Archives West Finding Aid
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Students for a Democratic Society, Western Washington University Chapter Records, 1965-2008
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Students for a Democratic Society (U.S.). Western Washingtion University Chapter
- Title
- Students for a Democratic Society, Western Washington University Chapter Records
- Dates
- 1965-2008 (inclusive)19652008
- Quantity
- 0.25 cubic feet
- Collection Number
- WWUARC7550_sds
- Summary
- Club and chapter records of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Western Washington University.
- Repository
-
Western Washington University, University Archives
Goltz Murray Archives Building
Western Washington University
808 25th Street
Bellingham WA
98225-9123
Telephone: (360) 650-3124
university.archives@wwu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Access to certain content may be restricted under Washington State's Public Records Act, Chapter 42.56 RCW. Such restrictions are rare for archival material and are usually limited in scope.
- Languages
- English
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Records relating to the Western Washington University chapter of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Includes SDS publications in addition to chapter-specific records such as constitution, organizational information, member lists, activities planning, and correspondence. Most of the material is from the period 1967-1970 and most of that was compiled by George B. Hartwell, founding member and secretary. During that period, the school operated as Western Washington State College. A small amount of later material relates to the re-establishment and activity of the SDS chapter at Western Washington University from 2006-2008.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Students for a Democratic Society was a national activist student organization organized around chapters at colleges and universities. The goals of the organization included peace, eradication of poverty, labor equity, and civil rights. Students at Western Washington State College organized a chapter in 1969, and the chapter appears to have dissolved in 1970, following the collapse of the national organization. The national SDS organization reorganized in 2006, and students at Western Washington University organized a chapter that year that remained in existence until 2008.
Born in Tacoma, Washington, George Boyd Hartwell (1944-2017) graduated from Western Washington State College (now Western Washington University) in 1971, and went on to pursue a career in social work. During his undergraduate years, Hartwell was a founding member and chapter secretary of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Western Washington State College chapter. He was among a group of eight students arrested in November 1968 for distributing anti-draft literature to students at Sehome High School in Bellingham, Washington. The case of the “Sehome Eight” was taken to the Supreme Court of the State of Washington in 1971 as State v. Oyen.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
University Archives compiled the records described here from both an original club file for the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in the records of the Associated Students (AS), plus SDS chapter records received from the estate of George Hartwell in 2018. Hartwell was the SDS chapter secretary for 1969-70. Thus, the material is from two separate accessions that are also stored in physically separate containers. The AS Club File for SDS is part of a larger accession of AS club files, whereas the material received from Hartwell's estate comprises its own accession and is in its own container.
Related Materials
George B. Hartwell Collection of Radical Publications, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series GS 10013_004 - History Files: Associated Students' Club File: Students for a Democratic Society, 1969-2008Return to Top
Records documenting the establishment, activities, and significant changes/developments of clubs recognized by the Associated Students of Western Washington University. May include: club application, description, and intended purpose; member lists [may be subject to legal access restrictions]; constitutions and bylaws; funding requests; event records; news clippings; photographs; publications; and other records documenting the history of the club.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 2014-11-7 | Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) constitution |
1969 |
| 2014-11-7 | Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) club administration
documents |
1969-2008 |
Series GS 10013_004 - History Files: Students for a Democratic Society, WWSC Chapter Secretary George Hartwell files, 1965-1970Return to Top
Western Washington State College SDS chapter records compiled and maintained by Secretary George Hartwell. Includes correspondence, member lists, SDS pamphlets and other publications, and records relating to chapter activities.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Subseries (GS 10013_004): Chapter organization and administration |
1967-1970 | |
| Box | ||
| 2018-32-1 | Correspondence |
1967-1968 |
| 2018-32-1 | WWSC SDS chapter administration |
1969-1970 |
Subseries (GS 10013_004): SDS and related literature |
1965-1969 | |
| Box | ||
| 2018-32-1 | SDS brochure: "Students for a Democratic Society: An Organization Committed
to: Racial Equality, Disarmament, Jobs and Abundance, Civil Liberties, Liberal
Education" |
1965 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS pamphlet: "Liberation Will Come from a Black Thing," re-print of a
speech given by James Forman at the Western Regional Black Youth Conference in
L.A. |
1967 |
| 2018-32-1 | Pamphlet from the Canadian Student Movement: "Defeat Bourgeois Line in
Education. Support the Canadian Student Movement. Struggle in the
Classroom" |
1968 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS pamphlet: "Cuba vs. U.S. Imperialism," by Edward Boorstein |
1968 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS brochure: "Students for a Democratic Society: A Radical National Union
of Students" |
1968 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS pamphlet: "Which Side Are You On? U.S. History in Perspective," by Noel
Ignatin |
1968 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS pamphlet: "Vietnam" |
1968 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS pamphlet: "U.S. Imperialism," by David Gilbert and David
Loud |
1968 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS pamphlet: "A History of the Cuban Revolution: 1868-1959," by Sharon
Krebs |
1968 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS pamphlet: Economic Research and Action Project (ERAP) - Application for
Community Action Projects |
1968 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS pamphlet: "Occupation Troops Out!" |
1969 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS pamphlet: "Bring the War Home!" |
1969 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS pamphlet: "Two GI's in the Struggle," interview conducted with Dave
Kline and Guy Smith |
1969 |
| 2018-32-1 | SDS pamphlet: "Cultural Revolution in China," an interview with Chris
Milton, an 18-year old American who spent 3 years in China and reflects upon his
experiences within the student movement |
1969 |
Subseries (GS 10013_004): Activities and activism
Copies of legal opinions relating to State of Washington -v- Oyen, the case of eight WWSC students (the "Sehome
8") who were distributing anti-draft leaflets to students on the grounds of Sehome
High School in Bellingham, Washington. The WWSC students were charged with a violation
of a state vagrancy statute law, but successfully appealed their case through to the
United States Supreme Court. Includes copies of both the Washington and United
States Supreme Court opinions.
|
1968-1970 | |
| Box | ||
| 2018-32-1 | WWSC Associated Students Fall 1968 Events Calendar |
1968 |
| 2018-32-1 | Supreme Court documents (U.S. and Washington) regarding Sehome
8 |
1970 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Student movements
Corporate Names
- Students for a Democratic Society (U.S.)
Geographical Names
- Bellingham (Wash.)
Finding aid prepared by Tony Kurtz
2018
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
