Category: American History

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What Happened to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?

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by JON HARARI

Today is an unusual day, unlike many July 4th’s of years past.

What happened to all of our unalienable Rights, the ones written 244 years ago in our Declaration of Independence of July 4th, 1776, including Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness?  Well, maybe today is not so unusual, as never before do we have more of our unalienable Rights as we do today.

Life – we are alive, there never has been more live Americans in existance, our life expectancy and health standards have never been historically higher as human beings, and the sacrifices those are making on the front lines and the ones everyone else are making like quarantining and social distancing is helping to further increase the lives of others.

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Bergen County Historical Society : “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America”

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from Bergen County Historical Society

“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” An extract from a letter written by John Adams to his wife Abigail. July 3rd, 1776.

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Happy 4th of July from the Ridgewood blog

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On this day, 244 years ago, the Second Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence. Even though they had already declared independence two days earlier, the American people were so moved by the Declaration that thereafter July 4th became our birthday. Happy Birthday America!

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Removing Mascots is an Insult to Native American People and Disrespectful of History

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Montvale NJ,nothing like not knowing anything about your local history , the Pascack Valley Regional High School District Board of Education meeting on June 22, the Board voted to remove the “Cowboy” and “Indian” as the Pascack Hills and Pascack Valley High Schools’ respective mascots.

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The destruction of public monuments is one of the most ludicrous actions we have witnessed in our lifetimes

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Middletown NJ, Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (R-Monmouth) takes aim as to what has become a modern day purge with the destruction of monuments, memorials, and even namesakes across the nation as well as here in New Jersey. Often committed by individuals with limited knowledge of history, those same few fail to acknowledge the importance of recognizing and learning from the past – even its mistakes:

“The destruction of public monuments is one of the most ludicrous actions we have witnessed in our lifetimes – accomplishing nothing more than a chaotic disrespect and inability to understand history,” says Scharfenberger. “Not only does it show an incredible ignorance of the past, but also a disregard for our system of laws which some elected officials encourage by sitting idly-by.”

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Bergen County Historical Society : Restaurants and Breweries are Part of the History of Bergen County

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Bergen County Historical Society
New Bridge Landing NJ, With restaurants and breweries opening back up in River Edge, I mused about our local 18th century tavern that stood only a mile away as the crow flies but was moved in 1977 to Historic New Bridge Landing, River Edge, NJ.

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Today Marks Juneteenth

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

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Senator Joe Pennacchio, “Instead of trying to erase and re-write history we should focus on challenging ourselves to create a better history for ourselves and our future generations.”

Columbus Statue

Senator Pennacchio Objects to Efforts to Remove Columbus Statue in Parsippany

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Parsippany NJ, Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) released the following statement in reaction to a published report of the launch of an online petition seeking the removal of the Christopher Columbus monument in Parsippany.

A bust of Columbus was installed on a granite base on Parsippany Boulevard in 1992 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Italian explorer landing in the Americas.

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Flag Day : The Mysterious Origins of the American Flag

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The American flag has gone through many changes since it was adopted in 1777 by the Second Continental Congress. As the adoption of the Stars and Stripes is commemorated on Flag Day, find out more about Old Glory’s mysterious origins and its rise to iconic prominence.

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June 14th is Flag Day

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. The United States Army also celebrates the U.S. Army birthday on this date; Congress adopted “the American continental army” after reaching a consensus position in the Committee of the Whole on June 14, 1775.

https://www.history.com/news/95-years-of-flag-day?fbclid=IwAR2WtGbGN8JdoNzBzu15WlOzhypMhcpw22_muRaFfeVPKVooNW-k8l1P3pU

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The New Jersey State Trooper that Saved D-Day

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Sidney Spiegel was with General Dwight D. Eisenhower in England in the early spring of 1944. Eisenhower was at a D-Day planning meeting and awaiting the arrival of top-secret film of the French Coast.

The courier who was to deliver the film had a hole in his satchel. When he arrived at the meeting, they discovered that he had lost it somewhere along the way.

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Why D-Day Matters

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James Carafano 

“I’ll bet they’re asleep in New York,” muses Rick in “Casablanca” as he realizes there’s no sitting this war out. “I’ll bet they’re asleep all over America.”

It’s an important line to recall as we prepare to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Rick’s conversion from pacifist to patriot in the classic 1942 film mirrored America’s transformation after Pearl Harbor from isolationism to taking its fights to the frontier of freedom.

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The Insurrection Act of 1807 has been invoked 14 times in US History

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Washington DC, President Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 means the statute could be used for the first time in the 21st century.

The U.S. federal law allows the president to deploy military troops within the nation to suppress civil disorder, insurrection and rebellion, among other threats. It allows the president to federalize the National Guard and use U.S. armed forces to combat insurrections against states and the federal government.

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Thousands of Bergen County residents have answered their nation’s call to arms in defense of liberty and freedom

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Bergen County Historical Society

New Bridge Landing NJ, As we continue on this Memorial Day we mourn not only the absence of each other’s company but in the true spirit of the day, the honored war dead from our nation’s past. From the founding of the United States through today, thousands of Bergen County residents have answered their nation’s call to arms in defense of liberty and freedom, at home and abroad. Many never returned to enjoy their homes and families. Each Memorial Day in the recent past, we in the Bergen County Historical Society have chosen to gather at the Hackensack grave of Brigadier General Enoch Poor, as representative of those in the American Revolution who gave their lives during the fight to establish what the Declaration of Independence proclaimed.

We do not know the names of all of those from Bergen County who fell during the American Revolution, though we do know some, particularly the ones named below, all of whom served as captains in the Bergen County Militia:

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Village of Ridgewood Zabriskie-Schedler House Restoration Moving Along

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, May is dedicated to National Preservation Month. Also known as Historic Preservation Month, the month celebrates the nation’s heritage through historic places. Organizations across the country promote a variety of activities on the local, state and national levels.

In the Village, Zabriskie-Schedler House  restoration is finally moving along .  We must admit we had our doubts . The home has officially been added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. Built in 1823 by John A. L. Zabriskie, the house sits on a triangle of land between Route 17 and Saddle River Road, part of Bergen County’s dwindling stock of 19th-century Dutch wood-frame homes.  This area play a significant roll as a cross roads during  the American Revolution .

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