In an attempt to preserve Party history, the CPUSA's History Commission began asking members to donate their personal papers to the national office during the early 1980s. These papers formed the original CPUSA Archives and were cared for by the Reference Center for Marxist Studies. They are now part of this subseries, in addition to other personal papers that were preserved over the years at Party headquarters in New York City. This subseries holds a rich historical significance, not only in its documentation of the Party, but also because it illustrates how members applied communist principles to their lives and work outside the CPUSA. Almost every individual represented here played a pivotal role in the history of communism in the United States, including Angela Davis, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, John Ford, and Paul Robeson. These papers take a variety of forms—correspondence, essays, reference and research notes, scrapbooks, photographs, and personal memorabilia. The prison correspondence of Charles E. Ruthenberg, Robert Minor (1930 NYC unemployed demonstration) and General Secretary Eugene Dennis and Henry Winston (Smith Act) can also be found here. In an attempt to highlight items that originate from lesser known Party members or that document the early 20th century personal lives of particular members, researchers are pointed to the papers of Mary Gale, longtime Communist and ILGWU member; the personal materials of Lottie Blumenthal Gordon which document her early work life and lifetime dedication to the Party; and the correspondence, writings, the correspondence of Rose Baron of the International Labor Defense and the International Red Aid, and personal items of cartoonist and journalist Robert Minor which demonstrate Minor's rich public and private life. Photographs added to this series in 2017 include images of notable Party members at rallies and demonstrations, portraits, personal photos, and albums. Photos documenting Henry Winston's travels as a foreign delegate are most extensive. Other photos feature Party members including Angela Davis, Eugene Denis, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, John Ford, and William Foster among others, and span the early 1910s-1980s. Also included in this series are several photo albums of unidentified individuals. Albums depict families and travels to Soviet satellite states, but the individuals featured in them are unidentified.
