Descriptive Summary
Creator(s)
Biographical Note / Administrative History
The Bicentennial Conference was an inter-faith program of the Metropolitan Christian Council of Philadelphia, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia. The Bicentennial Religious Coordinators met and proposed "that the religious community of the Philadelphia metropolitan area ...sponsor and support a national Bicentennial conference on Religious Liberty to be held in Philadelphia in 1976." The intent was to provide a forum for scholarly presentation and deliberation and an opportunity for public hearing and response to the points of view of Roman Catholics, Protestants and Jews. William B. Miller, director of the Department of History (UPCUSA) served as secretary of the planning committee, which included representatives of the Friends, Lutherans, Jews, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Catholics.
The conference took place during the last week of April 1976. It included seminars, discussion sessions, films, speakers and worship services.
Collection Overview
Record Group 132 is a miscellaneous collection of records of the conference. It includes correspondence, background materials, publications, survey replies, and registration forms.
Collection processed and finding aid prepared: March 1978
Robert A. Goldstein, Assistant Records Researcher
Notes added to finding aid: April 1992
Stephanie Muntone, Processing Archivist
Catalog Headings
Collection Inventory
| Box | Folder | Description | |
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1 | 1 | Finding Aid to Record Group 132 | |
| 2 | BCRL Printed matter: banquet invitation; descriptive pamphlets; program; etc | |
| 3 | General Background Information | |
| 4 | Conference leadership; Background papers: National Committee membership structure; etc | |
| 5 | BCRL Proposal (rejected) to National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): Conference implementation funding (final draft); N.L. Nolde (Exec. Dir.) memo re: background of NEH review of Proposal | |
| 6 | Suggested BCRL seminar topics: SURVEY responses, 1974 | |
| 7 | Early correspondence and organizational papers; Minutes of early meetings, etc, 1972-74 | |
| 8 | William B. Miller (Secretary): Correspondence, 1972-75 | |
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| General Correspondence | |
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1 | 9-11 | 1974 | |
11-16 | 1975 | ||
17-19 1976 |
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| 19 | 1976-1977 | |
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1 | 20-21 | Plenary Session Speeches--Draft texts (typescript) | |
| 22 | Plenary Speakers--photographs | |
| 23 | Conference membership: Final roster; Registrees Not in attendance | |
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| Conference Registration Forms | |
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1 | 24 | A - F | |
| 25 | G - M | |
| 26 | N - Z | |
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1 | 27 | BCRL Speakers' Bureau: Application Forms; organizational papers | |
| 28 | Seminars: Background and planning papers; selected correspondence Seminar membership: Working Files (cards, boxed) | |
| 29 | Seminars: Short Reports | |
| 30 | Seminars: Long Reports | |
| 31 | Report Groups A-D, Reports | |
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2 | 1 | Conference Volume: Background and planning papers; correspondence | |
| 2 | Press Operation: Correspondence; planning papers; BCRL radio spots: texts. | |
| 3 | Press releases: pre-Conference; Conference Releases | |
| 4 | Press clippings | |
| 5 | Financial Summaries--Cash Ledgers | |
| 6 | "Report of the BCRL" : June, 1976 (typescript) | |
| 7 | Conference Participant Evaluation Questionnaires | |
| 8 | Human Rights and the United Nations: pamphlet; typescript documents: 1952-53 | |
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| Cassette Tapes | |
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2 | 1-23 | Conference Introductions, Plenary Addresses, April26-30, 1976 (with guide) | |
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1-50 | (a) Program/Planning Committee Meetings | ||
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| (b) Seminar Orientation Meeting (1/19/76) | |
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| (c) Meeting with NEH officials (9/23/74) | |
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| (cassettes individually labeled) |