Summary Information
New American Movement Records
1971-1982
- New American Movement (Organization)
Mss 673
1.0 c.f. (3 archives boxes)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records of the New American Movement, a mass-based democratic socialist movement organized in November 1971 following the splintering of the New Left at the last convention of Students for a Democratic Society in July 1969. The collection is arranged into national organization and chapter records, most of which are near-print. National Organization records include clippings documenting NAM's first national meeting in Davenport, Iowa, in November 1971, material from early chapter organizing workshops, and annual national convention records, through 1978. Other national records consist of topical files on health care and workplace organizing; and NAM literature, flyers, position papers, and proposals. There is a small file of position papers and newsletters of the Marxist-Leninist Organizing Caucus, a political tendency within NAM. Chapter Records illustrate the local emphasis of NAM's activities and interrelationships with other groups. There are records of the Athens, Ohio, Bay Area (BANAM), Berkeley-Oakland, Chicago, Cleveland, East Bay, and Pittsburgh chapters; and a few records of the East Bay (California) Socialist School and the Mass Intermediate Socialist Organization, San Francisco.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00673 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The New American Movement (NAM) was organized by members of the New Left in 1971 following the splintering of the radical movement at the last convention of Students for a Democratic Society in July 1969. At its first national meeting in Davenport, Iowa, in November, 1971, about 400 delegates united in opposition to Nixon-era economic policies, establishing these national priorities for NAM: rebuilding a new, truly mass-based movement based on a democratic socialist economic policy, opposition to the war in Vietnam and American imperialism, an attack on corporate power and the capitalist ruling class, and women's rights and child care action. At workshops held during the convention, delegates developed specific local action on a variety of issues: landlord-tenant problems, utilities, wage and price guidelines, sex discrimination in employment, diminishing social services, and unequal taxation. Convention delegates included former Students for a Democratic Society members who had been alienated by the increasing factionalism and militancy of the movement in the late 1960s, and members of many other groups and factions. To avoid further factional disputes, representatives of both SDS and the Progressive Labor Party were excluded from the first national meeting.
NAM's second convention in Minneapolis in June 1972, was considered its founding convention. At that time, NAM had about 600 members in 40 chapters. Throughout NAM's history, individual chapters retained much autonomy, working closely with other anti-war, women's, and political groups on local issues.
Scope and Content Note
The New American Movement records are arranged in two series, National Organization Records and Chapter Records. There is very little original material in the collection; most consists of mass-produced near-print documents, some of which have handwritten annotations.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION RECORDS include a folder of clippings documenting NAM's first national meeting in 1971, near-print material from early chapter organizing workshops, and annual national convention records through 1978. The latter often contain both pre-convention materials sent to members as a packet, and handouts prepared for the meeting. Included are agenda, resolutions and proposals (often prepared by individual chapters and usually annotated), position and strategy papers, statements, draft constitutional amendments, financial reports, candidates' statements, flyers, and other items. There are similar materials from a 1973 meeting of the National Council.
Other national records consist of topical files on health care and workplace organizing, with proposals, resolutions, newsletters, and a digest; and NAM literature, flyers, position papers, and proposals. There is a small file of position papers, proposals, newsletters, and notes of the Marxist-Leninist Organizing Caucus, a political tendency within NAM.
CHAPTER RECORDS illustrate the local emphasis of NAM and the interrelationships of chapters with other groups. Records of the Athens, Ohio chapter contain reports, proposals, and local newsletters, as well as conference material from a Meeting on Southeastern Appalachian Coordination, held in Athens, November 1971. For the Bay Area (BANAM), Berkeley-Oakland, Chicago (including the Blazing Star women's section), Cleveland, East Bay, and Pittsburgh chapters there are agenda, minutes, proposals, reports, statements, newsletters, bulletins, flyers, and other records. There are also a few records of the East Bay (California) Socialist School, comprised of class schedules, a course outline, a report, and flyers; and a bulletin and working paper from the Mass Intermediate Socialist Organization located in the San Francisco Bay area.
Interested researchers should also consult the separate small collections of records of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and San Francisco chapters of NAM.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented anonymously, 1984, 1985. Accession Number: M84-350, M85-321
Processed by Menzi Behrnd-Klodt, March 1986.
Contents List
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Series: National Organization Records
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Clippings, 1971-1972
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Organizing Workshops, 1971-1972 - Agenda, Notes, Flyers
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National Convention Records
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Davenport, Iowa, November 1971
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Founding Convention, Minneapolis, June 1972
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Box
1
Folder
5
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National Council Meeting, January 1973
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Box
1
Folder
6
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DeKalb, Illinois, July 1973
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Lexington, Kentucky, July 1974
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Oberlin, Ohio, August 1975
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Box
1
Folder
9
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Cedar Rapids, Iowa, August 1976
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Box
1
Folder
10
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National Convention or National Council, 1977
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 1978
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Health Care Proposals, Newsletter, Digest, 1978, undated
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Literature, Flyers
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Marxist-Leninist Organizing Caucus Position Papers, Proposals, Notes, Newsletters, 1975
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Other Position Papers, Proposals, Flyers
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Box
2
Folder
5
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Workplace Organizing - Newsletters, Resolutions, Papers, Flyers
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Series: Chapter Records
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Box
2
Folder
6
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Athens, Ohio Chapter Conference Material (includes Meeting on Southeastern Appalachian Coordination, Athens, November 1971), Reports, Proposals, Newsletters, , 1971-1972
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Box
2
Folder
7
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Bay Area (BANAM) Chapter Agenda, Minutes, Reports, Proposals, Newsletters, Notes, 1974-1975
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Box
2
Folder
8
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Berkeley-Oakland Chapter Agenda, Minutes, Proposals, Statements, Flyers, Critiques, 1973-1974
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Chicago Chapter (including Blazing Star Group) Agenda, Minutes, Calendars, Bulletins, Newsletters, Reports, Flyers, 1976-1978
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Cleveland Chapter Newsletters, “The Cleveland Beacon,” 1981-1982; Proposals, Reports, , 1973-1982
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East Bay Chapter
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Newsletters, Proposals, Meeting Papers, Flyers, 1975-1976
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Box
3
Folder
4
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East Bay Socialist School - Class Schedules, Course Outline, Report, Flyers, 1975-1976
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Pittsburgh Chapter Newsletter, Proposals, Flyers, 1972, undated
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Mass Intermediate Socialist Organization, Bay Area Bulletin #1, Working Paper #1, undated
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