American Defense Society records
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
This collection documents the views, aims, and internal workings of the American Defense Society, an early twentieth-century nationalist organization, based in New York City. The material dates from 1915 to 1942, and concerns many of the political, ideological, religious, and social debates and events of the time period. Nearly half of the American Defense Society Records consists of correspondence, including incoming and copies of outgoing letters, as well as internal communications among board members, officers, and members. In addition, the collection contains much printed material, some of which were published by the society. Also included is material that documents the society's internal organization, and newspaper clippings collected by ADS.
Chronology
Addresses in New York:
Arrangement
This collection is organized in four series:
Series I. Correspondence, 1916-1942
Series II. Organizational Material, 1917-1941
Series III. Printed Material, 1915-1942
Series IV. Newspaper Clippings, 1917-1938, undated
Within each series, material is arranged, for the most part, in chronological order.
Scope and Contents
This collection documents the views, aims, and internal workings of the American Defense Society, an early twentieth-century nationalist organization, based in New York City. The material dates from 1915 to 1942, and concerns many of the political, ideological, religious, and social debates and events of the time period. Popular topics of discussion include the first world war, preparedness, sedition and disloyalty, labor, immigration restriction, the Soviet Union and Bolshevism, socialism, civil liberties, the New Deal, FDR, and Judaism.
Nearly half of the American Defense Society Records consists of correspondenceâ??incoming and copies of outgoing letters, as well as internal communications among board members, officers, and members. In addition, the collection contains much printed material, especially pamphlets, periodicals, circulars, and newsletters, some of which were published by the society. Also included is material that documents the society's internal organization, such as meeting minutes, resolutions, committee lists, and financial records. Newspaper clippings collected by ADS concern topics of interest to the society and detail some of its activities.
Please take care when using this collection. Much of the material, such as outgoing copies of correspondence, is on brittle newsprint paper.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
People
Topics
Places
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as the American Defense Society Records, MS 14, The New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donation, Charles Stewart Davison, 1942.