Historical note: The Freedom Forum was organized in 1943 in Schenectady, New York by the Subcommittee on Post War Planning of the Citizens Unity Committee of the Schenectady County Consolidated War Council. The Freedom Forum's priority was to promote an interest in civic and educational topics of the day. This dedication motivated Freedom Forum to bring notable lecturers to Schenectady. Freedom Forum by-laws state: "The policy of Freedom Forum, Inc. is to help in spreading factual information and in the discovery of truths concerning issues about which there are two or more points of view." Early in Freedom Forum's history the organization lacked control over lecturers because of its dependence on other organizations such as the Y.W.C.A and Union College who helped to sponsor the first lecture series. Freedom Forum opened memberships to the public at an annual subscription fee that allowed subscribers to participate in lectures and vote at meetings. Under the leadership of Reverend Edwin H. Wilson, Freedom Forum used these funds to become independent in 1944 and assume control over decisions on speakers. The first Freedom Forum speaker was author and scientist William Agar who lectured on September 27, 1943, on the topic of "The World We Want," which dealt with solutions to domestic problems at the end of World War II. Other subjects considered for discussion were the Vietnam War, contraception, abortion laws, and inflation. Well-known speakers included Jimmy Hoffa, Margaret Mead, and Dr. John Rock, the developer of the first oral contraceptive pill. The records do not specifically state the date of the groups disbandment, but the reduction in the number of subscriptions, decrease in amount of board members, and the inactivity of the remaining board members may have influenced the demise of the organization. The last program mentioned in the collection is May 8, 1978.
From the description of Freedom Forum records, 1959-1978. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 56107744
