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Newark Rebellion Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MG Nwk Rebellion Coll.-(Main)

Scope and Contents

The collection is organized in four series:

Series I: Accounts and Affidavits, 1967
Bulk dates: 1967
Series I contains reports, presentments, statements and affidavits containing peoples accounts of the disturbances. A large bulk of these materials are photocopies. The affidavits are organized alphabetically by last name.


Series II: Photographs and Ephemera, 1967-1968
Bulk dates: 1967-1968
The materials in Series II contain photographs and ephemera. The photographs were mostly taken for publications such as the Newark Evening News, The Newark Star Ledger, and the Associated Press. Ephemera in this series consists of mostly fliers.


Series III: Writings, 1967-1968, 1975, 1977-1978, 1982, 1985-1986, 1992, 1997, 2007, 2017
Bulk dates: 1977
Materials in Series III contain published scholarly writings as well proceedings, programs and correspondence related to “An Assessment of Newark 1967-1977” conference organized by Stanley B. Winters and NJIT.


Series IV: Clippings, 1967-1968, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1977-1981, 1983, 1985-1986, 1989
Bulk dates: 1967
Series IV contains clippings containing coverage of the civil disturbances and aftermath, in various publications such as the Newark Evening News, The Newark Star Ledger, The New York Times, among many others.










Dates

  • 1967 - 2017
  • Majority of material found within 1967 - 1968

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers wishing to publish, reproduce, or reprint materials from this collection must obtain permission.

Biographical / Historical

The Newark Rebellion, also known as the Newark Riots, took place from July 12 to July 17, 1967. The civil disturbances took the lives of 26 people, and resulted in hundreds of injuries and arrests, and extensive damage to homes and businesses in Newark’s Central Ward.

The Newark Rebellion is part of the “Long, Hot Summer” of 1967, during which violent clashes erupted in more than a hundred US cities. These disorders were a product of decades of persistent economic and political inequality between white and nonwhite residents, especially in population centers subject to “white flight,” urban decay, corruption, and disinvestment on the part of business and government. Black city dwellers especially suffered from high rates of unemployment, poor living conditions, crime and police brutality.

The arrest and beating of Black cab driver John W. Smith on July 12, 1967, was the incident that sparked the Newark uprising. Smith’s arrest at the 4th Police Precinct was witnessed by residents of the nearby Hayes Homes, a public housing project, with some reports of an unconscious Smith being dragged into the station. Crowds gathered outside the precinct building on 17th Avenue, rumors spread that Smith had died in police custody, and protestors demanded he be transferred to a hospital. Tensions rose, leading to six days of looting, devastating fires, damage to businesses, vehicles and other property, as well as shootings, assaults and arrests. The New Jersey State Police and later the New Jersey Army National Guard were called in by Governor Hughes to intervene, and the violence eventually subsided.

The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission, was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the wake of the 1967 upheavals in Newark and other cities. The 11-member commission investigated the causes of unrest, and released its report in 1968. Partly on the basis of affidavits and testimony gathered by the Newark Legal Services Project, the report found that systemic racism in housing and law enforcement, segregation and poverty were major causes. Although the Commission made recommendations to mitigate the causes of future unrest, many of these suggestions were not adequately explored in Newark. Comparable to the Kerner Commission, Governor Richard J. Hugues established the Governor’s Select Commission for the Study of Civil Disorder in New Jersey, also known as the Lilley Commission. The Governor’s report was to investigate the disturbances in Newark, and those that took place in both Plainfield and Englewood in July of 1967. Released in February of 1968, the Governor’s report had similar findings to the Kerner Commission. Systemic negative conditions such has school system failures, housing and employment discrimination were some of the underlying causes for unrest. Similar to the Kerner Commission, the Lilley Commission made recommendations for the future that were not thoroughly explored.

Much of the Central Ward’s business and housing stock was seriously affected by the Rebellion, leading to further economic decline, unemployment, and disinvestment. These disadvantages were already prevalent in Newark prior to the rebellion, but heightened after the events of 1967. There was an acceleration in the exit of white residents from the city, leading to a significant demographic shift and further racial segregation. The Rebellion did, however, shed light on police brutality and racial tensions in Newark, and arguably strengthened Black Power activism in the city, leading to the election of Newark’s first Black mayor, Kenneth Gibson, in 1970. Later historians and activists have favored the term Newark Rebellion to describe the events of July 1967, in the belief that they should be considered an uprising against injustice and oppression and not, as they had been, as a series of senseless acts of violence.

Extent

3.79 Linear Feet (7 Boxes) : 5 Hollinger Boxes, 2 Oversized, Drop Front Flat Boxes ; Hollinger Box: 15.5” x 10.25” x 5”, Drop Front Flat Box: 15.5" x 11" x 3"

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Newark Rebellion Collection contains materials relating to the July 1967 civil disturbances in Newark, known as the Newark Riots or Newark Rebellion. The materials includes presentments, reports, affidavits, miscellaneous printed and manuscript items, published articles, fliers, photographs and ephemera.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Newark Rebellion Collection is a miscellaneous collection compiled of multiple donations. Max Herman donated the materials in Series I in 2008. The photographs in Series II were initially part of the NJ Reference photograph collection, many acquired through the Newark Evening News and Newark Star Ledger. The fliers and ephemera in Series II were donated by Bill Duffy in 2017. Materials in Series III related to the Assessment of Newark Conference in 1977 were donated by Stanley B. Winters. The majority of Series III and IV were compiled by NJ Room librarians.

Processing Information

This collection was initially two miscellaneous collections complied by NJ Room librarians. In 2024 photographs of the riots were removed from the NJ Ref Photograph Collection and digitized. Needing better organization and cohesion the collections were merged together and reprocessed in 2024.

Title
Newark Rebellion Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Vanessa Castaldo and Gregory Guderian
Date
May 2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Charles F. Cummings New Jersey Information Center, Newark Public Library Repository

Contact:
3rd Floor
Newark Public Library
5 Washington St.
Newark NJ 07102 United States
973-733-7775