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Corliss Lamont Speech

An inventory of his collection at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Title: Corliss Lamont Speech
Inclusive Dates: 1955
Quantity: 1 folder (SC)
Abstract: Speech by American philosopher, Corliss Lamont
Language: English
Repository: Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Corliss Lamont (1902-1995) was an American socialist philosopher and advocate for civil liberties.

Lamont was born to a wealthy Wall Street family (his father, Thomas W. Lamont had been a partner of J. P. Morgan) but championed issues of the working class, causing him to earn the titles "Socialist" and "traitor to his class." Lamont was also a Humanist who believed humans had evolved without supernatural intervention causing him to be labeled an Atheist. Because of his belief that the United States should maintain a productive relationship with the Soviet Union during the Red Scare, Senator Joseph McCarthy called him "un-American."

As well as a philosopher, Lamont was a poet, author, and professor of Humanism at Columbia University. He also carried a number of successful landmark court cases, including one taken to the Supreme Court. He was given the Gandhi Peace Award in 1981 and served on the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberities Union and the National Urban League.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Corliss Lamont Speech is a typescript of a speech given to the Teachers Union, New York.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Lamont, Corliss, 1902-1995.

Subjects

Intellectual freedom.
Philosophy, American.

Genres and Forms

Speeches (compositions)

Occupations

Humanists -- United States.
Philosophers -- United States.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Corliss Lamont Speech
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Unknown

Finding Aid Information

Created by: KD
Date: 17 Jan 2019
Revision history:

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Inventory

Writings
SC 843 Speech given to Teachers Union of New York City April 2, 1955 - in acceptance of the award for "Valiant and Unswerving Defense of Intellectual Freedom"

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