Philadelphia’s First Catholic Cathedral

...when a second church was needed for the growing number of Catholics in the city. Built on land originally bought to serve as a cemetery for Old St. Joseph’s, Old St. Mary’s was referred to as “Mission Number 1” as St. Joseph’s was seen as the principal place of worship.

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Thomas Nast Anti-Irish Cartoons

...In the immediate aftermath of the Orange Riot of July 12, 1871 in New York City, in which Irish Catholics clashed with the National Guard protecting an Irish Protestant parade, Nast drew a number of anti-Irish cartoons for Harper’s Weekly. One cartoon illustrated the Draft Riots of July 1863, where

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St. Peter Claver

...1906.[12] Eventually, the parish became the mother church for the growing number of Black Catholic churches in the city. The church would continue to play an important part in the lives of Black Catholics until its closure in 1985.[13] Despite the church’s closure, the spirit of the parish lived on

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Friendly and Adopted Sons

...s were held at a rotating number of taverns in Philadelphia, including the City Tavern. However, no meetings were held during the occupation of the city by the British during the Revolution.[4] The Friendly Sons, despite being a social group, took a definite stance on the American Revolution. It expelled

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