Tag: American History

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History of Veterans Day

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US Department of Veterans Affairs

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

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COLUMBUS DAY

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Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451 to Domenico Columbo, a wool weaver. He worked for his Father until he was 22 then set out to follow his own dream to become a sea captain. Many of his fellow Genoese had prospered in Lisbon under the Portuguese flag as Captains of sailing ships and he longed to join their ranks
https://sunniebunniezz.com/holiday/columbus.htm

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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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‘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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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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2020 A year that promised perfect vision but seems to be delivering total blindness

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Written by Charles Stampul

Ridgewood NJ, 2020 A year that promised perfect vision but seems to be delivering total blindness.  It is a year that will likely go down in history, just not for a pandemic.  By historical standards, this pandemic is moderate.  What is the real story for the history books then?

Those of us who’ve studied history recognize this moment, this point where the poles seem to flip, and lunatics are given the stage while sensible people are asked to sit down and shut and reluctantly but obediently comply.  It is the start of another cultural revolution.

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Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration will be holding the flag raising at 9 am at Wilsey Square on July 4th

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, As it gets closer to the 4th, and things are getting slowly back to normal, we know many people are disappointed by the cancelling of the annual 4th of July events. It was a very tough decision for our committee but with public health concerns and economic uncertainty, it was just not feasible this year. As many of you know, the 4th of July in Ridgewood is entirely funded by community donations, and with our local businesses deeply impacted by the shutdown, we felt cancelling this year’s events was the most responsible thing to do.

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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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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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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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Bergen County Historical Society , “In time of war, often things are not as they appear, and there is our lead-in for today’s tale from the Revolutionary War…”

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Bergen County Historical Society
Good Day Bergen County! To all appearances, it is a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining and green is finally the color that has bloomed. Not all things are as they appear though, as the temperature is still brisk and certainly colder than we are used to by this date, not to mention virus that still effects our countryside. In time of war, often things are not as they appear, and there is our lead-in for today’s tale from the Revolutionary War…

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Celebrate Washington’s Birthday with the Bergen County Historical Society on Sunday February 23rd

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

New Bridge Landing NJ, Come celebrate Washington’s Birthday with the Bergen County Historical Society on Sunday February 23, 1 pm- 5 pm at Historic New Bridge Landing. 1201 Main Street, River Edge, NJ.

The Tricorne Dance Ensemble which is under the direction of dance mistress Denise Piccino will be performing in the Steuben House at 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm. The one-hour program will tell the story of General Washington’s life through song and dance. Musical accompaniment will be provided by Ridley and Anne Enslow on the fiddle and hammered dulcimer. In between performances meet the General and Martha Washington portrayed by Rodger Yaden and Sue Braisted.

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New Jersey Needs to Learn History – Not Tear it Down

Gen. Philip Kearny

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Middletown NJ,  The chapter of American History where the past is unceremoniously torn down, adds yet another page as Democrat members of the New Jersey State Senate passed a measure to petition the U.S. Library of Congress to remove the statue of General Phillip Kearny from the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall.

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Black History Month : Black Rights and the Constitution

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A statue in honor of the black soldiers of the American Revolution

Black History Month : Black Rights and the Constitution
part of a much larger article https://iusbvision.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/black-heroes-and-founders-of-the-great-american-revolution/
By The Founders:

‎”When the Constitution of the United States was framed, colored men voted in a majority of these States; they voted in the State of New York, in Pennsylvania, in Massachusetts, in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware and North Carolina; and long after the adoption of the Constitution, they continued to vote in North Carolina and Tennessee also. The Constitution of the United States makes no distinction of color.”

~ The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution by Wm Cooper Neil & Harriet Beecher Stowe 1855

In fact, a number of state constitutions protected voting rights for blacks. The state constitutions of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania (all 1776), New York (1777), Massachusetts (1780), and New Hampshire (1784) included black suffrage. In 1874, Robert Brown Elliot, a member of the House of Representatives from South Carolina and a black man, stated ”When did Massachusetts sully her proud record by placing on her statute-book any law which admitted to the ballot the white man and shut out the black man? She has never done it; she will not do it.”

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National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Pearl Harbor

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, also referred to as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day or Pearl Harbor Day, is observed annually in the United States on December 7, to remember and honor the 2,403 citizens of the United States who were killed in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

On August 23, 1994, the United States Congress, by Pub.L. 103–308, 108 Stat. 1169, designated December 7 of each year as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. On November 29, President Bill Clinton issued a proclamation declaring December 7, 1994, the first National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.[2] It became 36 U.S.C. § 129 (Patriotic and National Observances and Ceremonies) of the United States Code.

On Pearl Harbor Day, the American flag should be flown at half-staff until sunset to honor those who died as a result of the attack on U.S. military forces in Hawaii.[4] Pearl Harbor Day is not a federal holiday – government offices, schools, and businesses do not close. Some organizations may hold special events in memory of those killed or injured at Pearl Harbor