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American Peace Society Records

 Collection
Identifier: SCPC-DG-003

Scope and Contents

The material in the American Peace Society (APS) Records consists of meeting minutes and annual reports, official correspondence and documents, as well as pamphlets and periodicals published by the APS. Of particular note are the early pamphlets, especially The Friend of Peace... written by Noah Worcester under the pseudonym Philo Pacificus. The largest group of documents within the APS Records are the personal papers of Benjamin Franklin Trueblood [Benjamin F. Trueblood] (1847-1916), General Secretary of the Society from 1892 to 1915, and those of his daughter and secretary, Lyra Trueblood Wolkins. This material consists of correspondence, articles, addresses and memorabilia from 1892-1925. Because the material in the collection came to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection in several accessions, there is some duplication among series. See also the records of the Massachusetts Peace Society (DG 20), the New York Peace Society (DG 26), and the Pennsylvania Peace Society (DG 31), and the papers of Joshua Pollard Blanchard (CDGA).

Dates

  • 1828-1947

Creator

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Limitations on Accessing the Collection

The collection is open for research use.

Physical Access Note

All or part of this collection is stored off-site. Contact Swarthmore College Peace Collection staff at peacecollection@swarthmore.edu at least two weeks in advance of visit to request boxes.

Copyright and Rights Information

None.

Historical Note

William Ladd (1778-1841) suggested in the 1820s to the Maine Peace Society that the regional peace societies, which had grown up in the United States since 1815, become associated in a national organization. As a result, the peace societies of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) merged in May 1828 to form the American Peace Society [APS]. Most local societies also became affiliated, with varying degrees of control from the national office. The political philosophy of the APS was never as radical or pacifist as some reformists would have liked, so some activists broke away to form new organizations, such as the New England Non-Resistance Society in the 1830s, and the Universal Peace Union in 1866. The stated purpose of the American Peace Society was to "promote permanent international peace through justice; and to advance in every proper way the general use of conciliation, arbitration, judicial methods, and other peaceful means of avoiding and adjusting differences among nations, to the end that right shall rule might in a law-governed world."

William Ladd was one of the first to propose a Congress of Nations and a World Court. The APS was instrumental in bringing about many peace congresses at The Hague, beginning in 1843, and in the United States in 1907-1915, as well as the Pan American Congress, out of which grew the Pan American Union.

The APS published Harbinger of Peace, The Calumet, Advocate of Peace, A.P.S. Bulletin, and World Affairs Bulletin. It also published many pamphlets and books to "mold public opinion in this country and abroad on the subject of international friendship" and peace. The headquarters of the Society moved in 1835 from Hartford, Connecticut to Boston, Massachusetts, and in 1911 to Washington, D.C., where it still has offices today (2009)

Extent

10.75 Linear Feet (10.75 linear ft.)

Overview

In the 1820s William Ladd of the Maine Peace Society suggested that the regional US peace societies become associated in a national organization. As a result, the peace societies of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) merged in May 1828 to form the American Peace Society [APS]. The stated purpose of the American Peace Society was to "promote permanent international peace through justice; and to advance in every proper way the general use of conciliation, arbitration, judicial methods, and other peaceful means of avoiding and adjusting differences among nations, to the end that right shall rule might in a law--governed world."

The headquarters of the Society moved in 1835 from Hartford, Connecticut to Boston, Massachusetts, and in 1911 to Washington, D.C., where it still had offices today (2009).

Arrangement

Boxes 1-5 contain printed material published by the APS organized in a chronological manner. Boxes 6-12 contain the correspondence of Benjamin Trueblood, APS president, and Trueblood family correspondence. Boxes 13/14-19 contain items about Benjamin Trueblood's work for the APS, his writings and speeches, and scrapbooks about his activities. Boxes 20-23 contain various publications by early nineteenth century leaders of the peace movement, many pre-dating the founding of the APS . Boxes 24 and 25 contain later accessions, mostly files of Benjamin Trueblood work for the APS. Some items listed below in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version, but many items are not included in the microfilm edition, nor are they necessarily marked as such in this finding aid. All items in boxes 1--6 are listed in a chronological manner, but some may be found, out of order on various reels of film. Some of these are marked with actual location on the microfilm.

Other Finding Aids

For the catalog record for this collection and to find materials on similar topics, search the library's online catalog

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from American Peace Society 1930-1940; gift from Lyra Trueblood Wolkins 1939--1940, 1966; gift from Peter L. and Susan H. Steere 1989 [Acc. 89A-043].

Existence and Location of Copies

Microfilm:

  1. Box 1: See Microfilm Reel 68:1. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  2. Box 2: See Microfilm Reel 68:1. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  3. Box 3: See Microfilm Reel 68:1-2. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  4. Box 4: See Microfilm Reel 68:2-3. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  5. Box 5: See Microfilm Reel 68:3. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  6. Box 6: See Microfilm Reel 68:3-4. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  7. Box 7: See Microfilm Reel 68:5. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  8. Box 8: See Microfilm Reel 68:5-6. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  9. Box 9: See Microfilm Reel 68:6. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  10. Box 10: See Microfilm Reel 68:6. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  11. Box 11: See Microfilm Reel 68:6. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  12. Box 12: See Microfilm Reel 68:6-7. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  13. Box 13-14: See Microfilm Reel 68:8-9. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  14. Box 15: See Microfilm Reel 68:9-10. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  15. Box 16: See Microfilm Reel 68:10-11. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  16. Box 17: See Microfilm Reel 68:11. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  17. Box 18: See Microfilm Reel 68:11-12. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  18. Box 19: See Microfilm Reel 68:12. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions
  19. Box 20: See Microfilm Reel 68:12-13. Only some items listed in boxes 1-20 are included in the microfilmed version 1930-1940 Accessions

Separated Materials

  1. See Button Collection for buttons and ribbons from peace congresses (1891, 1901, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1912), etc.
  2. See Oversize Area for scrapbook of Lyra Trueblood Wolkins re: World War I
  3. See Oversize Documents (Misc.) for Petition "A Sa Majeste Imperiale l'Empereur de toutes les Russies [for] reduction possible des armaments excessifs..." presented to Benjamin F. Trueblood by J.A. Masel (?), Secretary of the Dutch Peace Society, The Hague, June 8, 1899 Photographs
  4. See Photograph Collection for all size photographs of Benjamin F. Trueblood, his wife and parents, friends, American Peace Society associates, and American and European peace workers
  5. Periodicals [see bibliographic review of the various titles published by the American Peace Society and its affiliates 1815-present]
  6. See Periodicals Collection for: Advocate of Peace: No. 1-4 ( (June 1837 - March 1838); Vol. 2:5-11 (June 1838-December 1838); Vol. 2:13-3:12 (Feb. 1839 - April 1841); Vol. 4:9-6:9 (1842-1845); Vol. 7 (numbers?) (1847-1856); (Vol.?) 1857-1867; Vol. 1 (1869); Vol. 2:13-24 (1870); Vol. 3-6 (1871-1875); Vol. 7 (1876); Vol. 8-14 (1877-1883); No. 1-94 (1837-1932; scattered issues)
  7. See Periodicals Collection for: Advocate of Peace & Universal Brotherhood: Vol. 1:1-12 (1846) [three copies]; Vol. 1:6,9,10,11 (1846)
  8. See Periodicals Collection for: American Advocate of Peace: Vol. 1--3 (1834-1836, 1838); Vol. 47-54 (1885-1892)
  9. See Periodicals Collection for: The Calumet (Bound Volume): Vol. 1:1-12 (May 1831-April 1833)
  10. See Periodicals Collection for: The Calumet (Bound Volume): Vol. 1:13-18 - 2:1-6 (May 1833-April 1835)
  11. See Periodicals Collection for: The Friend of Peace (Bound Volume): "A Solemn Review..." (1815); "The Friend of Peace..." (1816)
  12. See Periodicals Collection for: "The Friend of Peace" No. 2 (1816) - No. 12 (undated); "Monument of a Beneficient Mission from Boston to St. Johns" as an appendix to Vol. 1 (undated); --"Address Delivered to the Massachusetts Peace Society at Their Third Anniversary, December 25, 1818" by Andrew Ritchie, 1819
  13. See Periodicals Collection for: The Friend of Peace (Bound Volume): Vol. 3:1-12 (July 1821-April 1824)
  14. See Periodicals Collection for: The Friend of Peace (Bound Volume): Vol. 4:1-14 (July 1824-October 1827)
  15. See Periodicals Collection for: The Friend of Peace : Appendix 1 (January 1828); Appendix 2 (April 1828); Appendix 3 (July 1828); Appendix 4 (October 1828)
  16. See Periodicals Collection for: Harbinger of Peace: Vol. 1:1- 12:1 (May 1828 - April 1829); 2:5 (September 1829); 2:12 (April 1830)
  17. See Periodicals Collection for: Herald of Peace: Dec. 1823 -1850, 1863-1868; 1883; 1887-1888; 1891; 1893; 1896-1899; 1901-1917; 1920-1921; 1927-1930; 1939 (scattered issues)
  18. See Periodicals Collection for: World Affairs: Vol. 95:1 - 151:3 (June 1932 - Winter 1988/1989) [Vol. 145:1- (Summer 1982- ) on microfilm]

Bibliographic References

Guide to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, 2nd ed., p. 9.

Legal Status

Copyright to the American Peace Society records created by the organization has been transferred to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. Copyright to all other materials is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Processing Information

Microfilmed material was originally processed and arranged by donors Lyra Trueblood Wolkins and Peter Steere; other material processed and arranged by SCPC staff, and the checklist was revised and updated by Anne Yoder in August, 1997. This version of the finding aid was created by Wendy E. Chmielewski in July, 2009.

Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2018: The file list was standardized in Summer 2017 by Mary Olesnavich in preparation for importing into ArchivesSpace. Elisabeth Miller added the notes in Fall 2017.
  • 2023: The Memorabilia series was added to the finding aid by Laura Melbourne in 2023.

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting reproductions from Swarthmore College Peace Collection Library

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