In preparation for America’s 250th in 2026 the ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Historical Commission will be reinstating the State Historical Marker Program. Municipalities, non-profit organizations, and individuals are invited to submit nominations for new and replacement markers across the state. Learn more about the program.
A recording of our recent webinar Never Forget: The Slave Trade and Middle Passage on ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's Shores is now available. We are also pleased to share answers to a list of questions the panelists were not able to address during the session.
³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s shores were sites for the international slave trade in the eighteenth century. This panel, recorded on Wednesday, February 23, at 6 p.m., honored the lives of the people sold here, shared the history of the Middle Passage in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ and highlighted the recently installed historical markers that memorialize this injustice. Feature panelists included Ann Chinn, Director of the Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project; Derek Davis, Board Member, Camden County Historical Society; and William Galeta, Independent Scholar. The panel will be moderated by Noelle Lorraine Williams. RJ McDowell, the daughter of ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's beloved poet and author Sandra Turner Barnes, recited two of her mother's poems in her honor.
This panel is the fourth in the African American History Program series Black Is: African American History and Sites in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
COVID-19 Resources for ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ History and Cultural Organizations
³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Indigenous Voices Speaker Series
The NJ Historical Commission is hosting a series of virtual programs to facilitate a deeper and more complex public understanding of Indigenous history and life in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ and beyond the state’s colonized borders. This series was made possible with support from the ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and developed in partnership with the ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Commission on American Indian Affairs. Please see below links to past recordings and resources:
³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Indigenous History Education
³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Indigenous Education Report
Sharing the Continuing Story of Indigenous Peoples in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ
Sharing the Continuing Story of Indigenous Peoples in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Resources List
Exploring Indigeneity: Native Identity and Expression
Native American Mascots: Creating Change in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ
By Noelle Lorraine Williams, Director, African American History Program, ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Historical Commission
In June 2021, the NJHC marked the state’s newest state holiday, Juneteenth, by exploring the people, laws, and economic leaders that kept African Americans enslaved in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ until 1865. This essay discusses the origins of Juneteenth and ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s singular relationship with the holiday.
On June 16, 2021, Noelle moderated a panel of that same name featuring Dr. James Amemasor, Will Likely Endeavor to Pass for Free’: Runaway Slave Advertisements in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Newspapers, 1777-1808, and Dr. James J. Gigantino, The Ragged Road to Abolition: Slavery and Freedom in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, 1775-1865. Check out a .
The NJHC marked the day of Juneteenth with a virtual conversation between Noelle and ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Secretary of State Tahesha Way about the holiday and its legacy in the state. Don’t miss the .
Revolution NJ is a partnership between the ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Historical Commission and the nonprofit Crossroads of the American Revolution (Crossroads) to plan the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ. The initiative has developed the following resources for organizations and individuals seeking to learn more and plan for the 250th. More information is also available on the .
Revolution NJ is opening a virtual Suggestion Box to gather the best ideas for commemorating the 250th. Do you have an idea for a program, event or activity that should be an official part of Revolution NJ? .
Executive Summary
Full Document - Strategic Framework
One Pager
Full Document - Interpretative Framework
Executive Summary - Visitor Readiness Assessment
Full Report
Appendices
List of Sites by Market Potential
List of Sites by County
2016 and 2017:
Understanding Audience Needs Through Evaluation -
Evaluation Definitions and Tips
March 2015:
Serving Audiences in New Ways -
Catherine Fukushima and Robert Kiihne
September 2014:
Understanding Audiences -
Max von Balgooy
To assist ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ legislators, the ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Historical Commission distributes a monthly newsletter titled Past Matters. In addition, we have created historical briefings to provide context on legislative debates.
Historical Briefings
Affordable Housing, March 2024
Open Public Records Act, May 2024
Issues of Past Matters
March 2024
April 2024
May 2024
June 2024
July 2024
August 2024
September 2024