Richard B. Gregg Papers
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Abstract
Richard B. Gregg (1885–1974) was an American social philosopher and pacifist influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy. The Richard B. Gregg Papers (dated 1936) contain a typed summary of Gregg's trip to England with reflections on meetings he had with various peoples as he promoted non-violence as a tactic of social change. The collection also contains a postcard written by Gregg to Mabel Bosworth promoting his book, The Power of Non-Violence. Photocopies of the typed trip summary, postcard, and The Power of Non-Violence book cover also exist in the collection.
Biographical Note
Richard B. Gregg (1885–1974) was an American social philosopher and pacifist influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy. He formulated an early Western theory of nonviolent resistance, which informed the work of figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Bayard Rustin. He also connected his pacifist views to a broader idea of deliberate and simple living, which he called "voluntary simplicity." His book, The Power of Non-Violence (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1934), introduced Gandhi's teachings to Western audiences. It was revised in 1944 (2nd edition) and again in 1959 (3rd edition), the latter including a foreword by Martin Luther King Jr.
Arrangement
This collection has not been arranged by an archivist. The materials are arranged in the order in which they were found in the repository.
Scope and Contents
The Richard B. Gregg Papers (dated 1936) contain a typed summary of Gregg's trip to England with reflections on meetings he had with various peoples as he promoted non-violence as a tactic of social change. This was written in 1936 while Gregg was onboard the S.S. Bremen. The collection also contains a postcard written by Gregg to Mabel Bosworth promoting his book, The Power of Non-Violence. Photocopies of the typed trip summary, postcard, and The Power of Non-Violence book cover also exist in the collection.
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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; Richard B. Gregg Papers; TAM 855; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials were found in the repository in July 2025. The accession number associated with this collection is 2025.071.
Custodial History
Materials in this collection were transferred from the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on Subjects (PE 029) in July 2025.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Materials were placed in an archival folder and was labled to reflect the contents. The folder was then added to Shared Tamiment Box 200.
