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...

Wilmington 1898 — An American Coup

Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.

MORE →
BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
← BACK TO RESULTS
NMAAHC

Legal document concerning an enslaved woman named Zaire in Jamaica

Date
February 8, 1811
Written by
Martin Gordon
Subject of
Marie Anne Valdec
M Joubert, French
Nicholas Charles Van Eeckhout, German, 1751 - 1821
Description
Two handwritten depositions from a court case, Valdec v. Gravier in Kingston, Jamaica. Document a is Nicholas Charles Van Eeckhout’s deposition and b is a deposition given by an unidentified person with the surname of Gravier who appears to be the defendant. It appears that Doctor M. Joubert sold an enslaved woman, Zaire to Marie Anne Valdec when the British entered Port-au-Prince, Haiti during the Haitian Revolution. After this English invasion, it seems that Zaire went missing. She may have been sold to an American Captain who took her to Jamaica, or she may have ended up in Havana, Cuba.
The two statements given on these documents relate to the same events however the accounts of the events differ.
The first document (a) is signed at the bottom by Nicholas Charles Van Eeckhout. The back of the document has the filing notes for the case, entitled [Valdec v Gravier]. The subject matter [Deporting] is written alongside these two names. The papers were filed February 8, 1811 by Martin Gordon.
The second document (b) is signed by the unknown individual with last name Gravier.
Both documents are torn vertically down the middle and an additional piece of paper has been added to the back of each document as support. These missing portions leave out large gaps of writing in the depositions. The ink from the documents has also bled over time, which has expanded the script. Both documents are very frail.
Place used
Kingston, Jamaica, Caribbean, North and Central America
Place depicted
Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
Havana, Cuba, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
Cultural Place
England, Europe
Topic
African American
British colonialism
Business
Colonialism
Law
Slave trade
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Documents and Manuscripts
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
2010.1.227ab
Type
documents
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on paper (fiber product)
Dimensions
H x W (2010.1.227a): 14 3/4 × 16 13/16 in. (37.5 × 42.7 cm)
H x W (2010.1.227b): 14 3/4 × 16 13/16 in. (37.5 × 42.7 cm)
Title
Object Name • Legal document concerning an enslaved woman named Zaire in Jamaica
Record ID
nmaahc_2010.1.227ab
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
LEGAL DOCUMENT CONCERNING AN ENSLAVED WOMAN NAMED ZAIRE IN JAMAICA
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1810s
Name
Valdec, Marie Anne • Van Eeckhout, Nicholas Charles • Gordon, Martin • Joubert, M
Place
Haiti • Cuba • North and Central America • Europe • England • Port-au-Prince • Kingston • Jamaica • Caribbean • Havana • Latin America
Topic
Slavery • Law • British colonialism • Business
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
State • Kingston • Country • Jamaica • Subregion • Caribbean • Continent • North and Central America • City • Port-au-Prince • Country • Haiti • Region • Latin America • City • Havana • Country • Cuba • Country • England • Continent • Europe
Type
Documents
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

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

No preview image
NMAAHC

Pinback button for Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

My Green Hills of Jamaica

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Legal document concerning an enslaved woman named Zaire in Jamaica

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Photograph of Clive Campbell in Kingston, Jamaica

Date: Date

Caption

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

Who became the first Black woman to travel into space?

Mae Jemison, aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.