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Lutheran Schools Committee records, 1921-1925
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Lutheran Schools Committee (Portland, Or.)
- Title
- Lutheran Schools Committee records
- Dates
- 1921-1925 (inclusive)19211925
- Quantity
- 1.5 cubic feet, (3 document cases, 1 oversize folder)
- Collection Number
- Mss 646
- Summary
- Records compiled by the Lutheran Schools Committee of Portland, Oregon, largely as part of a 1922 political campaign to defeat the Compulsory Education Bill, which sought to make public school attendance mandatory in Oregon for children ages eight to sixteen. Materials include clippings, campaign literature, posters, correspondence, ephemera, and voter registration lists.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English, German
Historical NoteReturn to Top
In the early 1920s, a number of Oregonians sought to prevent churches and private schools from providing primary education. This movement was directed primarily at Roman Catholic schools and reflected a renewal of anti-immigrant and nativist agitation in the U.S. following the first world war. Closely related to this movement was the revival of the Ku Klux Klan, which was generally hostile to Roman Catholics, as well as Jews and Black people. In the fall of 1922, Oregon voters were presented with a ballot initiative known as the Compulsory Education Bill. The bill proposed to make it a misdemeanor for any parent or guardian of a child between the ages of eight and sixteen to fail to send the child to a public school. The bill was openly supported by the Klan, the Scottish Rite Masons, and by gubernatorial candidate Walter Pierce, who was elected to office that year. It was opposed by many churches and religious organizations, including the Lutheran Schools Committee. Principal leaders of the Committee were Paul J. Hillman, principal of the Zion Lutheran School in Portland, and clergyman R. G. Messerli. The measure passed by a comfortable majority, but it was declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1925, on an appeal brought by the Hill Military Academy of Portland and the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of materials created or collected by the Lutheran Schools Committee relating to the 1922 Compulsory Education Bill. Included are newspaper clippings, publicity materials, pamphlets, flyers, posters, ephemera, correspondence, and voter registration lists.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Lutheran Schools Committee records, Mss 646, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
1 | 1 | Advertising and announcements of meetings supporting the bill, and general materials | 1921-1922 |
1 | 2-4 | Advertisements supporting the bill, issued by the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite School Committee (Masonic) | 1922 |
1 | 5 | Advertisements against the bill, issued by the Portland Committee of Citizens and Taxpayers, American Constitutional Rights League of Clatsop County, and others | 1922 |
1 | 6-11 | Advertisements against the bill, issued by the Non-Sectarian and Protestant Committee for Freedom in Education | 1922 |
1 | 12 | Advertisements against the bill, issued by Hill Military Academy | 1922 |
1 | 13-14 | Catholic Church opposition (Catholic Civic Rights Association of Oregon and others) | 1922 |
1 | 15 | The Compulsory Education Bill text and official affirmative and negative arguments (voter's pamphlet) | 1922 |
1 | 16 | Editorials in Portland papers | 1922 |
1 | 17-18 | Editorials in Oregon papers (except Portland) | 1922 |
1 | 19 | Election campaign, including positions of candidates | 1922 |
1 | 20 | Election campaign for governor | 1922 |
1 | 21 | Election results | 1922 |
2 | 1 | The election contested: lawsuit against validity of the bill in the District Court of Oregon and the U.S. Supreme Court (legal papers) | 1922-1925 |
2 | 2 | The election contested: correspondence and other papers | 1922-1924 |
2 | 3-4 | Letters to the editor of Oregon papers, pro and con | 1922 |
2 | 5 | Ku Klux Klan, opposition to | 1922 |
2 | 6 | Lutheran Church, opposition to bill (correspondence, clippings, publicity materials) | 1922 |
2 | 7 | Lutheran Schools Committee--Correspondence, including letters from Rev. G. R. Messerli to John C. Baur | 1922 |
2 | 8 | Lutheran Schools Committee--Replies to Lutheran publicity | 1922 |
2 | 9 | Masonic lodge--Views of members, pro and con | 1922 |
2 | 10-11 | Meetings and speeches, pro and con | 1922 |
2 | 12 | Non-Sectarian and Protestant Committee for Freedom in Education--Publicity, finances | 1922 |
2 | 13 | Opposition to school bill: opinions of various groups | 1922 |
2 | 14 | Oregon Voter--Issues containing articles on the bill | 1922 |
2 | 15 | Voters' lists
Classified list of voters registered in Multnomah County, September 29, 1922-October 7, 1922, compiled for P.J. Hanley by Crane Letter Company, Portland, organized by precinct.
|
1922 |
2 | 16 | Voters' lists--New registrations for Oregon, listed by county | undated |
3 | 1 | Voters' lists--New registrations for Oregon, listed by county | undated |
3 | 2-3 | Voters' lists--Partial classified list of registrations in Multnomah County | 1922 September 29-October 7 |
3 | 4 | Campaign literature--Brochures, pamphlets, ephemera, from Oregon, Michigan and Indiana | 1922-1925 |
3 | 5 | Washington state: opposition to Ku Klux Klan | 1922-1923 |
3 | 6 | Washington state: Plans for campaign against compulsory school in Washington state | 1924 |
3 | 7 | "Michigan material" (publicity, pamphlets, newsletters) | 1922 |
3 | 8-9 | General correspondence | 1922 |
Folder | |||
Oversize 1 | Posters, flyers, and original ballot used in 1922 Oregon election | 1922 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Educational law and legislation--Oregon--20th century
- Political campaigns--Oregon--20th century
- Referendum--Oregon--20th century
Corporate Names
- Lutheran Schools Committee (Portland, Or.)--Records and correspondence
Geographical Names
- Oregon--Politics and government--20th century
Form or Genre Terms
- advertisements
- clippings (information artifacts)
- correspondence
- pamphlets
- voters' lists