Florence Rose Papers, 1832-1970 : Scope & Contents of the Collection

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Florence Rose Papers consist of 15 linear feet of material dating from 1832 to 1970. The bulk of the papers date from 1921 to 1970 and focus on Rose's personal and professional interests and activities. Types of material include personal records, personal and professional correspondence, organizational records, legal documents, speeches, research files, photographs, published and unpublished writings, and printed material.

Major subjects reflected in the collection include the birth control movement in the U.S., the legal and political aspects of American birth control struggles, the history of relations between African-Americans and Planned Parenthood, the politics of American hunger relief and prevention efforts in developing countries, efforts to promote cultural understanding between nations in the immediate post-WWII period, the cultural and demographic transformation of the American West after 1945, and Margaret Sanger. Major birth control organizations represented include the American Birth Control League, the Birth Control Federation of America, the National Committee for Federal Legislation on Birth Control, and the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau, all of which merged into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Other organizations with significant representation in the collection include the East and West Foundation, the Meals for Millions Foundation, the National Woman's Party, and the Tucson Medical Center. The papers contain a significant amount of material on the life and legacy of birth control pioneer Margaret Sanger. They also offer insight into the life experiences of a first generation American woman who came of age in the 1920s, benefited from new opportunities open to women in the inter-war period, and bore the personal and financial difficulties that plagued so many professional women of her cohort. In addition to documenting Rose's own work for her causes, the papers shed light on significant historical shifts of the twentieth century such as the sexual revolution, the consolidation of a consumer culture which inspired the marketing of social and political issues, and the move toward globalization.