Experimenting and Contesting Citizenship in New Jersey : From English North America to the Early American Republic (1664-1820) From british north america to the early american republic, 1664-1820 - Li

This book aims at retracing the history of New Jersey from the 17th century to the early 19th, with particular reference to the history of citizenship - mostly understood as the evolution of New Jerseyans’ modes of political participation and evolving patterns of inclusion and exclusion. This history has shown that those who remained on the margins of formal political rights nevertheless found informal ways to express their political views (writings; demonstrations; boycotts, etc.). Alongside less conventional citizenship, the present study devotes considerable attention to electoral participation and party competition too, recognizing the centrality of elections in the history of the state. It documents the history of the extension of voting rights in the colony, then state, of New Jersey, which is of particular interest because, towards the end of the 18th century, it displayed clear signs of moving towards a relatively progressive citizenship regime compared to other states. This ev