The Jefferson School of Social Science was formed in New York City in February 1944 from an amalgamation of the School for Democracy and the New York Workers' School as an avowedly Marxist educational institution. Throughout its 12-year history Dr. Howard Selsam was the school's director. Its first-year enrollment was over 5,000 full and part-time students. In 1946 and 1947, it reached a peak of over 14,000 students and throughout the late 1940's it maintained a student body of over 10,000 students for four terms each school year. Enrollment began to decline in the early 1950's, however.
The Jefferson School was cited by the Subversive Activities Control Board as a Communist front in 1953, at which time the Justice Department filed suit to require its registration as was required by the Internal Security Action of 1950. This action, coupled with the anti-Communist sentiments of the early 1950's, contributed to a further decline (in 1956 there were only 388 registered students), and the school was closed after the Autumn 1956 term.
