Creator: Felmet, Joseph, 1921-
Collection number: 4513
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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 pacifisim 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.
Repository: Southern Historical Collection
Collection Highlights: Letters in Series 1 relate to Felmet’s application to take the bar exam in North Carolina, which was denied by the Board of Law Examiners who believed Felmet would not uphold the law where his moral convictions conflicted with state and federal legislation. In Series 2, the collection also contains files that reflect Felmet’s activism, with an emphasis on his civil rights work with the American Student Union and Workers Defense League, and files relating to Felmet’s arrests for protesting the draft, segregation in interstate travel, and the mistreatment of migrant workers. These files, obtained by Felmet under the Freedom of Information Act, were heavily edited by the FBI prior to their release. Photocopies and carbon copies only.