Political & Social Relations

Home Education National History Day 2016 Resources For The Theme Political & Social Relations

Political & Social Relations

Click each name below to find a list of sources available from HSP's collection. All of these sources can be found by using Discover (online catalog) and the Digital Library

Here are some helpful terms and topics you can search using these tools :

Constitutional Convention, 18th century, constitutional history, politics and government, congresses, debate,  social conditions, ethnic relations, integration, suffrage, National Women's Party, women's history--political activism--Philadelphia, women's rights--United States--History--20th century, women's suffrage--United States--1910-1930

New to using HSP's Catalog & Research Tools?  Check out our Researching the Collection Online for Students page for information on how to use Discover (online catalog) and the Digital Library.

Federal Convention of 1787

-Also known as the Constitutional Convention, held in Philadelphia form May to September of 1787.

-Delegates hoped to resolve recurring problems in governing the new country under the Articles of Confederation.

-Many of the delegates, including James Wilson from Pennsylvania, kept notes of the proceedings, speeches, and debates.

-You could research one of the many debates as a topic, or the Federal Convention as a whole; these sources are just a portion of our holdings on this topic.

Albert Greenfield and Political Conventions

-Greenfield was a real estate broker, prominent Philadelphian, and an active participant in city and national politics throughout his career.

-In 1948, both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions were held in Philadelphia.

-Albert Greenfield, as a leader of the All Philadelphia Citizens Committee, led the effort to secure Philadelphia as the location of both party's conventions in the same year.

-HSP's collection holds material from the 1948 Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention as well as Greenfield's papers, which contain information on his work on hosting the conventions that same year.

-The Democratic National Convention is set to return to Philadelphia in June 2016.

Integrated Housing

-Morris Milgram, a civil rights and social activist, advocated for "racial harmony” by creating communities where black and white citizens had equal access to housing.

-In the 1950s, Milgram initiated his ideas by building two successful integrated communities in Philadelphia, Concord Park and Greenbelt Knoll.

-When he attempted to build outside of Philadelphia, in Deerfield, Illinois, the local government halted construction.

-Milgram reached out to advocates such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr.  His correspondences with them in HSP's collection show their support for his work toward integrated housing.

Dora Kelly Lewis Letters

-Dora Kelly Lewis was a member of the National Women's Party, known for its "militant" tactics in the fight for women's right to vote.

-In July 1917, Lewis and others were arrested for displaying a banner outside the White House, which pointed out President Wilson's hypocrisy in fighting for democracy in WWI, when it was not fulfilled in the U.S.

-Lewis' exchanges with her mother and daughter reveal much about her role in the movement for women's suffrage.