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THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
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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

Traveling trunk used by George Thompson Garrison in the Civil War

Date
ca. 1860
Manufactured by
Crouch & Fitzgerald, American, founded 1839
Owned by
George Thompson Garrison, American, 1836 - 1904
Subject of
55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, American, 1863 - 1865
Description
A traveling trunk owned by George Thompson Garrison while serving as an officer with the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The wood, leather bound trunk is embossed throughout with four rows of brass rivets along the front, top and back of the base and lid. The leather is also stitched along the edges and lip of the trunk. Two metal buckles attached to leather straps are on the left and right sides of the front. A leather strap is attached to the top left of the trunk but the top right strap is removed. The removed strap is broken into nine pieces and includes a meral buckle. The leather is a different color where the original strap was located. A hinged lock plate is on the front of the base with the locking mechanism directly above it on the lid. Embossed below the lock plate on the base is “CROUCH & FITZGERALD / MAKERS / New York.” Embossed on the left and right sides of the trunk is “Geo T. Garrison.” The interior of the trunk has a removable cloth lined tray and a red leather pouch embedded into the cloth lined lid. Underneath the tray is a canvas bag with “Geo T. Garrison.” printed on each side in black paint. The canvas bag is torn in several places.
Place made
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Place used
Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Military
Slavery
U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Tools and Equipment
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
2010.24a-d
Type
trunks (containers)
Restrictions & Rights
No known copyright restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
wood, leather, cotton, metal
Dimensions
trunk: 18 × 31 × 17 in. (45.7 × 78.7 × 43.2 cm)
insert tray: 3 9/16 × 29 5/8 × 15 3/4 in. (9 × 75.3 × 40 cm)
canvas bag: 12 5/8 × 30 11/16 × 16 9/16 in. (32 × 78 × 42 cm)
Title
Object Name • Traveling trunk used by George Thompson Garrison in the Civil War
Record ID
nmaahc_2010.24a-d
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
TRAVELING TRUNK USED BY GEORGE THOMPSON GARRISON IN THE CIVIL WAR
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1850s • 1870s
Name
Crouch & Fitzgerald • Garrison, George Thompson • 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
Place
New York City • United States • North and Central America • Massachusetts • Suffolk County • South Carolina • Boston
Topic
Slavery • U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865 • Military
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • New York City • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • City • Boston • County • Suffolk County • State • Massachusetts • State • South Carolina
Type
Trunks (containers)
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.

NMAAHC

Traveling trunk used by George Thompson Garrison in the Civil War

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Notebook of lists and accounts made by George T. Garrison

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Photograph of P. T. Miller

Date: Date

Description

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NMAAHC

Carte-de-visite of P. T. Miller

Date: Date

Description

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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

Who was the first African-American woman millionaire in the United States?

Madam C.J. Walker