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League of Women Voters of Maryland records

 Collection 0088-MDHC
The League of Women Voters of Maryland was founded in 1921, shortly after the passage of the nineteenth amendement granting women the vote. The League has antecedents in a number of suffrage organizations, including the Just Government League of Maryland and the Women's Suffrage League of Maryland. The League of Women Voters has organized county leagues and developed a program for voicing the concerns and furthering the interests of its members. The League has also been particularly interested in elections and voting; efficiency in government; social and child welfare; women's rights; world peace; and education. Among the controversial areas in which the League has been active over the years are child labor; collective bargaining; food and drug administration; housing; the merit system in civil service; the United Nations; disarmament; the poll tax; civil rights; and the Equal Rights Amendment. League activities are documented in newsletters, press releases, correspondence, reports, and minutes.

Dates

  • 1910-2014
  • Majority of material found within 1910-1985

Use and Access to Collection

This collection is open for research.

Duplication and Copyright Information

Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.

Extent

35.75 Linear Feet

Additional Description

Scope and Content of Collection

The League of Women Voters of Maryland records cover the years 1910 to 2014. Records include correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, newsletters, printed material, and newspaper clippings. Key subjects include elections and voting, legislation, state and local government, domestic and foreign policy, child welfare, and public welfare.

Administrative History

In 1921, the Women's Suffrage League of Maryland affiliated with the recently formed League of Women Voters of the United States. The new League of Women Voters of Maryland, led by its president, Mrs. Charles Ellicott, organized County Leagues and developed a program for voicing the concerns and furthering the interests of its members. The non-partisan organization has, throughout its history, focused on a number of causes helping to shape American history. In particular, the League has been interested in elections and voting, efficiency in government, social welfare, child welfare, women's rights, world peace, and education. Thus, the League has consistently supported voter education, effective government, and the rights of the under-represented. Using these areas of concern to organize its activities, the League has responded to important issues as they have arisen and has generated interest in questions that may have been overlooked. Among the controversial areas in which the League has been active over the years are child labor, collective bargaining, food and drug legislation, housing, the merit system in civil service, the United Nations, disarmament, the Poll Tax, civil rights, and the Equal Rights Amendment. In addition to these concerns, the Maryland League has been interested in local issues, including redistricting and reapportionment, state taxes and expenditures, the Maryland constitution, and state and local elections and election laws.

Arrangement

The collection is organized as five series.
Series 1
State
Series 2
Counties
Series 3
Issues
Series 4
State and National Publications
Series 5
Oral Histories

Custodial History and Acquisition Information

The University of Maryland Libraries accessioned the records of the League of Women Voters of Maryland in 1972 and 1973. Oral histories (Series 5) were added in 1981 (Williamson) and 1985 (Wood and Satterthwaite).

Related Material

The following publications of the League of Women Voters of Maryland (and its county offices) are available in the Maryland Room:
  1. Desegregation, Baltimore Public Schools: History, Problems, Solutions (1963)
  2. Guide to Maryland County Charter (1964)
  3. Handbook on Maryland State Government (1975, 1978)
  4. Know Your County (1954)
  5. Know Your County Government (1961)
  6. Legislative News Service (serial, 1971 to present, continued in 1986 as Report From State Circle)
  7. Lobbying the Maryland General Assembly (1975)
  8. Maryland Voter (serial, 1976-present)
  9. Public Accommodations Law in Maryland (1964)
  10. Public Welfare in Maryland (1968-1969)
  11. State-Local Fiscal Relations (1960)
  12. This is Montgomery County, Maryland (1960)
In addition, Maryland Manuscript #1209 is a transcribed oral history of Lillian Wilson discussing, among other things, the League of Women Voters of Maryland. The University of Maryland Libraries also holds the records of the League of Women Voters of Prince George's County.

Processing Information

Paper clips were replaced with plastic clips. All materials were placed in acid-free folders and acid-free boxes. Some fragile items were set apart in their folders by sheets of acid-free paper. In 2003, one folder of materials on Howard County was separated from the records of the League of Women Voters of Prince George's County and incorporated into Series 2: Counties.

Topics

Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the League of Women Voters of Maryland records
Status
Completed
Author
Unknown
Date
1972
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Library Details

Library Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives

http://www.lib.umd.edu/special
Contact:
University of Maryland Libraries
Hornbake Library
4130 Campus Drive
College Park Maryland 20742
301-405-9212

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