American Civil Liberties Union Records: Subgroup 1, The Roger Baldwin Years, 1917-1950

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Collection Overview

Creator:

American civil liberties union

Title:

American Civil Liberties Union Records: Subgroup 1, The Roger Baldwin Years

Repository:

Public Policy Papers

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/rj430454b

Dates:

1917-1950

Size:

22 boxes, 46 items, 5 oversize folders, and 1928 Volumes

Storage Note:

Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Boxes 1-12; 5678-5686; 5721

Language:

English

Abstract: The American Civil Liberties Union Records, The Roger Baldwin years, document the activities of the ACLU from 1917 through 1950. The files contain materials on conscientious objection, freedom of speech, academic freedom, censorship, and labor concerns. The files reflect work on litigation, advocacy, and public policy. Materials include correspondence and newspaper clippings. Subgroup 1 has been digitized in its entirety and is available for members of the Princeton community to view here. To view the database from outside Princeton University, please see the Guide to the American Civil Liberties Union Records.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The American Civil Liberties Union Records, The Roger Baldwin years, document the activities of the ACLU from 1917 through 1950. The files contain materials on conscientious objection, freedom of speech, academic and religious freedom, censorship, labor rights, the Espionage Act of 1917, political demonstrations, political propaganda, the Ku Klux Klan and other patrioteering organizations, mob violence, racism, lynching, and other civil liberty issues. Materials include correspondence and newspaper clippings. Please see the series descriptions for additional descriptive information.

This collection consists of 1,886 bound volumes of records from the years 1917-1946, 226 volumes of loose records from 1946-1950, and three boxes (Appendixes 1-3) that contain material primarily from 1940-1946, much of which are available on microfilm. The microfilm does not include complete runs of administrative material such as board minutes, some materials relating to files on the removal of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn from the board, various labor issues, and radio censorship. There are 228 reels of microfilm in the collection.

Arrangement

This finding aid provides two different arrangements for the materials. Series 1: Reel Contents - American Civil Liberties Union Microfilm are in the order that the materials are physically arranged: in the volumes first by format (correspondence or newspaper clippings) and then chronologically. Series 2: Clippings and Series 3: Correspondence provide an alternate arrangement of these same materials, organized by subject.

Collection Creator Biography:

American civil liberties union

The ACLU is the preeminent civil liberties organization in the United States. The ACLU describes itself as "our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country." Since its inception in 1920, the ACLU has played a part in nearly every significant American social or political issue in the 20th century. This includes important work in the areas of civil rights, children and women's rights, freedom of speech (and all First Amendment questions), and due process, among many others.

For a more detailed history of the ACLU, please see the history in the finding aid for the processed portion of the ACLU Records.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Gifted to the New York Public Library by Albert DeSilver, the Director of the National Civil Liberties Bureau in 1920. The New York Public Library deaccessioned the papers in 1953 to Princeton's Firestone Library. In 1976, the records were transferred to the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library.

Material relating to a 1912 Industrial Workers of the World free speech trial in San Diego, California is included in the collection. As it precedes the creation of the ACLU, its origin is unknown.

Custodial History

The initial donation to the New York Public Library consisted of 10 volumes of canvas-backed post-bound original documents and clippings pasted on paper that were numbered starting with 1 for each year. NYPL removed the originals from the post-bindings, and pasted them into scrapbooks. This process increased the number of volumes and split materials that were originally described as a single volume. Volumes were renumbered with a combination of volume and letter designations (for example, 595A and 595B).

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Subgroup 1 is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

American Civil Liberties Union Records: Subgroup 1, The Roger Baldwin Years; Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/rj430454b

Location:

Public Policy Papers

Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library

65 Olden Street

Princeton, NJ 08540, USA

(609) 258-6345

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Storage Note:

Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Boxes 1-12; 5678-5686; 5721

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Existence and Location of Copies

Microfilm of these volumes is available at the Mudd Manuscript Library. Additionally, digital images of volumes 1-71, 73-125, 127-135, and 138-141 are available online as downloadable PDFs. Please see the Reel Contents List for access to electronic copies.

FOR DIGITIZED CONTENT: Subgroup 1 has been digitized in its entirety and is available for members of the Princeton community to view here.

Other Finding Aids

The ACLU Card Index (1917-1946) lists materials in this collection first chronologically and then by subject or name (original index cards are now located in AC123, Library Records). Please use the linked Card Index Subjects list and Names list (individuals are found under the heading "people" in the index) to identify relevant index terms and the years in which they appear. The cards provide reel (r), volume, and page numbers for each subject. This index has several limitations. Names are not indexed exhaustively, and material from 1946-1950 is not included. To gain access to these years, please use the Reel Contents and Series lists.

This finding aid describes a portion of the American Civil Liberties Union Records held at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library. For an overview of the entire collection, instructions on searching the collection and requesting materials, and other information, please see the Guide to the American Civil Liberties Union Records.

Subject Terms:

Genre Terms:

Briefs.
Clippings.
Correspondence
Legal correspondence.
Legal documents.
Records.

Collection Overview

Abstract

Collection Description & Creator Information

Collection History

Access & Use

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