each county were holidays celebrated with games of quoits, running, jumping, feasting, and discussions political and social.At the capital there was even style and extravagance.
Governor Belcher, for example, who lived at Burlington, professed to believe that the Quaker influences of that town were not strict enough in keeping the Sabbath, so he drove every Sunday in his coach and four to Philadelphia to worship in the Presbyterian Church there and saw no inconsistency in his own behavior.
Almanacs furnished much of the reading for the masses.The few newspapers offered little except the barest chronicle of events.
