q2K BHP
Black History Portal
THE BHP WIRE —
HIDDEN TRUTHS
GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS
What's New!
THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
BHP HOME BEFORE AMERICA 1800–1936 1937–1957 1958–1980 1981–2000 2001–PRESENT

Explore Black History

Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.

✊🏾

Civil Rights

Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.

⚙️

Black Inventors

Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.

🏆

Sports

Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.

♟️

People

Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.

📍

Places

Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.

📜

Events

Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.

Enter a person, place, event, or topic.
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.

MORE →
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.

MORE →
BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 3 strongest Black History matches.
← BACK TO RESULTS
NMAAHC

"Of Course He Wants To Vote The Democratic Ticket"

Date
October 21, 1876
Illustrated by
Arthur Burdett Frost, American, 1851 - 1929
Published by
Harper's Weekly, American, 1857 - 1916
Subject of
Harvey Magee Watterson, American, 1811 - 1891
Description
Illustrated page from Harper's Weekly.
The off-white discolored paper features an image in black ink. It depicts two men threatening an unarmed man with pistols. The man on the proper right side is wearing a dark jacket, a shirt, trousers, a hat with a bent brim, and boots. He is resting his proper left hand on the shoulder of the unarmed man. The man in the center has curly hair and is wearing a long sleeve shirt and patched trousers. His right arm is across his chest, and he is holding a piece of paper. His proper left arm is down by his side. Pistols are pointed at both sides of his head. The man on the proper left side is wearing a long sleeve shirt, dark trousers, a large hat, and boots. He carries a pistol on each hip, and his proper left hand is in his pocket. There are several men standing in the background.
The proper right foreground features two wooden ballot boxes, a liquor bottle, a glass, and a pistol. There is a man standing in the doorway in the background. There are several men and horses outside of the building. There is a typed paragraph in the bottom proper right corner. There is a caption below the image, typed in black ink. It reads ["OF COURSE HE WANTS TO VOTE THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET!"/ DEMOCRATIC "REFORMER." "You're as free as air, ain't you! Say you are, or I'll blow yer black head off!"]. There is sideways typed text along the proper left side of the paper. It reads [848], HARPER’S WEEKLY], and [October 21, 1876]. The illustration is signed, “A. B. FROST” in the bottom proper left corner of the image.
The paper is surrounded by a black mat. There are several columns of black text on the back of the paper. The paper is taped onto the back of the mat.
Place depicted
Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
Place printed
United States, North and Central America
Title
Illustrated page from Harper's Weekly
Topic
African American
American South
Men
Politics
Race discrimination
Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
Suffrage
Violence
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Memorabilia and Ephemera - Other
Books and Published Materials
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Stanley Turkel's Collection of Reconstruction Era Materials
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2012.160.64
Type
illustrations
newspapers
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on wove paper
Dimensions
H x W (in mat): 14 × 18 in. (35.6 × 45.7 cm)
H x W (paper): 10 5/8 × 15 3/4 in. (27 × 40 cm)
Title
Title • "Of Course He Wants To Vote The Democratic Ticket"
Record ID
nmaahc_2012.160.64
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
"OF COURSE HE WANTS TO VOTE THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET"
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1870s
Name
Frost, Arthur Burdett • Watterson, Harvey Magee • Harper's Weekly
Place
United States • Tennessee • North and Central America
Topic
American South • Discrimination • Suffrage • Violence • Men • Race • Politics • Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
State • Tennessee • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Illustrations • Newspapers
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.

NMAAHC

Gelatin silver print of four 1927 Mississippi River flood images

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Gelatin silver print of four 1927 Mississippi River flood images

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

"Of Course He Wants To Vote The Democratic Ticket"

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
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.

MORE →
TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

What prosperous Tulsa district became widely known as “Black Wall Street”?

The Greenwood District.