Contemporary History Project (The New Left in Ann Arbor, Mich.) transcripts of oral interviews, 1978-1979

Summary

Creator:

Contemporary History Project (The New Left in Ann Arbor, Mich.)

Abstract:

Transcripts of oral history project relating to the political and social protests of the 1950s and 1960s, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Extent:

1 linear foot

Language:

English

Call Number:

85141 Bp 2

Authors:

Finding aid created by Michigan Historical Collections staff

Background

Scope and Content:

The collection consists of fifty transcripts of oral history interviews relating to political and social protests in Ann Arbor in the 1950s and 1960s. Topics of discussion in the interview include civil rights demonstrations, draft resistance and other opposition to the Vietnam War, feminism and the equal rights movement, alternative lifestyles, gay rights, the drug culture, student rights, and the influence of rock and roll music. The interviewees include Arnie Bachner, Larry Behnke, Frithjof Bergmann, Walter Blackwell, Barry Bluestone, Elise Boulding, Bunyan Bryant, Eric Chester, Tania Cordes, Jerry DeGrieck, Peter Dilorenzi, Richard Feldman, Miriam Flacks, Richard Flacks, Robben Wright Fleming, Madison James Foster, Barbara Fuller, Todd Gitlin, Gail Grigsby, Barbara Haber, William Haber, Tom Hayden, Larry Hunter, Edward James, Sharon Jeffrey, Ken Kelley, Walter Krasny, Diane Kohn, Howard Kohn, John Leggett, Richard Mann, Robert Meeropol, James G. Mellen, Fredrick L. Miller, Martha Prescod Norman, Beth Oglesby, Carl Oglesby, Marge Piercy, Genie Plamondon, Paul Potter, Randy Potts, Nais Raulet, Robert Ross, Ezra Rowry, Gayle Rubin, John Sinclair, Leni Sinclair, Eda Spielman, Milton Taube, Nancy Wechsler, and Marilyn Young.

Biographical / Historical:

"The New Left in Ann Arbor" is the title given to an oral history project conducted by the Contemporary History Project, an independent, non-profit research and education organization. The project was administered by Ellen Fishman and Bret Eynon. The fifty interviews represent only a portion of the roughly 175 individuals interviewed in an effort to document the social and political turmoil of the 1960s. Although many of the interviews concern protests against the war in Vietnam, the anti-war movement was only one of several grass-roots socio-political movements to surface in the United States during the 1960s. Of equal importance were the civil rights, alternative culture, ecology, and women's liberation movements. In many cases, those active in one movement were also active in one or more of the others. Though there were differences in style and substance, activists from all these movements worked together in a loose coalition known simply as 'the Movement'. Ann Arbor played a crucial role in the history of the Movement, from beginning to end.

Acquisition Information:

The interviews were donated by the project administrators Ellen Fishman and Bret Eynon (donor no. 6451 ).

Accruals:

No further additions to the records are expected.

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Subjects

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Subjects:

Alternative lifestyles.
Black power -- United States.
Civil rights -- Michigan.
Drug abuse.
Feminism -- Michigan.
Gay liberation movement -- Michigan.
Draft.
Peace -- Societies, etc.
Radicalism -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor.
Political persecution -- Michigan.
Rock music.
Vietnam War, 1961-1975.
Women's rights -- Michigan.
Demonstrations -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor.

Formats:

Oral histories.

Names:

Human Rights Party (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Direct Action Committee.
University of Michigan -- Students -- Political activity.
University of Michigan -- Students -- Social life and customs -- 1961-1970.
Teach-in on Vietnam (1965 : University of Michigan)
Rainbow Peoples Party (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
White Panther Party.
Youth International Party.
Bachner, Arnie.
Behnke, Larry, 1948-
Bergmann, Frithjof.
Blackwell, Walter.
Bluestone, Barry.
Boulding, Elise.
Bryant, Bunyan I.
Chester, Eric.
Cordes, Tania.
DeGrieck, Jerry.
Dilorenzi, Peter.
Eynon, Bret.
Feldman, Richard.
Fishman, Ellen.
Flacks, Miriam.
Flacks, Richard.
Fleming, R. W. (Robben Wright), 1916-2010.
Foster, Madison, 1940-
Fuller, Barbara, 1925-
Gitlin, Todd.
Grigsby, Gail.
Haber, Barbara.
Haber, William, 1899-1988.
Hayden, Tom.
Hunter, Larry.
James, Edward.
Jeffrey, Sharon.
Kelley, Ken.
Krasny, Walter.
Kohn, Diane.
Kohn, Howard.
Leggett, John C.
Mann, Richard D. (Richard Dewey), 1933-
Meeropol, Robert.
Mellen, James G.
Miller, Frederick L.
Norman, Martha Prescod.
Oglesby, Beth.
Oglesby, Carl, 1935-2011.
Piercy, Marge.
Plamondon, Genie.
Potter, Paul, 1939-
Potts, Randy.
Raulet, Nais.
Ross, Robert.
Rowry, Ezra.
Rubin, Gayle.
Sinclair, John, 1941-
Sinclair, Leni.
Spielman, Eda.
Taube, Skip.
Wechsler, Nancy.
Young, Marilyn Blatt.

Places:

Ann Arbor (Mich.) -- History.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1969-1974.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1963-1969.
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1961-1970.
Michigan -- Social life and customs -- 1951-1960.
United States -- Social life and customs -- 1945-1970.
Michigan -- Social life and customs -- 1961-1970.
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1951-
Michigan -- Social life and customs -- 20th century.