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Did you know?...The first official Independence Day celebration took place in New Jersey.

One of the earliest public readings of the Declaration of Independence took place in New Brunswick just days after its signing in Philadelphia. 

On July 3, 1778 Washington issued the following order: Tomorrow, the Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, will be celebrated by the firing thirteen Pieces of Cannon and a feu de joie of the whole line: The Army will be formed on the Brunswick side of the Rariton at five o’Clock in the afternoon on the ground pointed out by the Quarter Master General. The Soldiers are to adorn their Hats with Green-Boughs and to make the best appearance possible – The disposition will be given in the orders of tomorrow – Double allowance of rum will be served out.

On July 4, 1778, George Washington and the American Army celebrated the second anniversary of the signing on the banks of the Raritan River in present day Johnson Park New Brunswick with cannon fire, a musket salute and a double allowance of rum for the troops.

At three o’clock in the afternoon on July 4 a cannon fired, signaling the troops to arm and form to march. From four until five o’clock, 11,000 patriots marched across Landing Lane Bridge forming two lines on the Brunswick side of the river. Thirteen cannons then discharged and a final cannon signal ordered the running fire to begin. This celebration, so thunderous, was heard by the retreating British forces miles away at Sandy Hook.

In 1776 New Jersey declared its independence and joined the colonial side in the Revolutionary War. During our fight for independence from the British, more than 100 battles and skirmishes (296 engagements) were fought in New Jersey – more than in any other colony.

New Jerseyans didn’t just show up as members of the militia and Continental army, south Jersey ships raided British ships at sea; it was the home of several ironworks that provided products such as cannons; Morristown was home to a black powder mill for the war effort, The Continental army encamped three years in New Jersey, in the winters of 1777 at Morristown, 1778–79 at Middlebrook (near Bound Brook), and in 1780 again at Morristown. And of course, the Garden State supplied food to support the war effort.

Many people consider the Battle of Trenton to be the turning point of the Revolution.

The last major battle to take place in New Jersey and the rest of the Northern states during the Revolutionary War was the Battle of Springfield. The victory prevented a British attack on Morristown and its military stores.

Several small conflicts and skirmishes took place in New Jersey just before and after the Battle of Yorktown, representing the final conflicts of the American Revolution. The Skirmish at Manahawkin took place on December 30 & 31, 1781. In October 25, 1782, after formal hostilities between the United States and Great Britain had
paused, Bacon and his men murdered 19 men in their sleep, including Patriot militia Captain Andrew Steelman, in what is known as the Long Beach Island Massacre. The Affair at Cedar Bridge in Barnegat Township was the last conflict between British allied forces of the American Revolution which took place in December 1782.

New Jersey representatives Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, and Abraham Clark were among the men who signed the United States Declaration of Independence.

In the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall of Princeton University. Princeton became the temporary capital for the newly independent nation through these four months.