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Prince Hall Scottish Rite
History
The first Scottish
Rite organization among African-Americans was the African Grand
Council of 1820 in Philadelphia, which was referred to as a Council
of Princes of Jerusalem. This Council arose through West Indian
migration, for Stephen Morin had propagated the Rite there. The
Organization of the King David Supreme Council grew out of the
conferring in Philadelphia (1850) of the 33rd Degree by Count
DeSaint Laurent (also, Larine) of the Supreme Council of France and
the Grand Commander of the Council of Spain on David Leary, the
first Black Inspector-General of the Prince Hall Scottish Rite.
In New York City, a
Supreme Council of the United States was established in 1864. Also
in 1864, a separate Supreme Council was formed in New York, which
was made up of members from the National Compact Grand Lodge, from
which a Southern Jurisdiction split off with the Headquarters in
Baltimore, Maryland. From the Philadelphia Council, a Southern and
Western Jurisdiction defected with Headquarters at Washington, D.C.
In 1871 a fifth was established in Philadelphia, and was named King
Fredrick Supreme Council. In 1881-1887, these five merged into 2
United Supreme Councils of the 33rd Degree: one for Northern
Jurisdiction and one for Southern Jurisdiction.
Ill. Edward M. Thomas
petitioned the King David Council, since he was residing in the
District of Columbia, for the 33rd degree to be conferred on
representative Masons in D.C., and on May 5, 1856, the conferment
was made and a council was established. A fourth council was set up
in Baltimore, Maryland and a fifth Council in Philadelphia. These 5
Councils petitioned for unity in a conference in New York City on
January 13, 1881, and was responsible for the Articles of Union and
two Supreme Councils of the Northern Jurisdiction (PHA) and the
United Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction (PHA).
The constitutions for the Southern Jurisdiction were established in
1887 and revised in 1917 and 1955. The Southern Jurisdiction for the
United Supreme Council, PHA, consists of the states: AL, AR, FL, GA,
KT, LA, MD, MS, Missouri, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV, the
territories of Arizona, New Mexico, the District of Columbia, and
Alaska. The Northern Jurisdiction consists of the following states:
CO, Connecticut, DE, ID, Illinois, IN, IO, KA, Maine, Mass, MI,
Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, NH, NJ, NY, ND, OH, OR,
Pennsylvania, RI, SD, UT, VT, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and
that of the states outside Continental United States. Alaska shall
belong to the Northern also.
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