Trenton, NJ - Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells is proud to announce the launch of a new, interactive online journal chronicling New Jersey's unique historical legacy and contributions to the fabric of American society from the nation's founding to the present day.

The publication, titled "New Jersey History: Studies in State and Regional History," can trace its roots to 1845 when it began publication as the Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society. The Society oversaw its development until 2005.

Now under the editorial direction of historians at the New Jersey Historical Commission, Kean University and the Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, the comprehensive, peer-reviewed journal will be published online twice a year by the Rutgers University Libraries. Additional support will be provided by the New Jersey Digital Highway, who will provide access through its own popular website, as well as the Rutgers University Press, which will promote and market the new journal through its considerable literary and academic contacts to maximize the journal's online audience.

"We are thrilled this informative online journal on New Jersey history is now available for all to enjoy, and I applaud everyone who helped make it a reality," noted Secretary Wells. "Whether you're a student, academic scholar, or a citizen with an appreciation of the state's unique place in American history, everyone will find the journal to be a virtual treasure trove of insight and knowledge."

Throughout the year, the editorial staff invites academics, graduate and undergraduate students, writers and others to submit scholarly articles aimed at a non-specialized audience for inclusion in forthcoming fall or spring issues. Editors welcome essays on a wide variety of academic disciplines on any aspect of New Jersey's history; these may include law, literature, political science, anthropology, archaeology, material culture, cultural studies and social and political history. The editorial staff also welcomes documents, photographs and other primary source materials that could be published with annotations.

All articles and resources published in "New Jersey History" are available for free - via abstract or full-length .PDF form - at the journal's homepage: http://njh.libraries.rutgers.edu/index.php/njh/index. Once registered, visitors can submit full-length essays for consideration in future publications and signup for regular updates when new issues are online.

"The New Jersey History journal is truly a labor of love for all involved, and we're so glad we're now able to update the content for an entire new generation of history lovers via the wonders of the Internet," stated Michael Fernandez, chair of the New Jersey Historical Commission. "Without even leaving your living room or study, and with a simple click of a mouse, people of all ages can access articles on a wonderfully diverse array of topics, each one part of the state's immense  historical appeal."

The fall 2009 issue of New Jersey History, the first published in four years, includes the following essays:

• "'A More Accurate and Extensive Education than is Customary': Educational Opportunities for Women in Early Nineteenth-Century New Jersey" by Lucia McMahon, William Paterson University.

• "Political Ethics and Public Style in the Early Career of Jersey City's Frank Hague" by Matthew T. Raffety, University of Redlands.

• "On the Eagle's Wings: Textiles, Trenton, and a First Taste of the Industrial Revolution" by Richard W. Hunter, Nadine Sergejeff and Damon Tvaryanas.

• "The Arc of Liberalism and the Career of Harrison 'Pete' Williams" by Michael Kazin, Georgetown University.

The fall 2009 issue also presents a new, historic "Survey of the Canals and Water Raceways of New Jersey" by the New Jersey Geological Survey, in addition to reviews of new and notable scholarship on the history of the state.

To learn more about the work and programs of the New Jersey Historical Commission, visit www.newjerseyhistory.org.

For more information on the diverse array of programs and services under the Department of State purview, visit www.state.nj.us/state

New Jersey History is an open content journal, edited at the New Jersey Historical Commission and published by the Rutgers University Libraries on the Open Journal Systems platform, with a Creative Commons license designed to allow for the widest dissemination of the articles published in the journal. The New Jersey Historical Society and Kean University are partners in this project.