"A Taste of Politics: Women's Suffrage in New Jersey 1776 to 1807"

One bright spot in women's history occurred in New Jersey after the Revolutionary War. For a period of 31 years, black and white women were able to vote freely and equally with their male counterparts. Arguably, this is the most important instance of voting in government elections by women in the early history of the United States. This paper will explore the circumstances that gave women the right to vote, the time that they had the vote, and what happened to take the vote away from them.

Prior to the Revolutionary War, freeholders were the only people qualified to vote in elections.^Note A freeholder was defined as a person possessing either one hundred acres of land or a minimum personal estate of £50 sterling.^Note The "Concessions and Agreements" of the Lord Proprietors of New Jersey in 1664 described freeholders with terms of "freeman or freewoman," "master or mistress," "him or her," "he or she," "male or female."^Note This allowed female settlers to own land, pay taxes, and participate in the recruitment terms that Lords Berkeley and Carteret offered. "Custom, not law, prevented females, minors, and non-Caucasians from participation in politics."^Note The settlers in New Jersey were apparently content with this degree of suffrage since "complaints of suffrage restriction or malrepresentation were rarely heard."^Note

"As in other English colonies, the legal and property rights of women in New Jersey came under English common law."^Note Single or widowed women could own property, form businesses, enter into contractual agreements (including prenuptial agreements), sue or be sued, and be self-supporting.^Note However, upon her marriage, all personal property and any wages to women were seen as belonging to her husband. She could not sue or be sued, vote, draft wills, enter into contractual agreements, or buy and sell land.^Note The only semblance of legal control for a married woman was that the consent of both parties was needed to sell property or apprentice the children.^Note Even with this lack of control in a married woman's life, single women were regarded as objects of pity and marriage was something to be desired.^Note

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