September 11th, A Dark Day In American History

When terrorist picked this day in 2001 to ram hijacked airliners into symbols of American power and prosperity, what they did not know is the significance September 11th has in American history.

Aside from the terrorist attacks 10 years ago today, three other significant historical events happened on this day, one in our back yard, another in our neighborhood, the other, far away in a meadow in what is now southern Utah.

Here's in chronological order, is a quick summation of those events and links to learn more about each event:

The Battle Of The Brandywine:

Also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was a battle of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 11, 1777. It was fought in the area surrounding Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and the Brandywine River. The battle, which was a decisive victory for the British, left Philadelphia, the revolutionary capital, undefended. The British captured the city on September 26, beginning an occupation that would last until June 1778.  Learn more here, here and here.

 

The Christiana Riot

William Parker, a former slave from Roedown Plantation in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, was renowned in the Christiana, PA area for his activism against slavery and his bravery in the protection of his and other blacks' civil and political rights. He assisted many runaway slaves and was one of many people in the area involved in the underground railroad.   Parker, and other members of Christiana community, became well known for using whatever force necessary to prevent the recapture of blacks in the area.  One such incident of resistance occurred on September 11, 1851 when Edward Gorsuch, a slaveholder from Maryland came to Christiana bearing a warrant to recover his slaves. There are conflicting stories of why and how the shooting started but in the end Gorsuch was dead and his son severely wounded.  The event, regarded by many historians as the first battle of the Civil War, brought the attention of the country to the perils and challenges of attempting to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.

Watch a video here, or read more here or here. 

The Mountain Meadow Massacre

On September 11, 1857, some 50 to 60 local Mormons in southern Utah, themselves recent immigrants to the area, aided in small part by American Indian allies, massacred about 120 emigrants who were traveling by wagon through Utah to California. The horrific crime, which spared only 17 children age six and under, occurred in a highland valley called the Mountain Meadows, roughly 35 miles southwest of Cedar City in southern Utah.

Learn more here, here and here.