Freedom Forum records,
- Author:
- Freedom Forum.
- Call Number:
- MSS APAP-124 local
- Abstract:
- This collection documents the activities of the Freedom Forum from 1959-1978. The collection includes information on the organization from the period when it depended on donations through the time it gained its independence. The Freedom Forum records include administrative files, news clippings, handwritten notes, and correspondence. The news clippings and a single western union telegram have been photocopied. Communication between Freedom Forum and speakers, or potential speakers, is most abundant in this collection. The correspondence files include a note to Freedom Forum from Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa. Correspondence also exists from scientist Dr. Thomas O. Paine, manager of Engineering Applications at General Electric, Dick Gregory, and John V. Lindsey. The largest correspondence files are the 1967 and 1968 files. These files reflect the organization's interest in the 1968 presidential election and its candidates. During those years the organization invited George Wallace, former governor of Alabama, Hubert Humphrey, and human rights activist Dick Gregory to share their opinions. Correspondence for the years 1944-1964 is not available in the collection.
- Historical Note:
- The Freedom Forum was organized in 1943 in Schenectady, New York by the Subcommittee on Post War Planning of the Citizens Unity Committee of the Schenectady County Consolidated War Council. The Freedom Forum's priority was to promote an interest in civic and educational topics of the day. This dedication motivated Freedom Forum to bring notable lecturers to Schenectady. Freedom Forum by-laws state: "The policy of Freedom Forum, Inc. is to help in spreading factual information and in the discovery of truths concerning issues about which there are two or more points of view." Early in Freedom Forum's history the organization lacked control over lecturers because of its dependence on other organizations such as the Y.W.C.A and Union College who helped to sponsor the first lecture series. Freedom Forum opened memberships to the public at an annual subscription fee that allowed subscribers to participate in lectures and vote at meetings. Under the leadership of Reverend Edwin H. Wilson, Freedom Forum used these funds to become independent in 1944 and assume control over decisions on speakers. The first Freedom Forum speaker was author and scientist William Agar who lectured on September 27, 1943, on the topic of "The World We Want," which dealt with solutions to domestic problems at the end of World War II. Other subjects considered for discussion were the Vietnam War, contraception, abortion laws, and inflation. Well-known speakers included Jimmy Hoffa, Margaret Mead, and Dr. John Rock, the developer of the first oral contraceptive pill. The records do not specifically state the date of the groups disbandment, but the reduction in the number of subscriptions, decrease in amount of board members, and the inactivity of the remaining board members may have influenced the demise of the organization. The last program mentioned in the collection is May 8, 1978.
- Physical Description:
- .4 cu. ft
- Access Terms:
- Access to the collection is unrestricted.
- Notes:
- Part of the Archives of Public Affairs and Policy. local
- Subjects:
- Civil rights, Community organization New York (State) Schenectady, Political participation New York (State) Schenectady, Social conflict New York (State) Schenectady, Civil rights, Community organization, Political participation, and Social conflict
- Genres/Forms:
- Clippings. aat, Minutes. aat, Notes. aat, Photographs. aat, and Correspondence. aat
- Names:
- Hoffa, James R. (James Riddle), 1913-, Rock, John, 1890-1984, Hoffa, James R. (James Riddle), 1913-, and Rock, John, 1890-1984
- Geographic Terms:
- New York (State) Schenectady
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