What led to argue about the boundary between east jersey and west jersey?

The boundary dispute between East Jersey and West Jersey arose due to the imprecision and conflicting wording used in the patents granted by the Duke of York to Berkeley and Carteret in the 17th century. The issue stemmed from the vague definition of the boundary line, which was initially intended to run across the New Jersey territory from "sea to sea."

When the Duke of York later decided to partition the territory into two separate colonies, the description of the boundary line in the subsequent patents became even more confusing. The border mentioned varied from running from the north to south to running from the east to west, resulting in a prolonged dispute between the two colonies over the exact location of the boundary.

The conflicting land claims and legal disputes were further exacerbated by conflicts between the settlers of the two colonies, who held different political views and had distinct cultural backgrounds. The dispute caused tensions and even outbreaks of violence, leading to the intervention of the British authorities and the establishment of a royal commission to resolve the boundary conflict.

In 1676, the English Privy Council issued a verdict in favor of the Berkeley and Carteret interests, setting the boundary line between the two colonies as a straight line running from Little Egg Harbor (near present-day Tuckerton) to the point where the 41st parallel intersects the Delaware River. This decision ended the dispute and solidified the division of New Jersey into East Jersey and West Jersey until the two colonies were reunited as a single royal colony in 1702.