Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1661

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

• .4 linear feet (1 box)
• 754.1 megabyte(s)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Allan Koss photographs of the Bicentennial Protest, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1976 July 3-4, Ms. Coll. 1661, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania.

Date:

1976 july 3-4, 2014 (inclusive)

Creator:

Koss, Allan Lee

Form:

Computer source media, Photographic prints, Photographs, Negatives (photographic), and Slides (photographs)

Abstract:

Allan Lee Koss (born 1943-1944) is a photographer who is known for his social documentaries. In 1976, Koss photographed an event that has been called "The 1976 Counter-Bicentennial," the Bicentennial Protest," "People's '76," and the "Battle of the Bicentennial." This protest took place in Philadelphia on July 4, at the same time as the official Bicentennial events and consisted of a parade in North Philadelphia intended to highlight the injustices suffered by portions of the American population. This collection consists of photographs of the Bicentennial Protest on July 4, 1976 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, taken by photographer Allan Lee Koss. In addition to black and white and color photographic prints, there are black and white negatives, color slides, digitized photographs, and promotional material created by Koss related to the protests.

Allan Lee Koss (born 1943-1944) is a photographer who is known for his social documentaries. He was raised in Chicago, on the southwest side, graduating from Kelly High School and attending Northeastern Illinois University. According to Kogan, the self-taught Koss used a Nikon camera that was a gift from his father, and "took his camera to the chaos surrounding the 1968 Democratic Convention and the more sedate 1996 edition. He was shooting photos at various protests and marches over the years. He was at Woodstock. He shot pictures in San Francisco, where he lived for a while. He shot in Mexico. He shot graffiti and gang signs. He shot chillingly intimate photos of drug addicts, and civil rights gatherings, and parades …" (Kogan).

Over the years, Koss has driven taxi cabs and worked in building maintenance in Chicago. His photographs have been included in "published books in collaboration with and about other photographers," (Kogan) and in his own book, Fares: Chicago Taxicab Portraits.

In 1976, Koss photographed an event that has been called "The 1976 Counter-Bicentennial," the Bicentennial Protest," "People's '76," and the Battle of the Bicentennial." This protest took place in Philadelphia on July 4, at the same time as the official Bicentennial events which included, "a parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a covered wagon pilgrimage to Valley Forge, a large birthday cake," (Comberg). The protest, organized by the July 4th Coalition and the Rich Off Our Backs Coalition, consisted of a "40,000 person parade that snaked through the streets of working-class North Philly … [of people who] took issue not with a particular policy issue but with the Bicentennial's progress narrative writ large, aiming to illuminate forms of American oppression that remained alive and well in the late seventies," (Comberg). Activists including Black liberation groups, Indigenous peoples, Puerto Rican socialists, unemployed workers, Vietnam veterans, women's rights advocates, and others joined to highlight "the effects of racism, sexism, military spending and social services cutbacks," (Leff). The plans for these protests resulted in "Mayor [Frank] Rizzo ... request[ing] 15,000 federal troops to maintain order, a request that was denied," (Eggert-Crowe) and ultimately unnecessary because the demonstrations were peaceful.

Works cited:

Comberg, Ella. "The Battle of the Bicentennial: American Revolution as Monument," Monument Lab, 2022 April 11. (https://monumentlab.com/bulletin/the-battle-of-the-bicentennial-the-american-revolution-as-monument), accessed 2025 June 2.

Eggert-Crowe, Madison and Scott Gabriel Knowles. "Bicentennial (976)", Philadelphia Encyclopedia. (https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/bicentennial-1976/) accessed 2025 June 2

Kogan, Rick. "Have camera, will travel: A Chicago tax driver took pictures of his passengers for years. His new book is titled 'Fares,]" Chicago Tribune. 2023 January 18. (https://www.chicagotribune.com/2023/01/18/have-camera-will-travel-a-chicago-taxi-driver-took-pictures-of-his-passengers-for-years-his-new-book-is-titled-fares/) , accessed 2025 June 2

Leff, Lisa and Marianne Yen. "Philadelphia Opens Door to Protestors: Constitution's Gala to Include Dissent," Washington Post, 1987 September 16, (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/09/16/philadelphia-opens-door-to-protesters/53d8d61d-7756-4774-96c4-5f8354006e84/) accessed 2025 June 2

This collection consists of photographs of the Bicentennial Protest on July 4, 1976 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, taken by photographer Allan Lee Koss. In addition to black and white and color photographic prints, there are black and white negatives, color slides, digitized photographs, and promotional material created by Koss related to the protests.

There are four photographic prints which were taken on July 3, 1976, documenting a Chicago contingency of protesters preparing to depart Humboldt Park, Chicago, for Philadelphia on buses. Images show groups of individuals (unidentified) posing casually for Koss or preparing to board buses.

The bulk of the photographs in the collection are black and white photographic prints taken on July 4, 1976. These images document the protest parade with marchers with banners; the community members watching the parade; and the police presence required by Rizzo. There are also a number of photographs of the protesters relaxing in a park, probably before or after the parade. No images are labeled with names or organizations; although banners provide context for the marchers. There are roughly 20 color photographic prints documenting the event in the same manner as the black and white prints. In his inventory, Koss states that these prints were for reference. The photographic negatives and contact sheets (black and white) and the slides (color) correspond to the photographic prints. Finally, there is a cd (restricted) which contains digitized images. The files from the cd have been processed and are available in the reading room.

There is a copy of Koss's 28-minute silent movie (available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DathSSvtaU8 and in the reading room) as well as a brochure/publication entitled "Bicentennial Protest, July 4, 1976, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA," which highlights select photographs from the collection. This movie appears to have been made in 2014.