Americans United for Separation of Church and State Subject Files, 1953-2018

Summary

Creator:
Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Protestants and Other Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Abstract:
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, founded in 1947, is a non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to church-state separation. The Americans United Subject files are approximately 44 linear feet of secondary research material relating to the religious right and religion in government and schools. Over 300 organizations are represented, with most of the material consisting of clippings, mass mailings, and newsletters.
Extent:
43.83 linear feet 43 record cartons, 2 document cases
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Americans United for Separation of Church and State Subject Files; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of the research and subject files of Americans United, a non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to church-state separation. Almost all of the 44 linear feet of research files relate to organizations associated with the religious right. Over 300 organizations and individuals are represented, as well as some materials filed by topic. The largest files include materials produced by the Chalcedon Foundation, the Christian Coalition, Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority, Focus on the Family, and the Rutherford Institute. The bulk of the collection consists of clippings, mass mailings and donation requests from organizations, magazines and newsletters, and other secondary materials produced by the organizations. There is a small selection of speeches on audiocassette and videotape. There is also an internal self-study of Americans United that was conducted in 1963.

Biographical / historical:

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State was founded in 1947 as Protestants and Other Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The organization is non-profit, non-partisan, and non-sectarian, and is dedicated to religious freedom and the firm separation of church and state. Americans United works to educate legislators and the public on issues of religious liberty and has more than sixty local chapters throughout the country. Under the aegis of Project Fair Play, the organization actively monitors the political activity of tax-exempt churches and religious organizations and reports violations to the IRS. Some of their current concerns include school vouchers, marriage and reproductive justice, and partisan intervention by churches.

Acquisition information:
2010.2011.M059, 2010.2011.M081: Source of acquisition--Americans United. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--01/19/2011.
Processing information:

Papers processed by Caitlin Goodman in 2013.

Finding aid written by Caitlin Goodman in January 2013.

Arrangement:

This collection is organized in one series, filed alphabetically by name. Within each file, materials are arranged reverse-chronologically.

Accruals:

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms of access:

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Americans United for Separation of Church and State Subject Files; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Location of this collection:
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th St.
New York, NY 10027, United States
Link to repository site
Contact:
(212) 854-5590
rbml@library.columbia.edu