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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
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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.

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Events

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

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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...

The Violence That Helped Spark the NAACP

In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.

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

Banjo made in the style of William Esperance Boucher, Jr.

Date
ca. 1850s
Attributed to
Unidentified
Subject of
William Esperance Boucher Jr., American
Description
Banjo made in the style of William Esperance Boucher, Jr. (circa 1850s). The banjo has a circular head, with a tension head pulled tight across the front. There is a slightly tilted bridge on the head, with a tailpiece at the bottom holding the strings bottom in place along the rim. Both the tailpiece and the bridge are made of the same medium brown wood. There are metal brackets surrounding the rim of the banjo. This banjo is an early style of five-string banjos, which has four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. The neck and fingerboard of the banjo is made of the same medium glossy wood as the back of the head. There are four wooden turning keys and pegs on the top, with a 5th string turning peg, also made of wood, about halfway up the neck or fingerboard.
Place made
Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
Cultural Place
West Africa, Africa
Topic
African American
African diaspora
Craftsmanship
Music
Resistance
Slavery
U.S. History, 1815-1861
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Musical Instruments
Exhibition
Slavery and Freedom
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert Bockee Winans
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.311
Type
banjos
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
wood , metal , animal skin or synthetic materials
Dimensions
37 1/2 × 12 1/2 × 3 1/2 in. (95.3 × 31.8 × 8.9 cm)
Title
Object Name • Banjo made in the style of William Esperance Boucher, Jr.
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.311
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BANJO MADE IN THE STYLE OF WILLIAM ESPERANCE BOUCHER, JR.
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1850s • 1870s
Name
Boucher, William Esperance
Place
Baltimore • United States • North and Central America • West Africa • Maryland
Topic
African diaspora • Resistance • Slavery • Music • Craftsmanship • U.S. History, 1815-1861
Culture
African Americans • Africans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Slavery and Freedom
Geo Location
City • Baltimore • State • Maryland • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • Region • West Africa • Continent • Africa
Type
banjos
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.

NMAAHC

Banjo made in the style of William Esperance Boucher, Jr.

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Art, Artists, and Society: Origins of a Modern Dilemma, Painting in England and France, 1750-1850

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Postcard of Harriet Tubman, Nelson Davis, and daughter Gertie

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Description

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NMAAHC

Framed photograph of General Colin L. Powell's swearing in as Secretary of State

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 Black woman became the first elected to the United States Congress?

Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.