Manuscripts Department
Library of the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION
#3966
ARTHUR FRANKLIN RAPER PAPERS
Inventory
Abstract: Arthur Franklin Raper (1899-1979) was a
distinguished rural sociologist, civil rights
activist, and social science analyst both in the
United States and in other countries. Raper’s early
career focused on analysis of rural problems and
racial discrimination in the South. In 1940, he began
his 22-year career as a social scientist and research
analyst for several federal government agencies. After
World War II, he became involved with problems of
rural development on a global scale, studying
conditions in Japan, Taiwan, other Asian counties, and
in North Africa and the Middle East. In 1962, he went
to Pakistan as senior advisor to the Pakistan Academy
for Rural Development. He returned to the United
States in 1964 and was a visiting professor at
Michigan State University until his retirement in
1967.
Papers documenting Arthur Franklin Raper’s
work for the Commission on Interracial Cooperation,
1926-1939; the Southern Commission for the Study of
Lynching, 1930-1931; the Carnegie-Myrdal Study of the
American Negro, 1939-1940; the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Economics, 1940-
1952; the Foreign Operations Administration and the
International Cooperation Administration, 1952-1962;
and the Pakistan Academy for Rural Development, 1962-
1964. Of special interest are the data on counties and
towns throughout the South, compiled for the Myrdal
study, and photographs by Jack Delano and Dorothea
Lange documenting the rural South during the
Depression. The collection contains much information
about aiding and implementing postwar development
programs in foreign countries, including Japan,
Taiwan, other Asian countries, North Africa, and the
Middle East. The papers include Raper’s correspondence
and private reflections; copies of, and correspondence
concerning the ten books and dozens of articles he
published; extensive genealogical and biographical
information; clippings; photographs; slide sets; and
tapes. Also included are other photographs of the
South during the Depression. An important feature of
the papers is Raper’s own comprehensive index to them.
Researchers using the papers must consult Raper’s
index in order to locate material. Copies of the index
are available in bound form and on microfilm.
Online Catalog Terms:
Africa, North--Social conditions--20th century.
Asia--Social conditions--20th century.
Commission on Interracial Cooperation.
Delta Cooperative Farm (Hillhouse, Miss.).
International Cooperation Administration.
Japan--Social conditions--1945- .
Lynching.
Middle East--Social conditions--20th century.
Pakistan Academy for Rural Development, Comilla.
Pakistan--Social conditions--20th century.
Raper, Arthur Franklin, 1899- .
Rural development--International cooperation.
Rural development--United States.
Sociologists--United States.
Southern Commission on the Study of Lynching.
Southern States--Social conditions--1865-1945.
Taiwan--Social conditions--1945-1975.
United States--Social conditions--1945-
Size: About 38,000 items (31.5 linear feet), plus 14 volumes, 11
side sets, and 20 tapes.
Date Span: 1913-1979.
Provenance: Received from Harrison Roper, son of Arthur F.
Raper, in accordance with his father’s will, in
January 1980.
Access: No restrictions.
Copyright: Retained by the authors of items in these papers, or
their descendants, as stipulated by United States
copyright law.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
Description
Container List
Items Separated
Additions
INTRODUCTION
Biographical Note
Arthur Franklin Raper (1899-1979) received his higher
education at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and
Vanderbilt University, both considered at the vanguard of
southern liberal thought in the 1920s and 1930s. The early years
of Raper’s career were devoted to an analysis of rural problems
and racial discrimination in the depression-era South. He was an
activist who delivered speeches and gathered data in his work for
the alleviation of rural poverty, and for the social and legal
equality of blacks. In 1940, Raper began his twenty-two-year
career as a social scientist and research analyst for several
federal government agencies. His concern for southern
agricultural reform continued, but after the war he became
involved with problems of rural development on a global scale.
He studied conditions in Japan, Taiwan, and several other
countries in Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. During
these years, Raper continued the activism which had characterized
his earlier career. In 1962, he became senior advisor to the
Pakistan Academy for Rural Development. He returned to America
two years later, and was a visiting professor at Michigan State
University until he retired in 1967. Between the time of his
retirement and his death in 1979, Arthur Raper maintained an
active interest in the worldwide struggle against social and
political injustice.
Personal:
1899 Born on November 8, in Davidson County, N.C., the
third son of William Franklin and Julia Selina Crouse Raper.
1929 Married Martha E. Jarrell of Atlanta, Ga., on June 12.
1930 Birth of first son, Charles F., on May 5.
1932 Birth of second son, Harrison C. (Roper), on May 10.
1934 Birth of third son, A. Jarrell, on March 24.
1937 Birth of daughter, J. Margaret (Hummon), on November 21.
1979 Died in Oakton, Va., on August 10.
Education:
1924 Received A.B., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
1925 Received M.A. in sociology and political science, Vanderbilt University.
1931 Received Ph.D. in sociology and rural economics, University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill.
Positions Held:
1925-26 Research Assistant for the Institute for Research in Social Science, University of
North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
1926-39 Research Secretary for the Commission on Interracial Cooperation, Atlanta, Ga.
1930-31 Member of the Southern Commission on the Study of Lynching.
1932-39 Part-time Professor of Sociology at Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Ga.
1938-40 Executive Secretary of the Council on a Christian Social Order.
1939-40 Research Associate for the Carnegie-Myrdal Study of the American Negro.
1940-42 Social Science Analyst for the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
1942-52 Social Science Analyst and Principal Social Scientist for the Bureau of
Agricultural Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
1943-52 Taught graduate courses at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at American
University, and at the University of Maryland.
1946-52 Trustee of the Delta Cooperative Farms, Inc.
1947-50 Made three trips to Japan as a consultant on agrarian reforms, for the Allied
Occupation Command.
1951 Made a trip to Southeast Asia as a consultant on increasing aid to villagers, for
the Mutual Security Administration (MSA).
1951 Made a trip to the Middle East as a consultant on increasing agricultural
production, for the American Friends of the Middle East.
1952 Consultant to the Far East Division of MSA.
1952-54 Project Evaluation Advisor for the Foreign Operations Administration’s Mutual
Security Mission to China (Taiwan).
1954-55 Consultant to the Community Development Division of the International Cooperation
Administration (ICA).
1955-58 Regional Community Development Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa for
ICA.
1958 Member of the Training Development Staff for ICA.
1958-61 Assistant Chief for the Orientation and Counseling Branch of the Career Development
Division of ICA.
1959-62 Taught courses on community development at Catholic University.
1961-62 Acting Chief for the Orientation and Counseling Branch, ICA.
1964 Senior Advisor to the Pakistan Academy for Rural Development, Comilla, East
Pakistan.
1964 Worked with the Pakistan Project in the College of Education at Michigan State
University.
1965-67 Visiting Professor with the Asian Studies Center, and an Affiliate in the
Department of Sociology, Michigan State University.
1967 Retired in July to his home in Oakton, Va.
Books:
1933 The Tragedy of Lynching (reprinted in 1969).
1936 Preface to Peasantry (reprinted in 1968).
1941 Sharecroppers All, with Ira DeA. Reid (reprinted in 1971).
1943 Tenants of the Almighty (reprinted in 1971).
1949 Rural Life in the United States, with Carl C. Taylor, et. al.
1950 The Japanese Village in Transition, with Herbert Passin, et. al.
1951 Guide to Agriculture, U.S.A., with Martha J. Raper (revised and reprinted in 1955).
1953 Rural Taiwan—Problem and Promise, with the Joint Commission on Rural
Reconstruction.
1954 Urban and Industrial Taiwan—Crowded and Resourceful, with Han-sheng Chuan and
Shao-shing Chen.
1970 Rural Development in Action: The Comprehensive Experiment at Comilla, East
Pakistan, with Harry L. Case, et. al.
Collection Overview
The Arthur Franklin Raper papers offer detailed documentation
of Raper’s activities, interests, and reflections. The earliest
papers are drawings by Raper, which are followed by essays
written while he was attending the University of North Carolina
in Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University. While Raper was
working both with the Commission on Interracial Cooperation and
with the Southern Commission on the Study of Lynching, he
gathered information from cities and towns throughout the South.
There is, therefore, a wealth of material—statistical analyses,
clippings, and “case studies”—on the problem of lynching and
other, more subtle, forms of racial intimidation.
In addition to the correspondence and materials on lynching,
the papers from 1925 to 1942 also include a number of other
clippings on rural poverty; two tapes; speeches and essays by
Raper; “Race and Class Pressures,” Raper’s monograph for the
Carnegie-Myrdal Study of the American Negro; and reviews and
correspondence about his first four books: The Tragedy of
Lynching (1933); Preface to Peasantry (1936); Sharecroppers All
(1941); and Tenants of the Almighty (1943). Of special interest
is the data on counties and towns throughout the South, which was
compiled for the Carnegie-Myrdal Study by Raper and Ralph Bunche.
In addition, photographs made by the Farm Security Administration
(some of which appeared in Raper’s books) highlight the rural
poverty of the depression-ridden South.
Raper moved from Greene County, Ga., to Washington, D.C., in
1942, and his papers subsequently broadened in scope. Working
for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he collected a variety of
field notes on various locales across the country. The fruits of
some of this labor can be found in Rural Life in the United
States (1949) and Guide to Agriculture, U.S.A. (1951), both of
which are documented in the papers, although not as extensively
as his first four books. As his interests shifted to the problem
of worldwide rural development, Raper continued to make speeches
and write essays, copies of which are included in his papers.
In the late 1940s, Raper started making trips abroad as a
consultant for various government agencies. His papers therefore
contain a great deal of information on aiding and implementing
post-war development programs in foreign countries. Between 1947
and 1964, Raper’s papers include correspondence; extensive field
notes he made on Japan and Taiwan; reports and statistical
analyses of a number of countries in Asia, North Africa, and the
Middle East; orientation materials—including pamphlets, tapes,
and slides—for employees working abroad for the American
government; and a great number of photographs and slides
depicting scenes and patterns of life in foreign countries.
There is also extensive documentation of the rural development
project to which Raper devoted two years of his life, the
Pakistan Academy for Rural Development.
Raper returned to the United States in 1964 to close out his
career at Michigan State University, but his papers continue,
uninterrupted, until his death in 1979. These later papers
include correspondence; further materials on the Comilla Project,
including the publication of Rural Development in Action: The
Comprehensive Experiment at Comilla, East Pakistan (1970);
accounts of public appearances by Raper; oral history interviews;
correspondence, minutes, and printed materials relating to
Raper’s involvement in the National Sharecroppers’ Fund and the
Southern Regional Council; Raper’s reflections on a variety of
issues; and more photographs and tapes. Among the papers from
Raper’s last years are newspaper and magazine clippings (many
with his annotations) which pertain to civil rights, American
political developments, difficulties of Third World nations, and
problems of modern technology.
DESCRIPTION
The system of arrangement of these papers requires an
introduction. From the time Arthur Raper began his public
career, he carefully collected and arranged his own papers. The
ordering scheme which Raper established has been retained. Raper
also created a 557-page index which serves as a detailed guide to
his papers and now functions as the principal part of this
finding aid (a bound copy and microfilm copy are available).
This index reflects Raper’s organizing system, which involves the
division of his papers into four parts and then into a number of
“volumes” within each part, Raper having originally housed his
papers in three-ring binders. For preservation purposes, the
papers have been moved from Raper’s binders to archival folders;
both in Raper’s index and in the container list in this survey.
Therefore, “volume” numbers have been keyed to folder numbers.
Researchers should first refer to Raper’s index, and then should
request material by folder number whenever possible.
A brief description of each of the four parts which Raper
established follows. In most cases the researcher can best begin
by consulting Raper’s index to his “Chronological File” (Part I).
This can be followed by consulting the index to the “Support
File” (Part II, III, or IV) corresponding to the period of
Raper’s career which is of interest. This second step may lead
to additional details about a particular subject of research.
Part I: Chronological File
1913-1979. About 17,340 items.
Arranged chronologically, this part comprises the core of the
papers: correspondence, speeches, essays, and miscellaneous
writings by Raper; clippings; pamphlets; magazine and journal
articles; book reviews; photographs; books; tapes; and slide
sets.
Part II: Support File
1925-1942. About 8,280 items.
This part includes material which supplements the
chronological file for the years indicated. It provides further
details about Raper’s study of rural and racial problems in the
United States, and especially the South, through 1942.
Part III: Support File
1943-1962. About 9,240 items.
This part also includes material which supplements the
chronological file. Many of these papers are field notes on
sample counties in the United States and items providing
information about Raper’s work overseas through 1962.
Part IV: Support File
1962-1972. ca. 2,940 items.
Like Parts II and III, this part consists of material
supplementing specific segments—in this case, those that deal
with the Pakistan Academy for Rural Development—of the
chronological file. These papers document both the experiences
of Raper and his wife Martha in Comilla, East Pakistan, and the
evolution of the Comilla Project.
Published volumes, audio tapes, and many pictures have been
separated from the rest of the papers; this material is noted at
the end of the container list which follows.
CONTAINER LIST
Raper’s Raper’s
Volume Numbers Folder Numbers Index Page Numbers
Box 1. (contains a copy of Raper’s index)
Box 2. I: 1-A-1 1-4 18
1-A-2 5-9 19
1-B-1 10-14 20-21
1-B-2 15-18 22
1-C 19-20 23
2-A 21-23 24
2-B 24-27 25-27
2-C 28-31 28
2-D 32-35 29-30
2-E 36-39 31
3-A 40-43 32-34
Box 3. I: 3-B 44-49 35-36
3-C 50-55 37
3-D 56-60 38
3-E 61-62 39
3-F 63-66a 40-41
3-G 66b-68 42
4-A 69-75 43-45
4-B 76-83 46-47
4-C 84-88 48
5-A 89-90 49
5-B 91-98 50-52
Box 4. I: 5-C 99-106 53
5-D 107-109 54
5-E 110-115 55
6 116-120 56-57
7 121-124 58
8-A 125-128 59
8-B 129 60
9-A 130-134 61-62
9-B 135-138 63
10 139-144 64-65
11 145 66
Box 5. I: 12 146-150 67-69
13 151-157 70-72
14 158-163 73-74
15 164-166 75-76
16 167-172 77-78
17 173-178 79-80
18 179-183 81
19 184-188 82
20 189-194 83-85
21 195-196 86
Box 6. I: 22-A 197-203 87-88
22-B 204-208 89
22-C 209-213 90-91
23 214-218 92-94
24 219-222 95-96
25 223-227 97-99
26 228-232 100
27-A 233-236 101
27-B 237-240 102
Box 7. I: 28 241-247 103-105
29-A 248-251 106
29-B 252-256 107-108
30 257-261 109
31-A 262-266 110
31-B 267-273 111-116
32-A 274-279 117-118
32-B 280-287 119-121
33 288-294 122-123
Box 8. I: 34-A 295 124
34-B 296 125
35 297-302 126-128
36-A 303-308 129-130
36-B 309-312 131
37 313-319 132-133
38-A 320-325 134-135
38-B 326-330 136-138
38-C 331-336 139-142
38-D 337-342 143-146
38-E 343-350 147-149
Box 9. I: 39-A 351-357 150-151
39-B 358-361 152
39-C 362-368 153-156
39-D 369-372 157-160
39-E-1 373-378 161-162
39-E-2 379-381 163
39-F-1 382-387 164-165
39-F-2 388-393 166-167
39-G 394-402 168-170
39-H 403-409 171-173
Box 10. I: 39-I 410-413 174-175
39-J 414-421 176-177
39-K 422-429 178-180
39-L 430-436 181-183
39-M 437-442 184-187
39-N 443-450 188-195
39-O 451-456 196-198
39-P 457-462 199
39-Q 463-467 200
Box 11 I: 39-R 468-472 201-202
39-S 473-478 203-204
39-T 479-484 205-207
39-U 485-489 208-209
39-V 490-496 210-212
39-W 497-502 213-214
39-X 503-506 215-217
39-Y 507-511 218-220
39-Z-1 512-519 221-223
Box 12. I: 39-Z-2 520-524 224-225
39-Z-3 525-531 226-228
39-Z-4 532-540 229-232
39-Z-5 541-547 233-235
39-Z-6 548 236-237
39-Z-7 549-554 238-240
39-Z-8 555-560 241-243
39-Z-9 561-566 244-246
39-Z-10 567-573 247-248
Box 13. I: 39-Z-11 574-579 249-251
39-Z-12 580-584 252-253
39-Z-13 585-589 254-256
39-Z-14 590-596 257-259
39-Z-15A 597-600 260
39-Z-15B 601-605 261
39-Z-15C 606-607 262
39-Z-16 608-613 263-265
39-Z-17 614-618 266-268
39-Z-18 619-622 269-270
Box 14. I: 39-Z-19 623-628 271-272
39-Z-20 629-632 273-274
39-Z-21 633-637 275-277
39-Z-22 638-643 278-280
39-Z-23 644-647 281-282
39-Z-24 648-654 283-284
39-Z-25 655-658 285-286
39-Z-26 659-664 287-288
39-Z-27 665-670 289-292
Box 15. I: 39-Z-28 671-676 293-295
39-Z-29 677-682 296-303
39-Z-30 683-687 304-311
39-Z-31 688-694 312-322
39-Z-32 695-700 323-328
39-Z-33 701-704 329-331
40 705-708 332
41 709-713 333-334
42-A 714-717 335
42-B 718-719 336-337
Box 16. I: 43 720-724 338
44 725-730a 339
45 730b 340
II: 1-A 731-734 347
1-B 735-740 348-349
1-C 741-748 350
1-D 749-754 351
1-E 755-758a 352
1-F (removed) 758b 353
1-G 759-762 354
1-H 763-765 355
2-A 766-769 356
Box 17. II: 2-B 770-773 357
3 774-779 358
4 780-782 359
5 783-787 360
6 788-792 361
7 793-796 362
8 797-799 363
9 800-803 364
10 804-808 365
11 809-811 366
12 812-816 367
Box 18. II: 13 817-821 368
14 822-826 369
15-A 827-829 370
15-B 830-834 371-372
15-C 835-839 373-374
15-D 840-846 375-376
16 847-853 377
17 854-857 378
18 858-863 379
19 864-865 380
Box 19. II: 20 866-869 381-383
21-A 870-873 384
21-B 874-875 385
22 876-880 386
23 881-884 387
24 885-887 388
25-A 888-893 389
25-B 894-898 390
26 899-903 391
27 904-909 392
28 910-914a 393
Box 20. II: 29 914b-918 394
30 919-921 395
31 922-927 396
32 928-930 397
33 931-934 398
34 935 399
35 936-939 400
36 940-942 401
37 943-947 402
38 948-949 403
39 950-953 404
40 954-956 405
41-A 957-959 406
41-B 960-963 407
41-C 964-967 408
41-D 968-970 409
42 971-976 410
43 977-980 411
Box 21. II: 44 981-986 412
45 987-991 413
46 992-997 414
47 998-1004 415
48 1005-1010 416
49 1011-1013 417
50 1014-1017 418
51-A 1018-1023 419
51-B 1024-1029 420
Box 22. II: 52 1030-1034 421
53 1035-1039 422
54 1040-1044 423
55 1045-1050 424
56 1051-1056 425
57 1057-1062 426
58 1063-1065 427
III:A-1 1066-1069 435
A-2 1070-1073 436-437
A-3 1074-1077 438-439
B-1 1078-1079 440
B-2 1080-1081 441
C 1082-1085 442
Box 23. III:D 1086-1087 443
E 1088-1090 444
F 1091-1094 445
G 1095-1100 446
H 1101-1104 447
I-1 1105-1109 448
I-2 1110-1114 449
I-3 1115-1118 450
I-4 1119-1122 451
I-5 1123-1129 452
I-6 1130-1135 453
J-1 1136-1138 454
J-2 1139-1142 455
K 1143-1146 456
L 1147-1149 457
M 1150-1153 458
Box 24. III:N 1154-1161 459
O 1162-1164 460
P-1 1165-1170 461
P-2 1171-1174 462
Q 1175-1179 463
R 1180 464
S 1181-1184 465
T 1185-1189 466
U 1190-1194 467
IV: 1 1195-1206 476-478
Box 25. IV: 2 1207-1219 479-481
3-A 1220-1229 482-483
3-B 1230-1237 484-485
3-C 1238-1243 486
4-A 1244-1251 487-488
Box 26. 4-B 1252-1258 489-491
5-A 1259-1267 492-493
5-B 1268-1269b 494-495
6 1269c-1270 496-499
7-A 1271-1278 500-501
Box 27. IV: 7-B 1279-1283 502-503
8-A 1284-1290 504-506
8-B 1291-1292 507
9-A 1293-1301 508-510
9-B 1302-1310 511
Box 28. IV: 10-A 1311-1316 512-513
10-B 1317-1318 514
11 1319-1330 515-519
12-A 1331-1335 520-521
12-B 1336-1340 522-523
12-C 1341-1342 524
13 1343-1350 525
14 1351 526
Box 29. IV: 15 1352-1354 527
16 1355-1357 528
17 1358-1362 529
18 1363-1367 530
19-A 1368-1375 531
19-B 1376-1380 532-533
20-A 1381-1387 534-535
20-B 1388-1395 536-537
Box 30. IV: 20-C 1396-1398 538
21 1399-1403 539
22 1404-1406 540
23 1407-1409 541
24 1410 542
25 1411-1413 543
26 1414-1416 544
27-A 1417-1420 545
27-B 1421-1423 546
Box 31. IV: 28 1424-1430 547-548
29 1431-1435 549-550
30 1436-1442 551
31 1443-1451 552
32 1452-1457 553
33 1458-1463 554
34 1464-1468 555-556
35 1469 557
Box 32. Printed Materials: 1932-1971.
Volume 1. Southern Commission on the
Study of Lynching, “Lynchings and What They
Mean” (1932).
Volume 2. Arthur F. Raper, The
Tragedy of Lynching (1933: reprint ed., 1969).
Volume 3. Arthur F. Raper, Preface
to Peasantry (1936: reprint ed., 1968).
Volume 4. Frank Shay, Judge Lynch:
His First Hundred Years, with an introduction
essay, “Lynching and Racial Exploitation,” by
Arthur F. Raper (1938: reprint ed., 1969).
Volume 5. Arthur F. Raper and Ira
DeA. Reid, Sharecroppers All (1941;
reprinted., 1971).
Volume 6. Arthur F. Raper, Tenants
of the Almighty (1943; reprint ed., 1971).
Volume 7. Carl C. Taylor, Arthur F.
Raper, et. al., Rural Life in the United
States (1949).
Volume 8. Arthur F. Raper, et. al.,
The Japanese Village in Transition (1950).
Volume 9. Arthur F. and Martha J.
Raper, Guide to Agriculture, U.S.A. (reprint
ed., 1955).
Volume 10. Arthur F. Raper, et. al.,
Urban and Industrial Taiwan—Crowded and
Resourceful (1954).
Volume 11. E. Stuart Kirby, Rural
Progress in Taiwan (1960).
Volume 12. Arthur F. and Martha J.
Raper, Two Years to Remember and Other
Writings (1977).
Volume 13. A pamphlet, probably by
Raper, in Chinese or Japanese.
Volume 14. Several pamphlets.
ITEMS SEPARATED
Audio-visual Material:
Audio tapes.
T-3966/1. Sterling Brown’s “Cotton,” “Slim
Jim,” et. al., 1941-1942.
T-3966/2. Sterling Brown; Margaret Mead’s
“Genesis”; Gunnar Myrdal,
Jack and Irene Delano, et. al., 1941-
1942.
T-3966/3. Raper’s “Americana: A Review of
Basic American Democracy,”
for outgoing overseas personnel, 1961.
T-3966/4. Snake music at Comilla, East
Pakistan, 1963.
T-3966/5. Music festival at Comilla, 1963.
T-3966/6. Recollections of early years at
Raper reunion at Booth Bay Harbor, Maine, 1965.
T-3966/7-9. Three tapes made in conversation with
Joan Titus, 1967.
T-3966/10. Christmas Songs by grandchildren,
1968.
T-3966/11. Instruments played by family and
friends, 1969.
T-3966/12. Family conversation; and Akhter
Hameed Khan, Conrad and Irene Taeuber, et. al.,
1969.
T-3966/13. Family conversation, 1973.
T-3966/14. Raper talks about problems facing
Bangladesh, on American University Radio, 1972.
T-3966/15. Memorial service for John R.
Raper, 1974.
T-3966/16. Family conversation, 1975.
Note: The final four tapes serve as narration for the first four
of Raper’s slide sets.
T-3966/17. Overseas orientation for
Afghanistan (corresponds to Slide Box P-1).
T-3966/18. Overseas orientation for Iran
(corresponds to Slide Box P-2).
T-3966/19. Overseas orientation for Jordan
(corresponds to Slide Box P-3).
T-3966/20. Overseas orientation for Pakistan
(corresponds to Slide Box P-4).
Pictures:
Slides (The first four slide sets are narrated in the last four
of Raper’s tapes.)
Box
P-1. P-3966/1-79. Overseas orientation for Afghanistan
(corresponds to T-3966/17).
P-2. P-3966/80-163. Overseas orientation for Iran
(corresponds to T-3966/18).
P-3. P-3966/164-236. Overseas orientation for Jordan
(corresponds to T-3966/19).
P-4. P-3966/237-317. Overseas orientation for Pakistan
(corresponds to T-3966/20).
P-5. P-3966/318-352. Slides on Comilla, East Pakistan.
P-6. P-3966/353-443. Slides on Sierra Leone.
P-7. P-3966/444-517. Slides on Ethiopia (a list identifying
these is in Folder 730-b).
P-8. P-3966/518-597. Slides on Iraq (a list identifying
these is in Folder 730-b).
P-9. P-3966/598-653. Slides on Lebanon (a list identifying
these is in Folder 730-b).
P-10. P-3966/654-727. Slides on Libya (a list identifying these
is in Folder 730-b).
P-11. P-3966/728-824. Slides on Taiwan (a list identifying these
is in Folder 730-b).
Standard Size
Folder
P-12. P-3966/825-858. I: 3-G.
Photographs made by Raper in 1937.
P-13. P-3966/859-899. I: 3-G.
Photographs made by Raper in 1937.
P-14. P-3966/900-940. I: 3-G.
Photographs made by Raper in 1937.
P-15. P-3966/941-945. I: 5-C.
Farm Security Administration
photographs.
P-16. P-3966/946-967. I: 10. Miscellaneous
photographs from the early 1940s.
P-17. P-3966/968-989. I: 17.
Photographs of Japan.
P-18. P-3966/990-1028. I: 22-A.
Photographs of Jordan.
P-19. P-3966/1029-1048. I: 31-A.
Raper’s retirement from federal
service.
P-20. P-3966/1049-1060. I: 39-Q.
“Ladies’ Night Out” at the Oakton
United Methodist Church.
P-21. P-3966/1061-1076. I: 39-Z-33
Photographs of Arthur and Martha
Raper, and of their home in
Oakton.
P-22. P-3966. I: 45. A list
of Raper’s tapes and slide sets.
P-23. P-3966/1077-1087. II: 2-B.
Rural photographs: churches,
schools, tenant homes.
P-24. P-3966/1088-1106. II: 39.
Raper’s photographs of Greene and
Macon counties, Ga.
P-25. P-3966/1107-1123. II: 39.
Raper’s photographs of Greene and
Macon counties, Ga.
P-26. P-3966/1124-1138. II: 39.
Raper’s photographs of Greene and
Macon counties, Ga.
P-27. P-3966/1139-1162. II: 39.
Raper’s photographs of Greene and
Macon counties, Ga.
P-28. P-3966/1163-1179. II: 40.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-29. P-3966/1180-1205. II: 40.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-30. P-3966/1206-1231. II: 40.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-31. P-3966/1232-1258. II: 41-A.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County,
Georgia, by Jack Delano.
P-32. P-3966/1259-1279. II: 40.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-33. P-3966/1280-1311. II: 40.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-34. P-3966/1312-1332. II: 41-B.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-35. P-3966/1333-1356. II: 41-B.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-36. P-3966/1357-1387. II: 41-B.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-37. P-3966/1388-1413. II: 41-B.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-38. P-3966/1414-1440. II: 41-C.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-39. P-3966/1441-1456. II: 41-C.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-40. P-3966/1457-1484. II: 41-C.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-41. P-3966/1485-1505. II: 41-C.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-42. P-3966/1506-1530. II: 41-D.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-43. P-3966/1531-1559. II: 41-D.
Farm Security Administration
photographs of Greene County, Ga.,
by Jack Delano.
P-44. P-3966/1560-1589. III: I-2.
Photographs of Japan study staff
members, 1947-1950.
P-45. P-3966/1590-1614. III: I-3.
Photographs of Japan.
P-46. P-3966/1615-1652. III: I-3.
Photographs of Japan.
P-47. P-3966/1653-1681. III: I-3.
Photographs of Japan.
P-48. P-3966/1682-1711. III: I-3.
Photographs of Japan.
P-49. P-3966/1712-1739. III: I-4.
Photographs of Japan.
P-50. P-3966/1740-1773. III: I-4.
Photographs of Japan.
P-51. P-3966/1774-1812. III: I-4.
Photographs of Japan.
P-52. P-3966/1813-1837. III: I-4.
Photographs of Japan.
P-53. P-3966/1838-1871. III: I-5.
Photographs of Japan.
P-54. P-3966/1872-1889. III: I-5.
Photographs of Japan.
P-55. P-3966/1890-1921. III: I-5.
Photographs of Japan.
P-56. P-3966/1922-1952. III: I-5.
Photographs of Japan.
P-57. P-3966/1953-1972. III: I-5.
Photographs of Japan.
P-58. P-3966/1973-1991. III: I-5.
Photographs of Japan.
P-59. P-3966/1992-2006. III: I-5.
Photographs of Japan.
P-60. P-3966/2007-2036. III: I-6.
Photographs of Japan.
P-61. P-3966/2037-2062. III: I-6.
Photographs of Japan.
P-62. P-3966/2063-2097. III: I-6.
Photographs of Japan.
P-63. P-3966/2098-2129. III: I-6.
Photographs of Japan.
P-64. P-3966/2130-2151. III: I-6.
Photographs of Japan.
P-65. P-3966/2152-2174. III: I-6.
Photographs of Japan.
P-66. P-3966/2175-2187. III: Q.
Photographs of Afghanistan.
P-67. P-3966/2188-2214. III: U.
Photographs of Indonesia.
P-68. P-3966/2215-2224. IV: 13.
Photographs of Comilla, East
Pakistan.
P-69. P-3966/2225-2238. IV: 13.
Photographs of Comilla, East
Pakistan.
P-70. P-3966/2239-2248. IV: 13.
Photographs of Comilla, East
Pakistan.
P-71. P-3966/2249-2276. IV: 13.
Photographs of Comilla, East
Pakistan.
P-72. P-3966/2277-2322. IV: 13.
Photographs of Comilla, East
Pakistan.
P-73. P-3966/2323-2350. IV: 13.
Photographs of Comilla, East
Pakistan.
P-74. P-3966/2351-2376. IV: 13.
Photographs of Comilla, East
Pakistan.
P-75. P-3966/2377-2400. IV: 13.
Photographs of Comilla, East
Pakistan.
P-76. P-3966/2401-2408. IV: 35.
Miscellaneous photographs of
Taiwan and Lebanon.
Oversize
OP-P-3966/1. IV: 35. Photographs of
scenes and faces in Afghanistan, Taiwan, Iran, and Laos;
“Ol’ Unca Dick.” Decatur, Ga., and Tony Thompson, Greene
County, Ga.; and other miscellaneous photographs.
OP-P-3966/2. IV: 35. James Cudney’s photographs
of Afghanistan.
ADDITIONS
Additions of 1983 (Acc. 83025, 83026, and 83042)
Size: About 300 items (0.25 feet).
Locations: Southeast United States; Asia.
Dates: ca. 1925-1977.
Provenance: Received from Harrison Roper of Houlton, Maine, in
April and May 1983, and Margaret Hummon of Athens, Ohio, in June 1983.
Added Entries: 1. Architecture
2. Lange, Dorothea, 1895-1965
3. New Deal, 1933-1939
4. Photography, Agricultural
5. Photography, Architectural
6. United States—History, 1933-1945
Description:
Photographs collected by Arthur Raper, chiefly in the South
during the 1930s and 1940s, and in Asia in the 1940s and 1950s.
Included are a number of photos of Raper, ca. 1920-1977.
The photos of the South are of the same nature as the Farm
Security Administration photos by Jack Delano already in this
collection, and are probably chiefly FSA photos as well. Several
photographs of Dorothea Lange, photographer, appear, and it is
possible that some of the photos in this group were taken by
Lange.
As well as documenting living conditions in the South during
the Great Depression, these photos also document Southern folk
architecture and agriculture during this period, as well as
Raper’s travels in Asia.
Filed in picture folders P-77 - P-93.
Individuals.
Arthur Franklin Raper, alone and with others.
P-3966/2409-12 1920s and 1930s
2413-28 1940s
2429-37 1950s
2438-53 1960s and 1970s
Martha Raper and other members of the Raper family, ca. 1940-1961.
P-3966/2454-58
Dorothea Lange, Greene County, Ga., ca. 1940.
P-3966/2459-61
United States.
Alabama. Cabins and living conditions in Gee’s Bend during
the Depression, ca. 1935.
P-3966/2462-67.
Arkansas. Chiefly conditions at Dyess FSA Colony and at a
shanty town near Wynn, ca. 1936.
P-3966/2468-2499.
California. Weather-worn buildings in Wrightsville, ca. 1938.
P-3966/2500-2502.
Georgia. Atlanta. Conditions in the Fourth Ward, a poor
black district, ca. 1936.
P-3966/2503-2509.
Georgia. Greensboro. Buildings and farms, ca. 1936.
P-3966/2510-2515.
Georgia. Greene County. Farms, buildings and people
(including “rehab families”) showing decay during the
Depression, ca. 1936.
P-3966/2516-2543.
Georgia. Elsewhere or unidentified. Chiefly weather-worn
farm buildings.
P-3966/2544-2570.
Kentucky. Jefferson Davis Monument and other buildings in
Hopkinsville and Burdstown, 1938.
P-3966-2571-2574.
Mississippi. Chiefly scenes at the Delta Cooperative Farm,
Hillhouse, 1936.
P-3966/2575-2597
Missouri. Buildings at the La Forge Cooperative Farm, 1938.
P-3966/2598-2602.
North Carolina. Farm near Mebane, and a cabin at Camp
Sequoia, 1938 and undated.
P-3966/2603-2604
Tennessee. Courthouse at Shelbyville and plantation house
near Nashville, 1936.
P-3966/2605-2606.
Asia.
Japan. Chiefly AFR, 1944-1978.
P-3966/2607-2617.
Middle East. Iran, Pakistan, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and other
Middle Eastern locations visited by AFR. Chiefly AFR. 1956-
1962.
P-3966/2618-2629.
Taiwan. Chiefly AFR during his stay in Taiwan, 1952-1953.
P-3966/2630-2639.
Florida Missionary Claim.
Florida Missionary Claim. Photo of AFR and others, 1937.
P-3966/2640.
Other Depression-era Photos.
Photos, chiefly of the Southeast during the Depression, with
no exact location given. These are of the same nature as the
Farm Security Administration photos elsewhere in this collection,
and are probably FSA photos as well. Ca. 1930-1945.
People. Individuals and groups, chiefly Southern farmers.
P-3966/2641-2662.
Buildings. Chiefly Southern farm houses, barns, and other
rural buildings.
P-3966/2663-2698.
Farms and woods. Cheifly Southern farms, showing effects of
erosion and over-production. Other farm and wood scenes.
P-3966/2699-2712.
People. Individuals and groups, chiefly Southern farmers.
P-3966/2713-2734.
Addition of May 1990 (Acc. #90053)
Size: 3 items.
Dates: 1978.
Provenance: Received from a daughter of Charles Raper in May
1990.
Processing Note: Tape #3 is broken in the cassette and cannot
be viewed in its current state.
Access: No restrictions.
Description: Three video cassettes entitled “I Think Mankind
Will Do It: A Conversation with Arthur Raper,” apparently taped for the National
Sharecroppers Fund by North State Public Video in 1978. The tape shows
Raper and unidentified interviewers at a rural location where Raper discusses
his career and thoughts.
Filed as VT-3966/1-3.
Addition of August 1992 (Acc. #92122)
Size: 2 items.
Dates: 1957-1975.
Provenance: Gift of Blanche R. Zimmerman in August 1992.
Access: No restrictions.
Description:
Two volumes of “round-robin” family letters, 1957-1975. The
letters, written by various family members, are chiefly about
individual and family group activities.
Filed in Box 33.