Americans for Democratic Action Records, 1932-1999
At a conference of prominent American liberals and labor leaders held in New York City on May 9-10, 1941, the Union for Democratic Action (UDA) was formally organized, with James Loeb Jr. as executive secretary, Reinhold Niebuhr as national chairman, and Frank Kingdon as president. The purpose of the new organization was to initiate a two-front fight against fascism, both at home and abroad. After World War II and the November 1946 elections, James Loeb Jr., national director of UDA, joined by Leon Henderson, Wilson W. Wyatt, Hubert H. Humphrey, and others, called for a convention of democratic progressives to meet in Washington, D.C., on January 4, 1947. Two days later, they formed Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) with James Loeb Jr., as national executive secretary. Among the ADA founders were Wilson Wyatt, first national chairman, Leon Henderson, Hubert H. Humphrey, Eleanor Roosevelt, Joseph P. Lash, Will Rogers Jr., Joseph L. Rauh Jr., Walter Reuther, James B. Carey, David Dubinsky, Walter White, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Herbert H. Lehman. The ADA established itself as a strong national, independent, liberal organization based on American tradition. It proclaimed itself to be an organization for progressive individuals dedicated to the achievement of freedom and economic security for all people everywhere, through education and democratic action. The Americans for Democratic Action Records trace the evolution of the organization as it supported civil rights, the united international control of atomic energy, and global democracy. The collection contains records of campaigns on vital issues such as equal rights, disarmament, the Vietnam War, inflation, and unemployment.