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MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

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BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

Shirley Chisholm — Unbought and Unbossed

In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.

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BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
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NMAAHC

Certificate of enlistment for Tilghman Detter

Date
June 6, 1865
Caption
Slaveholders in Border States loyal to the Union—Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri—were compensated for enlisting the people they had enslaved into military service. This certificate shows payment made to enslaver William Thompson for the enlistment of Tilghman Detter into the 39th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops (USCT).
Description
A single page certificate of enlistment for the formerly enslaved man Tilghman Detter and payment for Detter to William Thompson of R. by the state of Maryland. The form is printed in black ink and completed by hand in brown ink. At the top in bold and decorative text is [Office of the U.S. Board of Claims, / No. 10 SOUTH STREET, BALTIMORE, MD.].
The top half of the document is certification that "Tilghman Detter of Co. G, 39th Reg't U.S.C.T., was enlisted in the United States service, from the State of Maryland" prior to April 1, 1864. The date of enlistment is provided as March 31, 1864, and the date of the claim is May 4, 1865. It is signed by the clerk to U.S. Board of Claims.
The bottom half of the document begins [$100.] in bold and decorative font and declares the Treasurer of the State of Maryland to pay [William Thompson of R] the amount of $100 dollars as appropriated by an Act of the General Assembly of Maryland "for my former slave Tilghman Detter, enlisted in the service of the United States from the state of Maryland, as described in the above certificate." It is dated June 6, 1865 and signed at the bottom by Josiah W. Jones and witnessed by C.W. Moore. To the left of the signatures is a red, two-cent revenue stamp cancelled by hand in black ink.
The verso of the document is blank except for a central inscription reading [Mr. Thompson of R].
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Documents and Manuscripts
Exhibition
Double Victory: The African American Military Experience
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 053
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2011.155.39.1
Type
military records
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 9 13/16 x 8 7/16 in. (24.9 x 21.4 cm)
Title
Object Name • Certificate of enlistment for Tilghman Detter
Record ID
nmaahc_2011.155.39.1
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
CERTIFICATE OF ENLISTMENT FOR TILGHMAN DETTER
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1860s
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Double Victory: The African American Military Experience
Geo Location
County • Montgomery County • State • Maryland • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • City • Baltimore • County • Baltimore County
On Physical Exhibit
Yes
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

Media

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

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NMAAHC

Postcard from a Grand United Order of Odd Fellows convention in Baltimore

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

The Justices' Practice Under the Laws of Maryland

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Broadside offering reward for the capture of Maria, Susan, and Harriet Johnson

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Certificate of enlistment for Tilghman Detter

Date: Date

Caption

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TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

Which Supreme Court case ruled state-sponsored public-school segregation unconstitutional?

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.