New York State Joint Legislative Committee to Investigate Seditious Activities New York City Maps Outlining Concentrations of…

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Overview of the Records

Repository
New York State Archives
222 Madison Avenue
Albany, NY 12230
Summary
This series consists of two annotated print maps of New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, the western part of the borough of Bronx, and a small portion of the borough of Queens, produced by staff of the Lusk Committee in furtherance of its objective to gather information about suspected radical groups in New York State. The maps are colored to show sections where various ethnic and racial populations were concentrated in 1919; numbers are used to show locations of both suspected radical group meetings and radical newspapers published in the city.
Title
Joint Legislative Committee to Investigate Seditious Activities New York City maps outlining concentrations of ethnic groups
Quantity
0.3 cubic feet; 2 map(s); 1 35mm microfilm roll(s)
Bulk Dates
Series Number
L0041
Creator
Arrangement

Geographical by city borough.

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of two annotated print maps of New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, the western part of the borough of Bronx, and a small portion of the borough of Queens, produced by staff of the Lusk Committee in furtherance of its objective to gather information about suspected radical groups in New York State. The maps are colored to show sections where various ethnic and racial populations were concentrated in 1919; numbers are used to show locations of both suspected radical group meetings and radical newspapers published in the city.

The committee, commonly known as the Lusk Committee after the name of its chairman, was established in 1919 to investigate individuals and organizations suspected of promoting the overthrow of the U.S. government and violating anarchy laws. Most committee investigations centered in New York City. One map in the series covers the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx; the other covers Brooklyn and parts of Queens.

The maps are annotated copies of printed street maps published by the Ohman Map Company. Dated 1919, each is entitled "Ethnic Map" and carries a pasted on printed legend block that states the map was prepared under direction of a special deputy Attorney General by the chief clerk of the committee, together with troopers of the New York State Police and the Police Department of the City of New York. The maps are each hand colored to outline eleven groups of ethnic populations: Germans; Russian Jews; Italians; Austro-Hungarians; Irish; Chinese; Scandinavians and Finns; Syrians, Turks, Armenians, and Greeks; French; Negroes; and "Mixed."

The Manhattan/Bronx map has a street and avenue index, a scale in feet, and an inset map showing the outline of New York City. In addition to the ethnic groups it lists 63 halls and assembly rooms "where radical meetings are held" and 44 "radical and liberal" newspapers and periodicals published in New York City in August 1919. It measures 118 x 46 cm.

The Brooklyn/Queens map has the same title and block information, a scale in feet, and a directional symbol. It also shows the location of ethnic groups, and includes a separate typed index list identifying the location of 23 halls and assembly rooms in Brooklyn "where radical meetings are held." The printed base map has a 1917 copyright date. The map measures 91 x 67 cm.

Alternate Formats Available

Microfilm is available at the New York State Archives.

High resolution images of all original documents in this series are available in State Archives Digital Collections.

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.

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