Young World Federalists

The Student Federalists organization was established in 1942 by Harris Wofford, then a high school student in Scarsdale, New York. Wofford's Student Federalists group was based on the ideas Clarence Streit (author of Union Now and founder of the Federal Union, Inc.) was advocating at that time, primarily the post-World War II formation of a federal world government--a union that Wofford, Streit, and others envisioned as a peaceful resolution to world conflicts. The Student Federalist movement grew quickly in the final years of World War II and the years immediately following, with chapters in hundreds of high schools and colleges, and an office in Washington, D.C. to oversee the chapters and distribute materials to members. At a 1947 conference in North Carolina, the Student Federalists merged with four other similar organizations, becoming the youth division of the newly-formed United World Federalists. Membership in the Student Federalists began to decline in the years immediately following the merger, and by late 1951 had dropped so low that the organization was disbanded. Many remaining Student Federalists then became part of World Order Realized through Law and Democracy (WORLD), which was established in October of 1951.

From the guide to the Student Federalists records, 1942-2003, 1942-1952, (The New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division.)