Overview of the Collection
Casper, Max
Onondaga County Public
Library
Local History & Genealogy Department
447 South Salina
Street
Syracuse, New York, 13202
(315) 435-1800
English
War on Poverty, Syracuse, NY, 1964 -
1972
1964
- 1972
2.1 linear ft.
## insert unique identifier here
This collection includes archival
material relating to Syracuse and Onondaga County’s response to President Lyndon B.
Johnson’s declaration of the War on Poverty in the United States in 1964. Materials
include information on antipoverty community action programs in Syracuse and
Onondaga County, NY from 1964-1972.
Biographical History
In 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson launched a War on Poverty in the United States.
After the Presidents declaration, federal money was granted for poverty-fighting
efforts around the country through the Economic Opportunity Act. Syracuse Mayor
Walsh and Onondaga County Executive Mulroy gave Syracuse’s Commission on Youth
charge of its share of federal funds and resources. The Commission on Youth was a
local agency, begun in 1962 to help the poor of the city of Syracuse. The name of
the Commission of Youth was changed to the Crusade for Opportunity, to more
accurately reflect the broader commitments of the expanded program. The goals of the
Crusade for Opportunity were to organize charitable and civic agencies to help the
poor. The Crusade for Opportunity was later taken over by P.E.A.C.E. Inc.
Also during this time in 1964, Syracuse University, through the School of Social
Work, created the Community Action Training Center (CATC). This program was designed
to train students and community members to help organize the poor to help themselves
out of poverty. Along with its nonprofit arm, the Syracuse Community Development
Association (SCDA) CATC attempted to help people living in low-income areas of
Syracuse identify the causes of poverty and then create their own services and
programs to overcome those causes. This program also received federal funding from
the Economic Opportunity Act. The CATC was controversial because it tried to bypass
the local power structure and place power directly in the hands of the residents.
The CATC was discontinued by Syracuse University in 1965.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The collection contains the files of Dr. Max Casper, Professor of Social Work at
Syracuse University covering the time period 1964-1972.
Series 1:
This series contains information primarily from the Crusade for Opportunity and their
various Syracuse projects, ranging in date from 1963-1972. Files include
newsletters, correspondence, personnel lists and information, project information,
financial information and newspaper clippings. The folders are arranged
alphabetically by subject.
Series 2:
This series contains information from the Community Action Training Center, through
the School of Social Work at Syracuse University, from its start in 1964 to its end
in 1965. Documents include curricular material, syllabi, correspondence, personnel
and student information, papers, dissertations, notes and newsletters. The folders
are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Series 3:
This series contains papers by Warren C. Haggstrom, Ph.D., Director of the Community
Action Training Center at Syracuse University, written from 1963-1966. The folders
are arranged alphabetically by paper title.
Arrangement of the Collection
The collection is arranged into three series. Within each series the folders are
arranged alphabetically. This was the order of the collection was in when it was
donated to the library by Dr. Max Casper.
Related Material
The Local History and Genealogy Department has other materials, such as newspaper
clippings, books, newsletters and papers on the topic of the Crusade for
Opportunity, the Community Action Training Center and P.E.A.C.E. Inc. These
additional items can be found in the library catalog www.onlib.org . Please contact
a librarian for further assistance.Please check with OCPL
staff to access these materials.
Access Restrictions
Patron must have a valid OCPL library card.
Use Restrictions
User must use materials in the Local History and Genealogy Department of
OCPL.
Permission must be obtained from staff for reproduction of any
materials.
Alinsky, Saul David, 1909-1972
Anderson, O. John
Auchincloss, J. Howland., M.D.
Casper, Max
Davis, Jeanne
Dunne, George H.
Haggstrom, Warren C., 1925-1986
Ise, Momoyo
Killingsworth, Mark H.
Kinney, Lillie C.
Knoll, Erwin
Mulroy, John H.
Ross, Fred
Rumsey, Wallace D.
Walsh, William Francis, 1912-
Witcover, Jules
Economic assistance, Domestic – United
States
Housing--New York (State)—Syracuse
Human rights--New York
(State)--Syracuse--History--20th century.
Poor – United States
Poverty – New York (State)
School integration--New York
(State)--Syracuse--History.
Public welfare--New York
(State)--Syracuse.
Committee of Responsibility to Save
War-Burned and War-Injured Vietnamese Children (U.S.)
Community Action Training Center
(Syracuse, N.Y.)
Crusade for Opportunity (Syracuse,
N.Y.)
Head Start Program (Syracuse,
N.Y.)
Home Health Aide Program (Syracuse,
N.Y.)
Mayor’s Commission for Youth, Inc.
(Syracuse, N.Y.)
Medical Committee for Human Rights
(Syracuse, N.Y.)
Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation
(Syracuse, N.Y.)
Organization of Organizations. (Syracuse,
NY)
People's Equal Action and Community
Effort, Inc. (Syracuse, NY)
People's Organization to Win Equal Rights
(Syracuse, NY)
People's War Council on Poverty (Syracuse,
NY)
Syracuse CORE
Syracuse Community Development Association
(Syracuse, N.Y.)
Application Forms.
Bibliographies.
Bylaws.
Clippings.
Correspondence.
Curricula.
Doctoral dissertations.
Handbooks.
Memorandums.
Newsletters.
Notebooks.
Publications.
Press Releases.
Reports.
Syllabi.
Telegrams.
Onondaga County (N.Y.)--History.
Syracuse (N.Y.)--History.
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
War on Poverty, Syracuse, NY 1964 - 1968
Onondaga County Public Library
Local
History and Genealogy Department
Shelf Location: MS-8
Acquisition Information
Gift from Max Casper, Professor of Social Work at Syracuse University.
Inventory
Crusade for Opportunity
Board of Presidents and Executive Forum of Onondaga
County,1971-1972
1
1
Community Action Program – Includes instructions for
application from Office of Economic Opportunity, and copy of Crusade
for Opportunity’s application,1965
1
1.5
CORE, Niagara Mohawk Corporation,1965
1
2
Crusade for Opportunity,1966-67
1
3
Crusade for Opportunity – Board of Directors,1967
1
4
Crusade for Opportunity – By-Laws,1965-67
1
5
Crusade for Opportunity - Commission,1967
1
6
Crusade for Opportunity -,1964-1965
1
7
Crusade for Opportunity –,1966
1
8
Crusade for Opportunity -,1967
1
9
Crusade for Opportunity – CAPsule: Digest of Current
Happenings,1966-67
1
10
Crusade for Opportunity – Head Start Programs,1965-1966
1
11
Crusade for Opportunity – Legacy, Dissertation by Max
Casper,1968-1970
1
12
Crusade for Opportunity – Monthly Reports,1966-1967
1
13
Crusade for Opportunity – including “Representation of
Program Participants” by O. John Anderson,1966
1
14
Housing - including a paper “Politics and the Poor: Shiver’s
Second Thoughts” by Jules Witcover and Erwin Knoll, and “Integrated
Housing: a Syracuse Stor”y by Wallace D. Rumsey, and “The Doors to
Despair in Syracuse Today: the Problems of Sub-Standard Housing and
What We Must Do About It”, prepared by the Area Development
Department, Niagara Mohawk Corp.,1964-65
1
15
Human Rights Commission of Syracuse and Onondaga County –
Heritage Project,1983
1
16
Human Rights in Syracuse – including “Timeline and Notes on
Chronology” by Lillie C. Kinney,1983
1
17
Mayor’s Commission for Youth, Inc.,1963-1966
1
18
Medical Community for Human Rights – Constitution and
Membership,1965-66
1
19
Medical Committee for Human Rights – Correspondence,1965
1
20
Medical Committee for Human Rights - Correspondence,1966
1
21
Medical Committee for Human Rights - Correspondence,1967
1
22
Medical Committee for Human Rights – Home Health Aide
Program,1966
1
23
Medical Committee for Human Rights - Reports,1966
1
24
Medical Committee for Human Rights – Summer Program, Southern
Project, including notes and diary by participant Dr.
Auchincloss,1965
1
25
Neighborhood Data - including Syracuse Neighborhood Survey
1965, “Parents’ Perception of the Syracuse School Bussing Program”
by Momoyo Ise, “Case Study of the Syracuse University Hill
Corporation” by Jeanne Davis, 1968,1965-1968
1
26
Organization of Organizations,1966
1
27
P.E.A.C.E., Inc.,1969-1972
1
28
People’s Organization to Win Equal Rights (POWER),nd
1
29
People’s War Council Against Poverty,1965-1967
1
30
Syracuse Community Development Association,1966
1
31
Syracuse Friends of Committee of Responsibility,nd
1
32
Syracuse Housing Authority - Clash with Crusade for
Opportunity,1965-1966
1
33
War on Poverty – Miscellaneous, including “The Sin of
Segregation” by Rev. Father George H. Dunne, “Analysis of SDCA
Associations” by Reverend Edward F. Weiskotten (in Churches and
Clergy Support Syracuse Communtiy Development Association pamphlet),
“War with the Wrong Weapons” by Mark R. Killingsworth,1964-1966
1
34
War on Poverty – including Syracuse School Integration –
Newspaper Clippings,1964-1967
1
35
Community Action Training Center
Community Action Training Center (Syracuse University) –
includes staff biographical information, course outline, memorandum,
correspondence, papers, SCDA newsletters,1965-1966
2
1
Community Action Training Center Library – bibliography and
library outline,nd
2
2
Community Action Training Center – Newsletters and
Notes,1965
2
3
Community Action Training Center – Social Action
Seminar,1965
2
4
Community Action Training Center – Social Action
Syllabus,1965
2
5
Papers by Warren C. Haggstrom, Ph.D
“Action Organization of Minority Group Communities",1965
3
1
“Authentically Generic Social Work Education",1966
3
2
“CATC Notes",1966
3
3
“Can the Poor Transform the World”,1966
3
4
“Intent and Outcome of Maximum Feasible Participation of the
Poor”,1966
3
5
“Memorandum Concerning A Syracuse Poverty Program”,1964
3
6
“Money of the Poor”,1965-1966
3
7
“Moral Case Against Social Action”,1965
3
8
“A Note on Definition in Research Analysis”,1966
3
9
“A Note on Social Science Research Analysis”,1966
3
10
“Organizer”,1965
3
11
“Poverty and Adult Education”,1964
3
12
“Poverty Planning”,1965
3
13
“Power of the Poor”,1965
3
14
“Preliminary Report on Social Action Programs”,1965
3
15
“Prerequisites to the Power of the Poor”,1966
3
16
“Racial Segregation Desegregation and Negro Personality",
”1963
3
17
“Refuting the Moral Case Against Social Action”,1966
3
18
“Research Product of the Communtiy Training Center”,nd
3
19
“Social Work and Social Action Theory”,1964
3
20
“Social Work Field Training in Social Action”,1965
3
21
“Turn Back the Clock”,1966
3
22