Father Charles E. Coughlin collection, 1932-1936
Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Coughlin, Charles E. (Charles Edward) (1891-1979)
- Extent:
- 0.21 Linear Feet
- 1 boxes
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
Father Charles E. Coughlin Collection, USF Libraries - Tampa Special Collections, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.
Background
- Scope and content:
This collection primarily contains published monographs and pamphlets of sermons delivered by Father Coughlin between 1932 and 1936. Writings by Coughlin on social and economic justice are also included, in addition to printed fundraising correspondence, application and pledge forms for the National Union for Social Justice, and postcards featuring the Shrine of the Little Flower.
- Biographical / historical:
Born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1891, Father Charles Coughlin became one of the most well-known radio personalities of the 1930s. He preached from the Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, Michigan, and his show, the "Golden Hour of the Little Flower," attracted up to one third of the population every Sunday afternoon. His radio sermons denounced the political and economic failings of the United States and its banking system, finding an audience among Depression-era listeners. Although he was initially a vocal supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Father Coughlin eventually attacked Roosevelt as a dictator and the New Deal as a communist conspiracy. In 1935, Coughlin founded the National Union for Social Justice, which supported an increase in the money supply and the adoption of the silver standard. By the late 1930s, Coughlin's sermons grew anti-Semitic, expressing sympathy for the fascist regimes of Germany and Italy. Many of his listeners became alienated by this extremism, and his radio program was canceled in 1940. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Coughlin's bishop ordered him to cease all political activity and return to the work of a parish priest. He retired in 1966 from the Shrine of the Little Flower and passed away in 1979.
- Arrangement:
Organized by subject
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Terms of access:
None. The contents of the collection may be subject to copyright. Visit the United States Copyright Office's website at http://www.copyright.gov/ for more information.
- Preferred citation:
Father Charles E. Coughlin Collection, USF Libraries - Tampa Special Collections, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.
- Location of this collection:
-
The University of South Florida, Tampa Campus4202 East Fowler Ave. LIB122TampaFL33620-5400USA
