Pamphlets in American History: Civil Liberties

Location: McKeldin Library
Call Number: Microfiche JC599.U5P38

(197 fiche)

Description

This is a collection of pamphlets and reports on topics of interest to civil libertarians. It spans the period from 1917 to 1975.

Each of the microfiche which constitute this collection has been given a numerical designation on its upper right hand corner and then filed in numerical order. The numbering system used to organize this collection corresponds to the collection's chronological order.

Pamphlets in American History: Civil Liberties is a collection of 182 pamphlets and reports. The overwhelming preponderance of these items were produced under the sponsorship of the American Civil Liberties Union and were filmed from originals housed in the library of the ACLU. Spanning the time period from 1917 through 1975, they cover civil liberties issues ranging from conscription during the First World War to the use of the Freedom of Information Act during the early 1970's.

A good example of the type of material included in this collection is a 1931 ACLU report by Hollace Ransdell on the “Scottsboro Boys” case. This document certainly has a point of view but makes a real effort to illustrate that point of view within the limits of the available facts. As a result, it is as good a source of information on the Scottsboro case as it is on the attitudes of civil libertarians towards the case.

There is no guide to this microfilm collection nor have the titles it includes yet been added to the UM Libraries' online catalog. To identify titles in the collection, use the database WorldCat. (This is available off campus only to members of the University of Maryland community, who will have to enter their barcode number to gain access.) Type Pamphlets in American History Civil Liberties in one box and a word or words to describe the topic you are interested in (for example, conscription) in another. The record will give you a “CL” number, which you can use to retrieve the microfiche.