Library Friday Morning Group"NewJersey Shows"NewWay":10/21 10:30AM

In celebration of Humanities Festival Week, the Teaneck Public Library will present a slide/lecture entitled "From the American Revolution to the Civil Rights Era: New Jersey Shows the Way" by Raymond Frey, Ph.D. this morning, October 21st at 10:30 AM in the library auditorium. This program was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Ever since the first Europeans came to America, New Jersey has played a significant role in the history of our country. It was the crossroads of the American Revolution, and played a pivotal role in the writing of the U.S. Constitution. It was home to the world's highest canal and the first railroad. New Jersey men fought bravely in the Civil War. At the turn of the twentieth century the state became an industrial powerhouse and the final destination of hundreds of thousands of immigrants. It suffered greatly during the Great Depression. It was the embarkation point for millions of men bound for Europe to fight in two world wars. It was scorched by the flames of race riots. New Jersey struggled with problems of environmental pollution, suburban sprawl, and changing demographics. Many New Jerseyans lost their lives on 9/11.

Unfortunately the state has sometimes become the butt of jokes by those in other states, but in fact there is no other state more “American" than ours. New Jersey's long history is American history, and has helped to define this nation from its very beginning.

Dr. Raymond Frey is Professor of History at Centenary College in Hackettstown, where he has just completed his tenure as Dean of the Faculty in order to complete several writing projects. Now in his fifteenth year at Centenary, he recently was appointed the Gates-Ferry Distinguished Lecturer. Dr. Frey holds graduate degrees in history and philosophy from Fordham University and Drew University. He published in August 2004 his important new book "New Jersey: A Journey of Discovery" and is presently completing a biography of first lady Bess Truman. He has also signed a contract to write a biography of Harry Truman.

The public is welcome to attend this free program to be held in the library auditorium and to the coffee and socializing session that precedes it at 10:00 AM. The library is located at 840 Teaneck Road at the corner of Cedar Lane in Teaneck. For more information, call the Library at 201-837-4171 or visit http://www.Teaneck.org for more about this and other upcoming events, programs and services offered by the Teaneck Public Library.

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