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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. |