American Civil Liberties Union Records: Subgroup 2, Audiovisual Materials Series
Notifications
Held at: Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); American Civil Liberties Union Records, Box and Folder Number; Public Policy Papers, Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
The American Civil Liberties Union Records document the activities of the Union in protecting individual rights from 1920 through 1995. The files contain materials on freedom of speech, expression, and association; due process of law; equality before the law; legal case files; and organizational records. Within these categories files reflect subject areas such as academic freedom, censorship, racial discrimination, aliens' rights, privacy concerns, labor concerns, amnesty, and government loyalty and security. The files reflect work on litigation, advocacy and public policy, and subject files on various areas of interest connected with civil liberties. Materials include correspondence, court documents, memoranda, printed matter, minutes, reports, briefs, and legal files. Also included are materials from ACLU affiliate organizations, and the Lawyers Constitutional Defense Committee.
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.
These Records document the activities of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in protecting individual rights between 1947 and 1995. The collection contains correspondence, clippings, court documents, memoranda, printed matter, minutes, reports, briefs, legal files, exhibit materials, and audio-visual materials. Also included are materials from ACLU affiliate organizations, the Lawyers Constitutional Defense Committee and national office legal department records (1945-1960).
Due to the exceptionally large volume within the ACLU Records, succinct series and subseries descriptions have been written, providing a basic outline of the records available. The researcher should always consult the folder list to ascertain if the records contain a topic of interest since not all subjects are mentioned in these brief descriptions.
The researcher should also be aware that many topics may be covered in more than one series or subseries. For instance, materials concerning freedom of the press are located in both the Mass Communications and Censorship subseries. Often the series descriptions note similar materials found in other parts of this collection. Due to limitations in processing time, not every file is in exact chronological or alphabetical order.
Historical sketch based on In Defense of American Liberties: A History of the ACLU by Samuel Walker. See also Samuel Walker's The American Civil Liberties Union: An Annotated Bibliography.
Public records of the ACLU from 1917 to 1989, have been microfilmed by the Microfilming Corporation of America (MCA) and University Microfilms International (UMI). These records include minutes of the board of directors, mailings to the board of directors, biennial conference papers, policy guides, the national legal docket, organization manuals, constitution and bylaws, legal briefs, and publications. The American Civil Liberties Union Records and Publications 1917-1975: A Guide to the Microfilm Edition and succeeding guides to these materials are available in the reference room, and the microfilm itself is located in the microforms reading room.
The bound volumes of ACLU records covering 1917 through 1946 (volumes 1-2762) have been microfilmed and researchers must use the microfilm in order to prevent further deterioration of the these fragile volumes. Researchers should consult the finding aid to the earlier ACLU records (1917-1946) for their description and arrangement.
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.
This collection was processed by Paula Jabloner in 1994-1996 with the assistance of Assistant Archivist for Technical Services Daniel Linke, Special Collections Assistants Amy Escott, Claire Johnston, Alison McCuaig, and Tom Rosko, and students Laurie Alexander, Christina Aragon, Laura Burt, Jue Chen, Clement Doyle, Joe Faber, Said Farah, Boyd Goodson, Naomi Harlin, Janet Hine, Matthew Honahan, Katherine Johnson, Damian Long, Theresa Marchitto, Laura Myones, Olivia Kew, Grace Koo, Dan Sack, Bijan Salehizadeh, Tina Wang, Kyle Weston, and Elizabeth Williamson.
American Civil Liberties Union, Washington, D.C. Office Records
American United for the Separation of Church and State Records
Roger N. Baldwin Papers
Osmond K. Fraenkel Diaries
Fund for the Republic Records
Arthur Garfield Hays Papers
Peggy Lamson Collection on Roger N. Baldwin
Law Students Civil Rights Research Council Records
PEN American Center Records (at Firestone Library)
During the processing of this collection, many items were discarded, including newspaper clippings from the New York Times and other major newspapers, government publications, well- known serial publications, and publications and large distribution memoranda from well-known and well-documented organizations such as the American Jewish Committee or Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.
These papers were processed with the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the John Foster and Janet Avery Dulles Fund.
Access Restrictions
Subgroup 2 is open for research use.
Use Restrictions
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. For quotations that are fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. For those few instances beyond fair use, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold the copyright and obtaining approval from them. Researchers do not need anything further from the Mudd Library to move forward with their use.
Collection Inventory
Scope and Contents
The Audio Visual Series contains VHS video cassette tapes, Beta video cassette tapes, 1" and 2" video tape, 16 mm film, 2-inch videotape, microfilm, audio cassettes, 33 1/3 rpm and 45 rpm records, photographs, and reel-to-reel audio tapes. All of the audio-visual material is arranged by format, then chronologically, except for the photographs which are arranged alphabetically by subject or individual.
The VHS video tapes contain a few sessions from the 1989 Biennial Conference, but primarily consist of TV talk shows, press conferences, network news, and documentaries covering a wide range of civil liberties issues. Most shows feature one or more ACLU-affiliated guests. The VHS tapes span 1979 through 1992, and 1995.
The audio cassettes consist almost entirely of recordings of the sessions from the 1985, 1987, and 1989 Biennial Conferences. Also included are three tapes from Series 3, Subject Files: Deprogramming. For the 1985 Conference, a list of the presenter(s) of the various sessions is provided, however, this information was not available for the 1987 and 1989 Conferences.
The reel-to-reel audio tapes are divided into two sections: seven-inch reels and five-inch reels. The seven-inch reels contain debates involving Fulton Lewis III from the early 1960s, recordings from the 1970 Biennial Conference, and various ACLU board meetings from 1973-1976. The five-inch reels contain ACLU public service announcements. There are a few reels, both seven- inch and five-inch, that are presently unidentified.
The 16mm films include TV shows and films that the ACLU had significant interest in, including "Operation Abolition," a 1960 propaganda film prepared by the House Committee on Un-American Activities distorting the events of a student protest against the HUAC hearings in San Francisco. Also included is the response film "Operation Correction."
The photographs are primarily portraits and group photos of ACLU officials. Negatives for some of the photographs are also enclosed. There are also a few slides. The 2" video tapes consist of eight reels from the "Rights of Americans" series and "commercial spots" for the Amnesty Project.
Arrangement
Series 6 is arranged by form and alphabetically or chronologically therein.
Physical Description
70 boxes
Physical Description
16 boxes
60 Minutes, Roger Baldwin interview, 1979 March 11. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
MacNeil-Lehrer Report; Roger Baldwin, 1979 April 25. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Copy of Tapes 1979-1 and 1979-2: MacNeil-Lehrer Report; Roger Baldwin, 1979 March-1979 April. 1 box.
Scope and Contents
U-matic, KSP-S20
Physical Description
1 box
Phil Donahue, The Moral Majority; Ira Glasser, 1981. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
C-SPAN, Libel Law Call-In Program; Ira Glasser, 1984 December 13. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
World News Tonite, The Sanctuary: Nuns Hiding Illegal Aliens, 1985 May 27. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Constitution at 200, The Constitution; Burt Neuborne, 1986 April 2. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Rights in Jeopardy, Gay Rights and AIDS: The role of the ACLU; Dave Waxy, John Barboni (KC), Tom Stoddard, 1986. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Main Street (NBC), Euthanasia; Nancy Cruzan, 1986. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Phil Donahue, AIDS Testing; Nan Hunter, 1986. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Phil Donahue, various shows, Drug Testing; Ira Glasser, 1986. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
ICWU Convention, Drug Testing in the Workplace; Ira Glasser, others, 1986. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
ICWU Convention, Drug Testing in the Workplace; Ira Glasser, others, 1986. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
MacNeil Lehrer, Preventative Detention: Jail Without Bail; Al Bronstein, 1987 January 21. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Bill Moyers Documentary, In Search of the Constitution: National Defense, Drugs, Abortion, etc, 1987 June 7. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Bill Moyers Documentary, In Search of the Constitution: 1987 v. the Constitution, 1987 June 7. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Indiana CLU TV ad, Know Your Rights about the Bill of Rights, 1987 August 20. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
C-SPAN, Nomination of Robert Bork: ACLU opposes; Norman Dorsen, Ira Glasser, Halperin, Powell, 1987 August 31. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
We The People 200, The Constitutional Gala, 1987 October 16. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
We The People 200, The Constitutional Gala, 1987 October 16. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Bill Moyers Special Report, The Secret Government... The Constitution in Crisis, Iran Contra Affair (Pt. 1), 1987 November 4. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Bill Moyers Special Report, The Secret Government... The Constitution in Crisis, Iran Contra Affair (Pt. 2), 1987 November 4. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Town Meeting, Race and the Constitution: A Panel; Wade Henderson, 1987 November 12. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
CBS News Nightwatch, Abortion and Forced C- sections; Lynn Paltrow, 1987 December. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Good Morning America, Reproductive Freedom: Forced C-sections; Lynn Paltrow, 1987 December 2. 1 box.
1. Michael Harrington and Fulton Lewis III Debate at the University of Connecticut, 1961 March. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
2. Michael Harrington and Fulton Lewis III Debate at the University of Connecticut (cont'd), 1961 March. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
What is Un-American? TV Debate with David Susskind as Moderator, Fulton Lewis III, M. Stanton Evans Godfrey Schmidt, Arthur Cohen, John H. Faulk and Frank Donner, 1961 October. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
4. Mazey and Fulton Lewis III Debate at Delta College Michigan, 1963 March 21. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
5. "Hate is a Wrong-Way Street" WINS Documentary Editorial, Part I of II, 08/25. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
6. "Hate is a Wrong-Way Street" WINS Documentary Editorial, Part II of II, 08/27. 1 box.
Rubin, Steve (with bombed out car), dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Schroeter, Leonard, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Schwartzschild, Henry, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Slaff, George, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Speiser, Lawrence, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Stevenson, Adlai, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Stokes, Helen, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Strickland, Ann, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Ten Eyck, Barent, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Tydings, Senator Joseph, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Wechsler, James, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Whiteside, Howard, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Williams, Edward Bennett, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Wood, L. Hollingsworth, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Wulf, Mel, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Physical Description
1 box
R. Baldwin, M. Tree, A. Macleish 12/3, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
R. Baldwin, J. Pemberton, P. Malin, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
R. Baldwin, A. Schlesinger, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
P. Malin, A. Hays, G.W. Waring, E. Angell, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
J. Pemberton, unidentified, 1963. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
S. Teller, C. Darrow, Brophy, (12/28), dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
A. Hays (plus negative), dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Physical Description
9 boxes
1. The Rights of Americans, 1976. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
2. The Rights of Americans, 1976. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
3. The Rights of Americans, 1976. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
4. The Rights of Americans, 1976. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
5. The Rights of Americans, 1976. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
6. The Rights of Americans, 1976. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
7. The Rights of Americans, 1976. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
8. The Rights of Americans, 1976. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Amnesty Spots, 1970s. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Physical Description
1 box
Microfiche, index cards, and program guide for Microsources "The Bill of Rights in the 20th Century," an instructional collection of primary source material, 1980. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Physical Description
18 boxes
Physical Description
11 boxes
Civil Liberties, 1931-1992. 3 boxes.
Physical Description
3 boxes
Affiliate Publications, undated. 6 boxes.
Physical Description
6 boxes
Miscellaneous, undated. 2 boxes.
Physical Description
2 boxes
Scope and Contents
Printed Material culled from Series 2, Project Files and Series 3, Subject Files includes:
Physical Description
3 boxes
Civil Rights, Government, International Civil Liberties, Labor and Business, Mass Communications, and Mental Health Issues, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Military Rights (Amnesty Project) and Miscellaneous, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Native Americans and Women's Rights, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Physical Description
4 boxes
AFL-CIO News - Clarion, undated. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Civil Rights News - Just Us, undated. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Lancaster Independent - Quash, undated. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Rights - Miscellaneous pamphlets and posters, undated. 1 box.
Physical Description
1 box
Posters, 1969. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents
Includes: 1) Lesbian and Gay Rights Project poster; 2) "Owners of the War Machine are the Real Criminals" (Chicago); 3) 1969 reprint from The Advance: "Dissent: The Basic Right of a Free People."