VLS Resources
Honoring Those Who Serve: Armed Forces Day
Each year the United States observes Armed Forces Day on the third Saturday of May, a day set aside to recognize and thank the men and women who are currently serving in the nation’s military. It is a moment to pause, reflect and express appreciation for the individuals who protect the country at home and…
Honoring Memorial Day: A Tribute to Sacrifice and Service
Memorial Day traces its roots to the years after the Civil War, when communities began holding springtime tributes to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers – an observance often called “Decoration Day.” In 1868, Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic urged Americans to set aside May 30 for this purpose,…
Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday
Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday April 13, 1743 Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia to Jane and Peter Jefferson. His father was a Virginia planter, surveyor, and slave owner. At age fourteen, Jefferson’s father died, and Thomas inherited some thirty enslaved individuals. Jefferson fully embraced the lifestyle of an affluent member…
Sybil Luddington Patriotic Rider
During the American Revolution Colonel Henry Ludington commanded the Dutchess County militia. On April 26,1777 he received a message. The British were advancing up the Hudson River and were attacking Danbury CT. Colonel Ludington immediately needed to alert his militiamen. Could he go? Would Torries (Loyalists) notice him riding and interfere? Was it best for…
JOHN JACOB “RIFLE JACK” PETERSON
John Jacob “Rifle Jack” Peterson was a Revolutionary war era patriot of African and Kitchewan descent whose quick thinking helped repel British forces in Croton, New York. His actions threw Benedict Arnold’s treasonous plans into disarray and led to the capture of Major Andre. In September 1780, Peterson and a fellow private class soldier named Moses…
Our First Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton
Image of Alexander Hamilton Courtesy of www.biographyicon.org Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers, is regarded as the architect of American capitalism. Born in the Caribbean around 1755, he was orphaned while still young and worked as a clerk as a young man. His writing talent caught the attention of local patrons who sent him…
Benjamin Franklin: A Renaissance Man
Benjamin Franklin was what many might consider to be a renaissance man. Among his many inventions were the lightning rod, bifocals, odometer, the glass harmonica and the Franklin stove. But he also invented swim fins and proved with his kite experiment that lightning is electricity. Franklin did not secure patents for any of his inventions…
Washington Crossing the Delaware
On Christmas Eve 224 years ago General George Washington crossed the Delaware River and attacked the Hessian mercenaries garrisoned in Trenton, New Jersey. The Hessian’s stopped in Trenton after forcing the American Patriots out of New Jersey into Pennsylvania. The Hessian’s now had a river between opposing armies, and intelligence reports that the Americans were…
A Salute to the U.S. Navy
About 30 angry colonists set out in a whaling sloop called Success May 13-14, 1775, to retrieve a pair of merchant vessels captured by HMS Falcon in Buzzards Bay off the coast of Fairhaven Massachusetts. The sloop was aptly named. Outnumbered almost 4 to 1, the colonists, under no military command, retrieved the ships, killed…