The Legacy of John P. Altgeld: A Forgotten Hero of Justice, 1944-05-01

Item — Box: 4, Folder: 37

Identifier: CAC_CC_014_8.10_4_37_0004

Staff Only

The Legacy of John P. Altgeld: A Forgotten Hero of Justice, 1944-05-01

The Douglas Collection covers the former congresswoman's life from her early stage career until her death in 1980. Because the bulk of the materials documents her years in Congress, the collection is especially rich in covering events and issues central to the immediate post-World War II era. Due to her service on the Foreign Affairs Committee, there is a large amount of papers on the earliest years of the Cold War and the establishment of the new world order. Interesting topics include the Dumbarton Oaks conference, the development of the Marshall Plan, the outbreak of the Korean War, and the creation of the state of Israel. There is also a significant amount of documentation covering the nation's readjustment after the war. Issues dealing with the Office of Price Administration, the Taft-Hartley Act, housing, migrant labor and veterans' concerns are but a few of the myriad topics found in the collection. In addition, there is a record of the changing roles of women and African Americans in the late 1940s. Finally, the collection contains much information on the personality of Douglas. Scattered throughout the papers are poetry, correspondence with Broadway and movie idols as well as with political notables, and genealogical records.

The Douglas Collection covers the former congresswoman's life from her early stage career until her death in 1980. Because the bulk of the materials document her years in Congress, the collection is especially rich in covering events and issues central to the immediate post-World War II era. Due to her service on the Foreign Affairs Committee, there is a large amount of material on the earliest years of the Cold War and the establishment of the new world order. Other topics of note include the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, the European Recovery Act (Marshall Plan), the Korean War, and the creation of the state of Israel. There is also a significant amount of documentation covering the nation's readjustment after the war. Issues dealing with the Office of Price Administration, the Taft-Hartley Act, housing, migrant labor and veterans' concerns are but a few of the myriad topics found in the collection. In addition, there are multiple materials related to the changing roles of women and African-Americans in the post-war years, including those related to the Douglas/Nixon campaign of 1950 and the infamous “Pink Sheet”. The collection also contains excellent insight into the personality of Douglas through the variety of correspondence with Hollywood stars and political elite, her poetry, programs and scripts of earlier plays, and genealogical records.

Dates

1944-05-01

Creator

Douglas, Helen Gahagan, 1900-1980 (Person)

Language of Materials

English

Extent

6 Pages

Additional Description

Overview

78th (1943-1945)

Related Materials

Helen Gahagan Douglas speaks at a CIO rally on May Day in 1944, reflecting on the significance of the holiday and the history of the labor movement. She discusses the Haymarket Square tragedy of 1886 and the unjust trial of labor leaders. Douglas then shifts to discussing John P. Altgeld, a politician who fought for justice and pardoned the Haymarket leaders, sacrificing his own political career. Altgeld's actions exemplify his commitment to principles over personal gain.