A PBS program designed to stimulate public participation and understanding by focusing on realistic choices that must be made in the future, by having both sides of the question presented, and by demonstrating the interest which public officials have in both reasoned arguments and the views of their constituents. Program topics varied depending on current news and concerns of the public. The program ran from October 5, 1969 through May 23, 1974; then again bi-weekly from January 26, 1978 through September 9, 1979.
Anti-Slavery Pamphlets
A collection of pamphlets about the institution of slavery and race relations, ranging in date from 1787 to 1949.
A member of the Fugitives literary group, Davidson received his B. A. and M. A. degrees from Vanderbilt University and remained at the University his entire professional career (1920 - 1968) teaching English. In addition to being a teacher Davidson was also a poet, novelist, and critic. The Donald Davidson Papers (1906 - 1968) include correspondence and writings by Davidson as well as reviews, research materials, publications materials, publicity for books, legal and financial documents, family records, newspaper clippings and photographs, segregation materials, and manuscripts of writings by others. The bulk of the materials come from the 1920's through the 1960's.
Egerton has written or edited eleven non-fiction books and contributed over two hundred articles to periodicals. He has also been a participant in and writer for many projects or conferences dealing with desegregation and civil rights. The John Egerton Papers, 1950s-2001, include correspondence, manuscripts of writings, speeches, research materials, publication materials, publicity for books, reviews, legal and financial documents, memorabilia, clippings and photographs, programs from cultural events, scrapbooks and periodicals on race relations and school desegregation, and audio and video tapes. Major topics include civil rights, desegregation, race relations, Southern history, and Southern food.
Fuson, Nelson and Mary
Nelson and Mary Fuson were involved in the civil rights movement in Nashville. This collection features slides of protests, audios, and photocopies of periodical articles and correspondence.
Edwin Hamlett was a member of the Southern Students Organizing Committee [SSOC]. This collections features material on the women’s movement, campus protests, and periodical literature produced by civil rights organizations.
Long, Everett
Everett Long was a member of the Southern Students Organizing Committee. This collections consists primarily of newsletters and publications relating to women’s rights, gay and lesbian rights, and civil rights. Romaine, Howard Howard Romaine is a former president of the Southern Students Organizing Committee [SSOC]. These papers consist of clippings, flyers, pamphlets and publications relating to civil rights and desegregation. [Please note: access to this collection must be requested in writing. Please contact for more information.]
Paul Slentz received from Vanderbilt a Master’s degree in 1979 and a Masters of Divinity degree in 1998. He was active in the non-violent protests concerning the hosting of the Davis Cup Tennis Tournaments at Vanderbilt University in the spring of 1978 and also in the Tenn Care Health Care Funding Crisis in 2004 and 2005.
This small collection 0.42 linear feet ( 1 Hollinger box ) contains materials relating to South Africa and Apartheid and in particular to The Davis Cup tennis championship that was held in Nashville at Vanderbilt in the spring of 1978. These papers were collected by Paul L. Slentz while he was a graduate student at Vanderbilt during the years 1977 - 1979.
A prominent church leader and activist, Kelly Miller Smith played a significant role in the civil rights movement, serving as part of the circle of advisors to Martin Luther King, Jr. He was pastor of the First Baptist Church, Capital Hill for 34 years. The first African-American named to the faculty of the Vanderbilt Divinity School, he served as lecturer in church and ministries and as assistant dean. Smith was very active in the civil rights movement in Nashville as well as nationally. The Kelly Miller Smith Papers include correspondence, notebooks kept as a student at Morehouse and Harvard Universities, biographical/personal material, writings, church records, subject files, and other related materials.
Smith, Mary Anne Downey
A longtime social and political activist, Mary Anne Smith has been active in a variety of different causes including nuclear weapons freeze and multiple women’s issues. Her collection includes posters, buttons and pins, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and information packets and pamphlets.
Southern Politics (Alexander Heard Papers)
Part of the collection of Chancellor Emeritus Alexander Heard, this collection consists of drafts and research materials for the book Southern Politics in State and Nation by V.O. Key, Jr. and A Two-Party South? by Alexander Heard. A large part of this collection consists of transcripts of interviews on Southern politics used as the basis for the two aforementioned books.
To use this collection, researchers must sign an agreement promising to keep names of the original participants confidential.
SSOC [Southern Students Organizing Committee] Reunion – 2002
This is an artificial collection of materials related to the 2002 SSOC Reunion weekend, held in Nashville, Tennessee. It includes a schedule of events, SSOC timeline, and materials donated by reunion attendees.
Stahlman, James G.
A Nashville native and Vanderbilt alumnus, James G. Stahlman was a nationally prominent newspaper publisher and member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust. As publisher of the Nashville Banner newspaper for 42 years, Stahlman was active in national newspaper and civic organizations. The James G. Stahlman Papers contain materials relating to his newspaper career; his support and activities regarding Vanderbilt University, his military and aviation career during World War II, and his political and community activities.
Henry Lee Swint (1909-1987) served on the faculty of the Vanderbilt University History Department from 1939 to 1987. The Henry Lee Swint Papers date from 1933 to 1978 and are comprised primarily of correspondence, writings, and research notes. Swint carried on an extensive correspondence with students, former students, and colleagues at other institutions, mainly discussing research interests and personal concerns. A more limited correspondence with faculty and other colleagues at Vanderbilt contains information regarding administrative matters, including controversial subjects such as the 1960 dismissal of Divinity School student James Lawson for participating in civil rights demonstrations in Nashville. The collection also includes a fairly extensive file of speeches and lecture notes, book reviews, article manuscripts and offprints, correspondence regarding Swint's two books, and research notes on Vanderbilt's history.
Thrasher, Martha Sue
Martha Sue Thrasher is a human rights activist who was worked with groups such as labor unions, civil rights, workers’ rights, women’s liberation, Southern Students Organizing Committee (SSOC), Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the National Democratic Coalition. This 19 linear feet collection contains correspondence, minutes, manuscripts for books, newsletters, oral histories, research notes, audio tapes, and photographs which range in date from 1967 to 1996.
Todd, Mary (Molly) K.
Molly Todd was a political and social activist in Nashville, Tennessee. As a social reformer and leading mid-20th century women’s rights activist, her papers contain invaluable insights into the aspirations of these organizations. She worked with the ACLU, Church Women United, Democratic National Committee, Environmental Foreign Policy, Housing, Human/Race Relations, League of Women Voters, Planned Parenthood, Public Welfare, United Nations, and the YWCA. This 60 linear feet collection contains correspondence, broadsides, pamphlets, newspapers, newsletters, and other ephemeral items and range in date from 1943-1993.
In 1965, Robert Penn Warren wrote a book, now out of print, entitled Who Speaks for the Negro? To research this publication, he traveled the country and spoke with a variety of people who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement. He spoke with nationally-known figures as well as people working in the trenches of the Movement. The volume contains many of the transcripts from these conversations. The Who Speaks for the Negro? Archive contains digitized versions of the original reel-to-reel recordings, as well as copies of the correspondence, transcripts, and other printed materials related to his research for the provocatively-titled book.