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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

Broadside offering reward for the capture of Maria, Susan, and Harriet Johnson

Date
March 15, 1848
Created by
Charles Alexander Burnett, American, 1769 - 1849
Printed by
Murphy's General Printing Establishment, American
Subject of
Susan Johnson
Harriet Johnson
Maria Johnson
Description
A letterpress broadside offering a reward for the capture of Maria, Susan and Harriet Johnson, three fugitive enslaved girls owned by Charles Alexander Burnett. The broadside features large, bold, black print, which from top to bottom reads: [$250 / REWARD! / RANAWAY FROM THE SUBSCRIBER / 3 NEGRO GIRLS / MARIA JOHNSON, aged about 25 years, SUSAN JOHN- / SON, aged about 20 years, both full faces, thick set, and / rather dark mulattoes. Susan has a defect in one arm, / which causes her to use it somewhat awkwardly. HAIR - / RIET is about 13 years old, small and much darker com- / plexion than the others. All are sisters, and, at the time / they ran off, were serving as house-servants. / $100 each will be given for Susan and Maria, and $50 / for Harriet, if delivered to me in Georgetown, D. C., or / lodged in Baltimore County, or Montgomery County Jail. / For further information call on C. Levering & Clark, / Baltimore, or the subscriber. / C. A. BURNETT, / GEORGETOWN, D. C. / March 15, 1848. / Printed at MURPHY’S General Printing Establishment, 178 Market street, Baltimore.].
After printing, Burnett apparently requested several edits to make the three sisters easier to spot. The changes were added in manuscript, noting that Maria "is darker than a mulatto"; Susan "is a light mulatto" with a "scar on her left elbow"; and Harriet "is short but heavy . . . and is left-handed." The docketing on verso reads "1848 C.A. Burnett vs. 3 girls."
Place depicted
Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
Place printed
Georgetown, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Children
Families
Fugitive enslaved
Self-liberation
Slavery
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Memorabilia and Ephemera - Advertisements
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
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2020.26.8
Type
broadsides
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
ink on wove paper
Dimensions
H x W: 11 3/4 × 9 1/2 in. (29.8 × 24.1 cm)
Title
Object Name • Broadside offering reward for the capture of Maria, Susan, and Harriet Johnson
Record ID
nmaahc_2020.26.8
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
BROADSIDE OFFERING REWARD FOR THE CAPTURE OF MARIA, SUSAN, AND HARRIET JOHNSON
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1840s
Name
Johnson, Harriet • Burnett, Charles Alexander • Johnson, Maria • Murphy's General Printing Establishment • Johnson, Susan
Place
District of Columbia • Baltimore • United States • North and Central America • Maryland • Georgetown
Topic
Slavery • Women • Self-liberation • Family • Fugitive enslaved • Children
Culture
African Americans
Exhibition
NMAAHC • Slavery and Freedom
Geo Location
City • Baltimore • State • Maryland • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • Locale • Georgetown • State • District of Columbia
Type
Broadsides (notices)
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.

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NMAAHC

Postcard from a Grand United Order of Odd Fellows convention in Baltimore

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

The Justices' Practice Under the Laws of Maryland

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Broadside offering reward for the capture of Maria, Susan, and Harriet Johnson

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Certificate of enlistment for Tilghman Detter

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 Supreme Court case ruled state-sponsored public-school segregation unconstitutional?

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.