The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
Continue reading Bergen’s Fort: The Post at Paulus Hook, 1776-1783
On June 17, 1775, as British redcoats marched up the heights of Bunker Hill outside of Boston, Massachusetts, they were met with a hail of musketry from the defenders of the earthen redoubt. The defenders were a motley collection of colonists, from various New England colonies. Included in their ranks of 2,400 were approximately 120 Black militiamen, including Peter Salem. Peter Salem was a freed slave from Massachusetts who is known for mortally wounding British Major John Pitcairn during the fighting at Bunker Hill. Colonel William Prescott‘s militia held their own until ammunition ran low, repulsing the British from Bunker Hill.
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.
Continue reading Flag Day : The Mysterious Origins of the American Flag
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:
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 .
Continue reading Village of Ridgewood Zabriskie-Schedler House Restoration Moving Along
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.”
Continue reading Black History Month : Black Rights and the Constitution
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
New Bridge Landing NJ, from the Bergen County Historical Society , “Been to the Palisades lately? We’re excited for the completion of a project over 40 years in the making! Kudos to the Palisades Interstate Park for being a fantastic partner. Future generations will be able to learn about Bergen County’s rich history in one of the storied places it was made. A classic BCHS blue marker denotes the initial landing of #British troops, while a new interpretive panel tells more of the story, linking historic sites connected to the story in the process! Thank you again to all those involved, looking forward to a fantastic 2020! ”
December 27 1775 A letter is printed in the Pennsylvania Journal by An American Guesser (Ben Franklin) describing a painted rattle-snake on a Marine’s drum with the motto “Don’t Tread On Me.” He commented on how appropriate a symbol it was for the Patriots “I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids—She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance.—She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.—As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarreling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shewn and extended for her defense, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal:—Conscious of this, she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of stepping on her.—Was I wrong, Sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America?”
Continue reading “Don’t Tread On Me.” appropriate a symbol it was for the Patriots
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, Historian Myrna Nahas on the Saratoga campaign that gave a decisive victory to Americans in the Revolutionary War. All are welcome; no registration.
Thursday, January 23, 2020 at 1 PM – 3 PM
Ridgewood Public Library
125 N Maple Ave, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Battles of Saratoga, in the American Revolution, closely related engagements in the fall of 1777. The Battles of Saratoga are often considered together as a turning point of the war in favor of the Americans.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
TRENTON NJ, Attention, all New Jersey graphic designers and artists! The New Jersey Historical Commission (NJHC) and Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area seek a signature logo to embody Revolution NJ, New Jersey’s initiative to commemorate the 250th anniversary (or Semiquincentennial) of the United States.
The logo will be used across the state and nation to promote Revolution NJ events, projects, and programs planned to explore 250 years of United States history. The winning logo design will receive a $1,500 cash prize. The deadline for submission is 3:00 p.m. on Monday, November 25, 2019. The selected logo will be publicly presented during Patriots Week in Trenton, New Jersey, on Saturday, December 28, 2019.
Continue reading New Jersey Historical Commission and Crossroads of the American Revolution Announce United States 250th Anniversary Logo Contest
the Bergen County Historical Society
Video of the engagement at Historic New Bridge Landing, August 17, 2019.
More to come!
