Inventory of the Joseph Felmet Papers, 1941-1989

Collection Number 4513


Manuscripts Department, University Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Collection Information
Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Online Catalog Headings
Biographical/Historical Note
Collection Overview
Related Collections
Contact Information:
Manuscripts Department
CB#3926, Wilson Library
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890
Phone: 919/962-1345
Fax: 919/962-3594
Email: mss@email.unc.edu
URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/
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Descriptive Summary

Repository
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Creator
Felmet, Joseph, 1921-
Title
Joseph Felmet Papers, 1941-1989
Call Number
4513
Language of Materials
Materials in English
Extent
Items: About 425
Linear Feet: 1.5
Abstract
Joseph Felmet received an A.B. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1942. He was arrested on numerous occasions for his pacificism during World War II and social activism later.
Correspondence and files relating to various activities of Joseph Felmet. Photocopies of FBI files pertain to Felmet's actions as a pacifist and civil rights advocate as a University of North Carolina student and later. Correspondence pertains to Felmet's struggle to gain permission to take the bar exam in North Carolina. Also included are letters describing Felmet's position on civil rights and documents relating to his 1978 senatorial campaign in North Carolina.

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Administrative Information

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Joseph Felmet of Winston Salem, North Carolina, in March and April 1988, and smaller accessions starting in 1989.
Processing Information
Processed by: Robert J. Foster, April 1988; Roslyn Holdzkom, 1989
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Joseph Felmet Papers #4513, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Copyright Notice
Retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
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Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Bar examinations--North Carolina--History--20th century.
Civil rights workers--North Carolina.
College students--North Carolina--Political activity.
Felmet, Joseph, 1921-
Pacifists--North Carolina.
University of North Carolina (1793-1962)--Students--History--20th century.
World War, 1939-1945--Conscientious objectors--North Carolina.
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Related Collections

See also Joseph Felmet Collection Duke University Library, Durham, N.C.
See also Joseph Felmet Collection, Wake Forest University Library, Winston-Salem, N.C.
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Biographical/Historical Note

Joseph Felmet was born in 1921 in Asheville, North Carolina. As a student, he was chair of the American Student Union, a group that was active in the effort to secure civil rights for blacks. Felmet's passion for civil rights led him to take part in the Journey for Reconciliation in 1947, an early attempt by civil rights advocates to test the Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation in interstate travel. During this demonstration, Felmet was arrested for violating Orange County's segregation laws. Felmet left the American Student Union for political reasons, and later joined the Workers Defense League to help promote civil rights. His activities with this group led to his arrest for protesting the treatment of black migrant workers in Miami, Florida.

Felmet's pacificism precluded military service in World War II. Obtaining a deferment, he was assigned to civil service duty. Believing that this assignment did not recognize his position as a conscientious objector to the war, he successfully petitioned for reclassification of his draft status. After being drafted, he refused to serve. Convicted of draft evasion, his sentence was suspended with the provision that Felmet work in a hospital for nine months.

Felmet's application to take the North Carolina bar exam was rejected in 1948, the Board of Law Examiners of the State of North Carolina believing that Felmet would not uphold the law in cases in which his moral convictions conflicted with the law. Felmet tried to rally support behind his appeal, but was unsuccessful.

In 1976, Felmet ran for Congress and was defeated. He attempted to mount a campaign for a Senate seat in 1976, but his unorthodox campaigning style made it difficult for him to obtain the funds and recognition required for a successful campaign.

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Collection Overview

Series 1 consists of letters collected by Felmet that relate to his attempt to take the bar exam in North Carolina in 1948. Series 2 consists of photocopies of FBI files relating to Felmet's activities from 1941 to 1947. Also included in the collection, in Series 3, are two documents describing Felmet's 1978 senatorial campaign.

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Arrangement of Collection

Series 1. North Carolina Bar Materials
Series 2. FBI Files
Series 3. Other Papers

Detailed Description of the Collection

1. North Carolina Bar Materials, 1948-1956.

147 items
This series focuses on the letters Joseph Felmet wrote in his attempt to be granted permission to take the North Carolina bar exam. They include board letters rejecting Felmet and his written appeals to friends to act on his behalf. In addition, there are copies of letters sent to the board on Felmet's behalf, and a letter from the board refusing to re examine the case. Other correspondence consists of letters dated after 1950 that relate to Felmet's reapplication to take the bar exam, that congratulate friends who passed the bar, and two letters in 1956 that relate to civil rights.
Folder 1
1948 Correspondence with board (rejection of application)
Folder 2
1948 Letters from Felmet (appeals for support)
Folder 3
1948 Letters to Felmet (acknowledging or denying support, recommending action)
Folder 4
1948 Appeals to board (re-evaluating case)
Folder 5
1948 Board rejections
Folder 6
1950-1956 Correspondence with board (reapplication)
Folder 7
1950-1956 "Summary of interview of Joe Felmet with North Carolina Board of Law Examiners, July 1948"

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2. FBI Files, 1941-1948, 1977-1978.

273 items
These files reflect Felmet's activism in the 1940s, with an emphasis on his civil rights work with the American Student Union and Workers Defense League. In addition, there are files relating to Felmet's arrests for protesting the draft, segregation in interstate travel, and mistreatment of migrant workers. Felmet is also mentioned briefly in other files listed below. Felmet obtained copies of these files under the Freedom of Information Act. They were heavily edited by the FBI prior to their release.
Folder 8
Correspondence with the FBI, 1987-1988
Folder 9
FBI Files Communist Activities in North Carolina, 1941
Folder 10
FBI Files Joseph Felmet-Internal Security, 1941
Folder 11
FBI Files Fellowship of Reconciliation, 1941
Folder 12
FBI Files American Peace Mobilization, 1941
Folder 13
FBI Files American Student Union, 1941-1942
Folder 14
FBI Files Joseph Felmet (Selective Service, File #25-29779), 1943
Folder 15
FBI Files Joseph Felmet (Selective Service, File #25-7860), 1943
Folder 16
FBI Files Miami Arrest, 1944
Folder 17
FBI Files Frank Porter Graham (Atomic Energy Act), 1947
Folder 18
FBI Files Workers Defense League, 1948
Folder 19
FBI Files Miscellaneous FBI Documents
Folder 20
FBI Files Classified

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3. Other Papers, 1978-1989.

circa 10 items
Documents relating to Joseph Felmet's unsuccessful attempt to run for a Senate seat from North Carolina in 1978, biographical materials, an essay by Felmet titled "My Stance on the First Amendment," and other materials. Folder 22 contains photocopies of materials on file at the Archives of Labor History and Urban Affairs at Wayne State University about the Southern Workers Defense League.
Folder 21
Other papers, 1978-1989

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