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The City College of New York (CCNY) Anti-War Notices collection on JSTOR is a fascinating resource of ephemera and  political flyers that were circulated at CCNY primarily between 1934 and 1936. The collection includes flyers urging students to “burn fascism” and vote communist, posters in support of write-in candidates for mayoral elections, a who’s who in political elections cast as a conversation with Alice in Wonderland, an invitation for an anti-military ball, flyers decrying the ROTC, and much more. There’s even a pamphlet that includes text of a speech by Charlie Chaplin arguing in favor of a second (Russian) front during WWII. As Chief Archivist Professor Sydney Van Nort and his colleagues explain, the items in the collection “reflect a time of political activism by members of the student body concerned about events in the wider world and their possible impact on their lives.”

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Here’s some of the most visually compelling material. You can browse the full collection for free on JSTOR.

Political pamphlet advertising the American Student Union.
Political pamphlet advertising the American Student Union.
Political flyer in support of an April 22, 1936 student strike.
Newsletter with headlines: The ASU at the Crossroads; The “Campus” Beats War Drums; Education and Society; In Defense of Mr. Weidman; The Business Recession; The 4th International; Spirit of US Constitution; Book Reviews. 24 pages. Includes an additional 3-page supplement with political cartoons.
Newsletter with headlines: Our Lives Are at Stake; April 12 at CCNY; The Events in Harlem; Why Not to Be a Trotzkyite; Mr. Cohen’s Theory of the State; The FERA Students’ Union. 12 pages. Student Publications: The Campus Newspaper Collection
Political pamphlet in support of Anti-War movement.
Political pamphlet with headline: Declaration of the Rights of American Youth.
Political pamphlet in support of the Communist Party platform.
Political pamphlet in support of a second front in World War II. Includes text of a speech by actor Charles Chaplin.
Campus activismcommunism

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