Ridgefield Allies

Today in “Hidden” History is a daily listing of important but little-known events illustrating the range of innovators, contributors, or incidents excluded from formal history lessons or common knowledge. Hidden history is intended not as an exhaustive review, but merely as an illustration of how popular narratives "hide" many matters of fundamental importance. Bookmark this page and check daily to quickly expand your knowledge. Suggest entries for Today in “Hidden” History by clicking the Contact Us link. Entries for August 21:

Date	Type	Event
1831		Nat Turner's Rebellion (also known as the Southampton Insurrection), a rebellion of enslaved and free Black Virginians, begins in Southampton County, Virginia. Nat Turner, an enslaved African-American preacher, led the rebellion. The rebels killed between 55 and 65 people, at least 51 of whom were white. The rebellion was put down within a few days, but Turner survived in hiding for more than two months afterwards. The rebellion was effectively suppressed at Belmont Plantation on the morning of August 23, 1831. There was widespread fear in the aftermath, and militias organized in retaliation to the rebels. The state executed 56 enslaved people accused of being part of the rebellion, and many non-participant enslaved individuals were punished in the frenzy. Approximately 120 enslaved people and free African Americans were killed by militias and mobs in the area. State legislatures passed new laws prohibiting education of enslaved people and free Black people, restricting rights of assembly and other civil liberties for free Black people, and requiring white ministers to be present at all worship services. Learn more.
1959		Five years after the United States Supreme Court ruled school segregation to be unconstitutional in its decision in Brown v. Board of Education, Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Jim Johnson exhorts a crowd of 1,000 white residents in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to “do what needs to be done” to fight the proposed integration of schools in the Dollarway School District. “When Dollarway falls,” Johnson told the cheering crowd, “Arkansas falls!” Johnson was an outspoken segregationist who was openly backed by the KKK. Johnson responded to the Brown decision by forming the White Citizens’ Council of Arkansas, which opposed integration and initiated a voter-passed amendment to the Arkansas Constitution authorizing state officials to ignore federal law. Johnson pressured Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus to embrace segregation and defy federal orders to desegregate Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The massive resistance to integration by the white community was largely successful in preventing integration of schools, especially in the South. Learn more.
1968		United States Marine Private First Class James Anderson Jr. is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism while serving in Vietnam, the first African American U.S. Marine recipient of the Medal of Honor. Joining the U. S. Marine Corps in 1966, Anderson took part in Operation Prairie II in February, 1967. During this operation, Anderson's platoon was advancing through the jungle near Cam Lo Combat Base when they were ambushed by North Vietnamese forces. Anderson jumped on a grenade thrown by a Vietnamese soldier and was killed in action. This action saved other Marines's lives, and Anderson was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his deed. Learn more.