Mainly photocopies of fliers, broadsides, poetry, manifestos, and other printed material distributed in the community, the bulk of which was printed by the Communications Company, a group created by several writers and Diggers; together with several issues of Free City News and Free News, community newsletters. Includes material on the Summer of Love, 1969, Glide Church Be-In, Free City Collective, Happening House, and other events and topics.

Characterized by the San Francisco press as a "hippie philanthropic organization," the Diggers were started by two members of the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Emmet Grogan and Peter Berg in 1966. The group took its name from a reform group in Cromwell's England. In 1649 Gerrard Winstanley, William Everard and their one hundred supporters began to cultivate common park land to feed themselves. Their action was a protest against the rising costs of food. They offered the surplus food to the poor, arguing that land should be free to all those who needed to make use of it. Opposed to physical force, they were easily suppressed by army leaders. Throughout their struggles, they supported the notion that political revolutions must be based on social revolution.

1 box (0.25 linear ft.)

Copyright has not been assigned to the California Historical Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Research Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the California Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

CHS is not taking appointments for research at this time. Please check the Library's website updates: https://californiahistoricalsociety.org/collections/north-baker-research-library/