UASC-008 Finding aid for the Catholic Council on Civil Liberties records, 1958-1967 Finding aid prepared by Leigh Burnham University of Dayton. University Archives and Special Collections 2009

300 College Park Dayton, OH 45469-1360

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EAD encoding by Leigh Burnham, 2009 English October 2006 Electronic finding aid created by Lisa Pasquinelli from existing finding aid Overview of Collection University of Dayton. University Archives and Special Collections Catholic Council on Civil Liberties Catholic Council on Civil Liberties records 1958-1967 1.5 linear feet UASC-008 Administrative records, publications, photographs, and correspondence of the Catholic Council on Civil Liberties--formerly the American Freedoms Council--a national group of Catholics involved in the civil liberties front. English History of the Catholic Council on Civil Liberties

The American Freedoms Council was incorporated on May 26, 1959, in Omaha, Nebraska, by John Holman and Gerald McGuire. The Council was conceived as a type of "Catholic Civil Liberties Union" in which the laity could work for the general welfare without fear of compromising their religious principles.

The aims of the group were to promote closer cooperation of Catholics in a non-political body for the purposes of the benevolence, charity, and education and to educate its members in civic and religious liberty and the constitutional rights of all American citizens. Local chapters soon sprung up in cities across the country, including Cleveland, Ohio; St. Louis, Missouri; Brooklyn, New York; and Detroit, Michigan.

In 1961, the board of directors voted to change the organization's name to the Catholic Council on Civil Liberties. At this time the national headquarters was moved to Lawndale, California. The group disbanded in 1966.

Scope and Content

The materials in this collection document the creation and operation of the Catholic Council on Civil Liberties, originally named the American Freedoms Council. The collection includes the constitution, bylaws, membership applications, and mailing lists of the organization, as well as briefs filed in court cases, publications, photographs, and newspaper clippings. A large portion of the collection is made up of correspondence of the organization's officers and members, including that of Thomas F. Ritt, director; Russell W. Gibbons, secretary; William B. Ball and A.V. Krebs, members of the national board of directors; and Joseph O'Meara, A.C. Germann, and Rev. Louis A. Gales, members of the national advisory committee. The collection spans 1958-1967.

Statement of Arrangement

The records of the Catholic Council on Civil Liberties are arranged alphabetically with the exception of the newspaper clippings, which are located at the end of the collection.

Search Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the University of Dayton Libraries Catalog. Researchers may use these headings to search the catalog for resources on related topics, persons, or places.

Personal Names Holman, John McGuire, Gerald Ritt, Thomas F. Gibbons, Richard W. Ball, William B. Krebs, A. V. O'Meara, Joseph Germann, A. C. Gales, Louis A. Corporate Names American Freedoms Council Catholic Council on Civil Liberties Subjects Civil rights -- United States Catholics -- United States Catholics Civil rights Access to Materials

This collection is open and available to the public for research in the University Archives and Special Collections reading room. The materials are non-circulating.

The materials in this collection may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). The materials are available for personal, educational, and scholarly use. It is the responsibility of the researcher to locate and obtain permission from the copyright owner or his or her heirs for any other use, such as reproduction and publication.

Acquisition Information

Russell W. Gibbons, secretary of the CCCL, donated the collection in 1967.

Preferred Citation

Catholic Council on Civil Liberties Records, 1958-1967. University Archives and Special Collections, University of Dayton Libraries, Dayton, Ohio.

Box and Folder Listing BoxFolder 1 1 AFC and CCCL -- Constitution and bylaws 1943, 1958 1 2 AFC and CCCL -- Publications and reprints; news releases; postions statements 1958-1965 1 3 Articles, statements, and other materials 1961-1964 1 4 Buffalo Diocesan Chapter records -- Detroit Chapter members and constitution 1962-1965 1 5 Convention -- University of Dayton August 1963 1 6 Correspondence -- AFC and CCCL 1960-1964 1 7 Correspondence -- A.C. Germann 1962-1964 1 8 Correspondence -- Albert V. Krebs 1963-1964 1 9 Correspondence -- Joseph O'Meara 1958-1965 1 10 Correspondence -- Rev. Louis A. Gales 1962-1964 2 1 Correspondence -- Russell W. Gibbons 1959-1960 2 2 Correspondence -- Russell W. Gibbons 1961 2 3-4 Correspondence -- Russell W. Gibbons 1962 2 5-6 Correspondence -- Russell W. Gibbons 1963 2 7-8 Correspondence -- Russell W. Gibbons 1964 2 9 Correspondence -- Russell W. Gibbons 1965 3 1 Correspondence -- Thomas F. Ritt 1962 3 2 Correspondence -- Thomas F. Ritt 1963 3 3 Correspondence -- Thomas F. Ritt 1964-1965 3 4 Correspondence -- William B. Ball 1962-1964 3 5 Freedom Award 1962-1965 3 6 Green vs. Continental Airlines 1962-1963 3 7 House Un-American Activities Committee -- Publications and correspondence 1961-1967 3 8 Invoices -- Financial statement 1963-1965 3 9 Mailing lists undated 4 1 Membership applications 1960-1964 4 2 Photographs undated 4 3-7 Newspaper clippings undated