Manufactured by
Peters Cartridge Company, American, 1887 - 1944
Subject of
16th Street Baptist Church, American, founded 1873
Date
September 1963
Medium
metal , brass (alloy) and cardboard
Dimensions
H x W x D: 2 11/16 × 1 × 7/8 in. (6.8 × 2.5 × 2.2 cm)
Caption
On September 15, 1963, just two weeks after the August 28th March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, white supremacists (members of the Ku Klux Klan) planted a bomb under the steps of hte 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The explosion killed four young girls attending Sunday school. Within hours, a crowd of over two thousand individuals gathered at the church. According to the donor, local police fired their shotguns into the air to disperse this crowd, leaving shells on the ground. In the face of such violence, the determination to continue organizing intensified.
Description
A shotgun shell collected from the ground outside the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The shell is comprised of blue roll-crimp paper with a brass head. Embossed on the brass head is "Peters H.V. 12GA," and "Made in USA." There is a closed legged P around the primer headstamp.
Place collected
Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
Place made
Warren County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Weapons and Ammunition
Movement
Civil Rights Movement
Type
shells (ammunition)
Topic
Baptist
Children
Civil rights
Hate crimes
Religion
U.S. History, 1961-1969
Violence
White supremacy movements
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Trumpauer-Mulholland Collection
Object number
2010.71.1.11
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd59a2f9ef6-5f35-4c8d-aa7c-3253d2eb6dca

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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