Province of New Jersey - First State Constitution

First State Constitution

See also: History of the New Jersey State Constitution

New Jersey's first state constitution was adopted on July 2, 1776. The American Revolutionary War was underway and General George Washington recently had been defeated in New York, putting the state in danger of invasion. The 1776 New Jersey State Constitution was drafted in five days and ratified within the next two days to establish a temporary government, thereby preventing New Jersey from collapsing and descending into anarchy. Among other provisions, it granted unmarried women and blacks who met property requirements the right to vote.

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