Socialist Party of the United States of America, Dover, New Hampshire Local records,
- Author:
- Socialist Party (Dover, N.H.)
- Call Number:
- MSS-113 local
- Abstract:
- This collection contains the records of the Dover, New Hampshire Local of the Socialist Party. The majority of records date from the years 1895-1901, when the Local was affiliated with the Socialist Labor Party. A smaller quantity of records documents the years after 1901, when the Local was affiliated with the Socialist Party of America. The collection includes a wide variety of records which document the various activities of the Local. An extensive file of letters to and from chapter organizer Benjamin T. Whitehouse documents the routine business of the Local, its contacts with other labor organizations and its participation in the factional conficts within the Socialist Labor Party. Numerous fliers and posters document the Local's political campaigns and public rallies, and a file of pamphlets explains the Socialist political platform in detail. Invoices and receipts record the financial transactions of the Local, while its social makeup is suggested by its 1895 and 1901 charters, in which members are listed by occupation. The later activity of the local is documented by a record book for the years 1916-1923 which contains meeting minutes and other records of official business.
- Historical Note:
- The Dover, New Hampshire Local of the Socialist Party was first chartered in 1895 as an affiliate of the Socialist Labor Party. Twenty Dover residents, mostly skilled tradesmen and unskilled laborers, signed the initial charter of affiliation. Benjamin T. Whitehouse was the organizer. The local held rallies, ran candidates for local, state and national office and distributed copies of The People, the Socialist Labor Party's national newspaper, to local labor organizations. At the national level, the Socialist Labor Party was in turmoil during the years 1895-1900 as a faction supporting party boss Daniel De Leon fought with a faction supporting Morris Hillquit. In 1901 Hillquit's organization broke with the Socialist Labor Party and established itself as the Socialist Party of America. The Dover local sided with this new party and became its local branch. The local continued to exist throughout World War I and the early 1920s, when Socialists were persecuted for their opposition to the war. The last documented activity in this collection dates from 1923.
- Physical Description:
- 0.20 linear ft
- Access Terms:
- Access to the collection is unrestricted.
- Notes:
- Part of the Business, Literary, and Miscellany Collection. local
- Subjects:
- Socialism United States, Politics and government, and Socialism
- Genres/Forms:
- Correspondence. aat, Fliers (printed matter) aat, Minutes. aat, Charters. aat, Resolutions (administrative records) aat, Pamphlets. aat, and Receipts (financial records) aat
- Names:
- Whitehouse, Benjamin T
- Corporate Names:
- Socialist Party (Dover, N.H.), Socialist Party (U.S.), Socialist Labor Party, Socialist Labor Party, and Socialist Party (U.S.)
- Geographic Terms:
- New Hampshire Politics and government, New Hampshire, and United States
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