Category: American History

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75th Anniversary of V-J Day

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Washington DC, on August 14, 1945, President Truman announced Japan’s acceptance of the terms from the Potsdam Declaration, agreeing to an unconditional surrender and the United States celebrated.
World War II was officially over. President Truman declared the official day of celebration would be September 2, when the Japanese signed the ‘Instrument of Surrender’ aboard the USS Missouri, docked in Tokyo Bay. This day would become known as ‘Victory Over Japan’ Day or V-J Day.  The United States would see over 400,000 American service members killed and a total loss of life world-wide estimated between 60-80 million. Millions more were injured.”
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Bergen County Historical Society : Baseball is Back !

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photos courtesy of the Bergen County Historical Society

from Bergen County Historical Society

New Bridge Crossing NJ,  We hope you and your families are doing well. Baseball is back. It’s hard to imagine that so late in July. Each July past, we have hosted a Vintage base ball game in the meadow that has always been well attended by cranks who enjoy both baseball and history. While the game was cancelled this year, in honor of baseball starting up again, we wanted to share the history of the game right in our own backyard, New Bridge. Enjoy the history of the game on a local level, photos are from past events.

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‘Uncle Tom,’ the Must See Movie

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, In a collection of intimate interviews with some of America’s most provocative black conservative thinkers, Uncle Tom takes a unique look at being black in America. Featuring media personalities, ministers, civil rights activists, veterans, and a self-employed plumber, the film explores their personal journeys of navigating the world as one of America’s most misunderstood political and cultural groups: The American Black Conservative. In this eye-opening film from Director Justin Malone and Executive Producer Larry Elder, Uncle Tom examines self-empowerment, individualism and rejecting the victim narrative. Uncle Tom shows us a different perspective of American History from this often ignored and ridiculed group. Written by Ryder Ansell.

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Changing Washington’s NFL team logo, Another Blow to Native Americans

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Washington DC, Though the “Redskin” name has long been controversial, it’s important to note that it was a Blackfeet man from Montana who originally designed its logo. In 1971, the team’s logo was based upon a composite of Native American photographs, including one of the early 20th century Blackfeet Chief Two Guns White Calf.

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Who was “Aunt Jemima”

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, now a little history , known as “Aunt Jemima,”  her real name was Nancy Green and she was a true American success story. She was born a slave in 1834 Montgomery County, KY… and became a wealthy superstar , spokesperson and influencer in the advertising world, as its first living trademark.

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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.”

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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