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Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Communist Party of the United States of America

Call Number

PE.031

Date

1918-2004, inclusive

Creator

Tamiment Library

Extent

12 Linear Feet (14 boxes)

Language of Materials

Materials are in English

Abstract

The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Communist Party of the United States of America is an artificial collection, collected and assembled by the Tamiment Library over the course of several decades. It consists of a wide selection of printed matter produced by the CPUSA from the 1920s up through 2004. This includes fliers, brochures, open letters, constitutions, pamphlets and other publications, offering both a general introduction to the CPUSA as well as an in depth look into the types of public material produced by the organization. Also included in the collection is material from various state and local parties, with a large portion coming from New York State and New York City. There are also materials from the CPUSA's various youth affiliates, the Young Communist League and the Young Workers Liberation League as well as from CPUSA antecedants and affiliated organizations. Lastly, the collection consists of pamphlets put out by CPUSA presses, including their paper, The Daily Worker, and such publishing houses as International Publishers, New Century Publishers, and Workers Library Publishers.

Historical/Biographical Note

The Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) was founded in 1919 by members of the left wing of the Socialist Party USA. The CPUSA played an important role in the labor movement, particularly in the building of the Congress of Industrial Organizations in the 1930s-1940s, in struggles for civil rights for African Americans. Its cultural initiatives in the 1930s attracted a number of prominent artists and intellectuals, and its struggles to attain and maintain its legality were an important chapter in the history of U.S. civil liberties.

In 2009, the Communist Party of the United States of America and the Library of the Reference Center for Marxist Studies donated its collection to the Tamiment Library.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into five series: Series I: CPUSA General Files, 1920-2004; Series II: CPUSA State and Local Files, 1929-1987; Series III: Affiliated and Youth Organizations, 1918-1987; Series IV: Presses and Publishing Houses, 1920-1998; Series V: Oversize, 1932-1949. Folders are arranged alphabetically within series.

Scope and Content Note

The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Communist Party of the United States of America consists of constitutions, convention proceedings, reports, memoranda and press releases as well as printed ephemera such as fliers, brochures, circular letters, newspapers clippings, pamphlets and publications.

Series I: CPUSA General Files, 1920-1987, contains a wide selection of printed material put out by the CPUSA at the national level. When noted, material has been separated by committee, commission or department, with a large portion coming from the Central Committee, the National Campaign Committee, and the National Education Department, though there are also files on the National Farm, Negro, Teachers, Veterans, and Women's Commissions.

Series II: CPUSA State and Local Files, 1929-1987, contains material generated by various state and local parties. Series II is broken down into two Sub-series, Sub-series A being material from New York State, District and City, and Sub-series B being material from all other states and locals. When noted, the material in Sub-series A is divided by department or committee, with a large portion coming from the National Education Department, in the form of club discussion guides, course curricula and publications relating to National Negro Week celebrated by the CPUSA in the early 1950s. This section also contains fliers, brochures, and pamphlets from the Election Campaign Committee outlining different electoral platforms and programs supported by the New York State Communist Party. There are also a number of pamphlets published by the New York State Communist Party included in this Sub-series as well.

Series III: Affiliated And Youth Organizations, 1918-1987, contains material put out by groups affiliated with the Communist Party of the United States of America. These include predecessor, break away, affiliated and youth groups. A large portion of Series III comes from the youth wings of the CPUSA, the Young Communist League (YCL) and the Young Workers Liberation League. The Young Communist League material is separated by local, with material largely coming from various New York City colleges including Brooklyn College and City College. There is also YCL material from Massachusetts, Illinois, and the National Education Department included here.

Series IV: Presses and Publishing Houses, 1920-1998, contains pamphlets put out by the presses and publishing houses affiliated with the Communist Party of the United States; these include: International Publishers, New Century Publishers, and the Workers Library Publishers. The pamphlets from the three publishing houses are separated by either author or subject. Prominent authors represented in the collection are Earl Browder, William Z. Foster, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Herbert Aptheker, and Gus Hall. Also included in this series are catalogs, publicity materials, fliers and brochures from CPUSA newspapers, the Daily World, the People's Weekly World, and the People's World.

Series V: Oversize, 1932-1949, contains materials that are large and required separate housing. This consists of brochures, clippings, constitutions, fliers, and pamphlets. A majority of the materials are from New York State and New York City, but also originate with the Daily Worker, the Waterfront Section, and the Youth Communist League.

Subjects

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Because of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in the collection; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. The Tamiment Library is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from this collection.

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date; Collection name; Collection number; box number; folder number;
Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012, New York University Libraries.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Materials in this collection have been compiled by the Tamiment Library. There is no accession record associated with this collection.

Custodial History

The provenance of the materials is varied. Items were obtained through purchases, donations, standing orders with publishers, arrangements with labor unions and other organizations, exchanges with other libraries, and through ongoing collecting by Tamiment staff.

Related Material at the Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives

Communist Party of the USA Records (TAM 132)

Communist Party of the USA Photographs (PHOTOS 223)

Collection processed by

Adrien Hilton

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 16:29:06 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is in English

Revisions to this Guide

July 2023: Edited by Anna Björnsson McCormick to reflect the rehousing of materials

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012