Democratic Socialists of America Records
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Abstract
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) was founded in 1982 with the merger of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC, founded in 1973) and the New American Movement (NAM, founded in 1972). DSOC emerged from a split in the Socialist Party; it was led by Michael Harrington (1928-1989), the author of The Other America (1962), and had strength in the labor movement and portions of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. NAM grew out of the New Left and feminist movements, and was joined by a number of former Communist Party members. The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organization in the United States, with over 92,000 members, chapters in all 50 states (both statistics as of 2022), and a youth and student section, Young Democratic Socialists of America. The Democratic Socialists of America Records consist of materials created by the organization, its two predecessor organizations, their leaders, and their members from the DSA's inception to its current state. These materials include publications; national board and committee meeting minutes and agendas; local chapter meeting minutes; conference programs; member correspondence and mailings; reports and proceedings of the Socialist International, of which DSOC was first, and then DSA was the U.S. affiliate until 2017; files on the DSA-founded Institute for Democratic Socialism, which later became the DSA Fund; and files on other labor and left organizations, as well as websites created by the DSA. The collection also contains published and unpublished writings of Michael Harrington.
Historical Note
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) was founded in 1982 with the merger of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC, founded in 1973) and the New American Movement (NAM, founded in 1972). DSOC emerged from a split in the Socialist Party, and it was led by Michael Harrington (1928-1989), the author of The Other America (1962), and had strength in the labor movement and portions of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. NAM grew out of the New Left and feminist movements, and it was joined by a number of former Communist Party members. Harrington and others left the Socialist Party of America over its support of the Vietnam War. Harrington was one of the principal founders of DSOC. DSOC worked to build a progressive presence in the Democratic Party through its Democratic Agenda project in the late 1970s; collaborated closely with progressive labor unions and leaders, and others to promote a social-democratic agenda and a peaceful foreign policy; and advocated for socialism while strongly criticizing Communism.
NAM was founded by members of Students for a Democratic Society and other progressive groups of the 1960s. Initially composed largely of anti-Vietnam war activists, NAM also attracted Second Wave feminists. Its members were committed to activism and political education. It initiated a call for a socialist feminist conference in 1975 and it participated in the Reproductive Rights National Network. Other areas of work included plant closings and energy and urban issues.
Eventually DSA established chapters in virtually every state, including chapters at many colleges and universities. DSA members worked in solidarity campaigns with movements in what is now called the Global South such as in El Salvador and South Africa. DSA organized against neoliberal policies and programs from the Reagan era on, advocating health care for all and opposing financial deregulation. In the 1990s they promoted labor organizing and opposed President Bill Clinton's welfare reforms, expansion of prisons, and free trade policies such as NAFTA. They participated in movements against post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, they joined Occupy actions. Beginning in the 2010s, they raised funds to promote abortion access by hosting Abortion Bowl-A-Thons. DSA supported Bernie Sanders in his 2016 and 2020 primary campaigns for president and in the intervening period ran a national campaign for Medicare for All. By 2024, the organization had three national priorities, expressed through the National Electoral Commission, the National Labor Commission, and the Green New Deal, and a variety of Working Groups organized around specific issues or constituencies.
DSA has a section for youth and students, which focuses on student issues, including student debt, and student/labor solidarity. In the 1990s, it changed its name from DSA Youth Section to Young Democratic Socialists (YDS). In 2017, it changed its name from YDS to Young Democratic Socialists of America.
DSA publishes Democratic Left, continuing the name of DSOC's outreach publication. Issues of it and issues of NAM's outreach publications New American Movement and Moving On, are available in the collection and in the archived DSA website. In 2024, DSA ceased to publish a print edition of Democratic Left and instead maintained two online outreach publications: Democratic Left and Socialist Forum. DSA was instrumental in the creation of the Socialist Scholars Conference (later known as the Left Forum), and established the Institute for Democratic Socialism (now, the DSA Fund).
DSA became the largest socialist organization in the United States, with over 92,000 members, chapters in all 50 states (both statistics as of 2022), and a youth and student section. After 2005, it served as the sole U.S. affiliate of Socialist International until 2017, when it left. The organization is committed to the idea that "working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few."
Sources Cited:
Democratic Socialists of America. "History." Accessed June 14, 2023. https://wayback.archive-it.org/6338/*/https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/history/.
Democratic Socialists of America. "Leadership and Structure." Accessed June 14, 2023. https://wayback.archive-it.org/6338/*/https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/structure/.
The Democratic Socialists of America Fund. "History." Accessed June 14, 2023. https://wayback.archive-it.org/6338/*/https://fund.dsausa.org/history/.
Young Democratic Socialists of America. "Home." Accessed June 14, 2023. https://wayback.archive-it.org/6338/*/https://y.dsausa.org/.
Arrangement
The records have been arranged into 14 series; the series arrangement is as follows:
Series I. Organizational History
Series II. Governing Bodies
Series III. Committees and Commissions
Series IV. Youth Section/Young Democratic Socialists of America
Series V. Staff and Administrative Materials
Series VI. Conventions
Series VII. Publications
Series VIII. Chapters
Series IX. Events and Publicity
Series X. Membership and Fundraising
Series XI. Socialist International
Series XII. Institute for Democratic Socialism/Democratic Socialists of America Fund
Series XIII. Subject Files
Series XIV. Archived Websites
Scope and Contents
The Democratic Socialists of America Records consist of materials created by the organization, its leaders, and its members from its inception to its current state. These materials reflect the organization's efforts to promote a vision of democratic socialism and to fight for reforms that empower working people through a variety of tactics, including legislative reform and direct action.
Materials include Michael Harrington's early writing (both published and unpublished), which reflects positions later adopted by DSA; correspondence, memos, publications, resolutions, and mailings from Harrington's term as the chair of the Socialist Party, USA; letters documenting his resignation as chair and subsequent resignation from the party; and meeting minutes and correspondence of the Coalition Caucus, the predecessor of Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC).
Materials also include publications, correspondence, and meeting minutes from DSOC and the New American Movement (NAM) before they merged; also included are materials documenting the merger. Other materials consist of minutes, agendas, statements, and reports from DSA's governing bodies (National Board, National Executive Committee, and National Political Committee) and those of DSOC and NAM, and minutes, reports, statements, and publications from its various committees, commissions, and caucuses (including the Feminist Commission, Religious Socialism Committee, and the Democratic Agenda, among others). There is a large amount of material from the Youth Section of DSOC, the DSA Youth Section, the Young Democratic Socialists, and the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA); included are convention proceedings, mailings, chapter reports, and executive committee minutes.
On the national level, there are materials from the office (staff meeting minutes and correspondence); convention programs, papers, and speeches; events and projects (such as Justice for All and Center for Democratic Values, among others); publications (Democratic Left, Socialist Forum, New American Movement, Moving On, and various position papers); clippings and articles about DSA; membership mailings; and fundraising campaigns and grant applications. On the regional and local level, for NAM, DSOC, and DSA, there are chapter meeting minutes, reports, and local convention programs. Additionally, there are meeting minutes, resolutions, and conference proceedings from Socialist International, and financial records, correspondence, and conference programs from the Institute for Democratic Socialism/DSA Fund. DSA often worked with other organizations and unions with similar interests, like the National Organization for Women and Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union; included are printed matter from these organizations (brochures and newsletters) and conference materials.
The websites of the national organization, chapter organizations, committees, YDSA, and other offshoots are also included in this collection. This collection also includes audio and video recordings of NAM, DSOC, and DSA convention sessions, lectures, and television appearances by leaders on analog and electronic formats. Additional born-digital materials contain mailings, printed matter (brochures, flyers, and conference programs), and position papers, mostly from the mid 1990s-2010s.
Because materials in this collection were received from multiple sources, and NAM (from 1972 to 1982) and DSOC (from 1973 to 1982) both maintained organizational records, files dating prior to the 1982 founding of DSA may originate from either NAM or DSOC. When these files have materials dated after 1982, researchers should presume that DSA continued to use the same filing scheme as the originating office. This is especially prevalant in Series VIII. Chapters.
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Democratic Socialists of America Records; TAM 105; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
To cite the archived websites in this collection: Identification of item, date; Democratic Socialists of America Records; TAM 105; Wayback URL; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials were donated by the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee in 1980. Additional accessions were donated by the Democratic Socialists of America in 1983-1985, 1989, and 2019-2024. The accession numbers associated with these gifts are 1970-018, 1980-017, 2019-017, 2019-051, 2019-088, 2019-147, 2019-128, 2020-014, 2020-018, 2021-006, 2021-001, 2021-017, 2021-044, 2021-042, 2021-069, 2021-062, 2021-080, 2021-087, 2022-031, 2022-039, 2022-050, 2022-064, 2022-066, 2022-072, 2022-092, 2023-025, 2024-071, NPA-2001-088, NPA-2005-191, NPA-2002-022, NPA-2006-030, and NPA-2005-128.
http://www.dsausa.org/, http://theactivist.org/, http://www.ydsusa.org/, and https://talkingunion.wordpress.com/ were initially selected by curators and captured through the use of The California Digital Library's Web Archiving Service in 2008-2009 as part of the Communism, Socialism, Trotskyism Web Archive. https://fund-dsausa.nationbuilder.com/ was added in 2013. In 2015, this website was migrated to Archive-It. Archive-It uses web crawling technology to capture websites at a scheduled time and displays only an archived copy, from the resulting WARC file, of the website. In 2018, https://y.dsausa.org/, https://dsa.actionkit.com/donate/dsa-fund/, https://electoral.dsausa.org/, https://ecosocialists.dsausa.org/, https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/, https://teachers.dsausa.org/, and https://store.dsausa.org/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites are 2019.088. In April-May 2019, https://labor.dsausa.org/, https://fund.dsausa.org/, https://socialistforum.dsausa.org/, and https://international.dsausa.org/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites are 2019.128. In October 2019, https://dsaantiwar.com/, https://tech.dsausa.org/, https://breadandrosesdsa.org/, https://medicareforall.dsausa.org/, http://closethecampsoct.org/, and https://bernie.dsausa.org/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites is 2019.147. In December 2019, https://www.religioussocialism.org/ and https://socialistcall.com/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites are 2020.014. http://feeds.feedburner.com/religioussocialismpodcast/ and https://blubrry.com/thecallradio/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites are 2020.018. In 2020, 96 DSA related Google Documents and Sheets were added to Archive-it to better capture these materials directly. The accession numbers associated with these websites are 2021.006, 2021.011, 2021.017, 2021.042, and 2021.044. In January 2021, https://workerorganizing.org/ was added. The accession number associated with this website is 2021.062. In February 2021, additional Google documents and https://design.dsausa.org/ was added. The accession number associated with this website is 2021.069. In March 2021, https://powerfortexas.org/ was added. The accession number associated with this website is 2021.080. In May 2021, https://pro-act.dsausa.org/ and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp2lDGhpmtJdBRIwznXH0vQ/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites is 2021.087. In November 2021, https://greennewschools.com/ was added. The accession number associated with this website is 2022.031. In December 2021, https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1z87YDk3DGkPJF59atZdiDoOgtVp8xc2Q/ was added. The accession number associated with this website is 2022.039. In March 2022, https://laborsolidarity.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/DemocraticSocialistsofAmericaDSA/videos was added. The accession number associated with these websites is 2022.050. In June 2022, https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSZU995aYZamOReQJBIyrgTiifoAzg950aBGnJ4u7MCFryuY6v7ud5e_WsOH_oftLOu6ilmfi-UWTDD/pub was added. The accession number associated with this website is 2022.064. In July 2022, https://protectabortion.org/ and https://www.dishrag.org/. The accession number associated with these websites is 2022.066. In August 2022, https://palestine.dsausa.org/ and https://education.dsausa.org/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites is 2022.072. In November 2022, https://cam4a.org/, https://rfs.dsausa.org/, https://dsaic.org/, and https://convention2021.dsausa.org/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites is 2022.092. In February 2023, https://www.greennewslate.com/ and https://convention2023.dsausa.org/. The accession number associated with these websites is 2023.025. In August 2023, https://linktr.ee/DSADisability/ was added/ The accession number associated with this website is 2023.070. In September 2023, https://www.youtube.com/@DSAdemsocialists/videos/, https://www.youtube.com/@organizeworkers/videos/, and https://pandemicjustice.icu/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites is 2023.077. In December 2023, https://mutualaid.dsausa.org/ and https://housing.dsausa.org/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites is 2024.005. In January 2024, https://intenantstruggle.github.io/notes/, https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2021076/, and https://dsa-education.pubpub.org/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites is 2024.012. In April 2024, https://ydsa.breadandrosesdsa.org/ was added. The accession number associated with this website is 2024.022. In June 2024, https://fundpages.dsausa.org/friends-of-the-fund/ and https://www.youtube.com/@dsafund/videos were added. The accession number associated with these websites is 2024.033. In August 2024, https://trba.dsausa.org/ and https://www.ydsaconstellation.org/ were added. The accession number associated with these websites is 2024.048. In November 2024, https://2024.dsausa.org/ was added. The accesson number associated with this website is 2024.069.
Custodial History
For materials in boxes 292-340, provenance is unknown. Accession numbers associated with these materials are 1980.009 and 2011.016. One box of conference position papers and organizational literature was found in repository and added to the collection in 2018. The accession number associated with this gift is 2018.008.
One manuscript box of mixed material was found in the repository and added to the collection in June 2018. The accession number associated with this accretion is 2018.087. One banner was found in the repository in 2019; the accession number associated with this item is 2019.047.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials that have not been preserved may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596, with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Access to some audiovisual materials in this collection is available through digitized access copies. Researchers may view an item's original container, but the media themselves are not available for playback because of preservation concerns. Materials that have already been digitized are noted in the collection's finding aid and can be requested in our reading room.
Born-Digital Access Policies and Procedures
Advance notice is required for the use of computer records. Original physical digital media is restricted. Born-digital materials have been transferred and may be available to researchers. Researchers may request access copies. To request that material be transferred, or if you are unsure if material has been transferred, please contact Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596, with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
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Archived websites are made accessible for purposes of education and research. NYU Libraries have given attribution to rights holders when possible; however, due to the nature of archival collections, we are not always able to identify this information.
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Accruals
Additional accruals are expected.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Portions of the collection were processed in January 1985, May 1991, and 2009, by Alizah Zinberg, David Donabedian, and others.
Photographs were separated from this collection during initial processing and were established as a separate collection, the Democratic Socialists of America [International Union of Socialist Youth World Festival] Photographs (PHOTOS 129). In 2014, the photograph collection was reincorporated into the the Democratic Socialists of America Records.
In 2014, the archived websites were added as Series XIV. Additional websites were added to Series XIV in 2019-2024. The series was rearranged in 2024.
Prior to 2017, some materials in the collection were placed in new acid-free folders. Original folder information, when available, was retained. Box 18, formerly box 1, was arranged by an archivist.
In 2018, one box of position papers and organizational literature was added to the collection as box 21. These materials were not organized by an archivist. The June 2018 Accretion containing position papers from 1972 to 1981 was added to the collection as Box 22. These materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes but were not organized by an archivist.
Materials in the 2019 accretion were rehoused in acid-free boxes. Loose VHS tapes were rehoused in cases and posters were intellectually added. Born-digital materials were identified and physically inventoried, but not forensically imaged.
In June 2023, a new survey, processing plan, and updated organizational structure were compiled; in addition, the first series and audiovisual materials for all corresponding series were processed and rehoused in acid-free boxes and folders. Two audio reels were stabilized and need no additional treatment at this time; one issue of Socialist Forum was treated by Preservation in order to unglue its pages. Materials from OH 058 (Democratic Socialists of America Audiocassette Collection), a previously established distinct collection, were incorporated into this collection. 697 floppy disks, 2 zip disks, and 58 CDs and DVDs were forensically imaged.
In late October 2023, the rest of the collection was processed and rehoused in acid-free boxes and folders. The previously imaged disks, CDs, and DVDs were forensically imaged, analyzed, and arranged in Forensic Toolkit. Financial materials (bank statements, receipts, and invoices), duplicate publications and documents, publications available online or in NYU's catalog, documents with sensitive personal information, blank disks, and system disks were removed. Three record cartons of Mobilization for Survival records were deaccessioned.
In July-August 2024, materials from the Joel Blau Collection of New American Movement Records (TAM 051) were integrated into this collection, both physically and intellectually, as boxes 292-340 in series I-X and XIII. These materials were moved because they were created by the New Amerian Movement and not by Joel Blau. For the previous description of these materials, go here, https://github.com/NYULibraries/findingaids_eads_v2/commits/master/tamwag/tam_051.xml.
Materials were unfolded and rehoused in archival folders and manuscript boxes. Duplicate publications and documents and publications available online or in NYU's catalog were removed. One banner was deaccessioned.
In December 2024, an accretion of administrative records were donated by DSA. These materials, housed physically in Boxes 341-343 were intellectually integrated into the collection's existing series. Duplicate publications and optical discs that could not be imaged after multiple attempts were appraised out of the collection.
New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity of the content.
