Biographical/Background Information
The collection begins with a small series of Biographical/Background Information that including some of the newsletters put out by Griffiths while a member of Congress.
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Martha Wright Griffiths papers, 1956-1976
59 linear feet — 8 oversize volumes — 33 film reels — 74.52 GB (online)
Detroit, Michigan, attorney, Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1955-1974, and member of the House Ways and Means Committee. Congressional papers, arranged by term, include legislative files, bills files, topical files, schedules, sound recordings, photographs, motion pictures, and scrapbooks. The collection details relationship with colleagues and constituents and pertains to committee activities, legislation sponsored, and issues of the day. Topics of interest include civil rights, the war in Vietnam, Sleeping Bear Dunes, the humane slaughtering of animals, the economy and the fiscal policy of the federal government, women's rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, economic problems of women, and the need for national health insurance legislation.
The Griffiths collection consists primarily of correspondence exchanged with constituents and lobbying groups on matters of pending or proposed legislation and on topics of current interest. The collection's great value is its documentation of the workings of this one congressional office and its perspective on the issues confronting the nation in the period of 1955 to 1974. With the Democrats in control of the Congress, these years witnessed legislative efforts to use the power of the Federal Government to rectify the ills of society on matters of civil rights, assistance to the poor, health care for the aged, environmental protection, and so forth. It was also a time of strife in society resulting from the war in Vietnam, tension among the races, and the Watergate crisis. The Griffiths collection documents these issues with letters from constituents and her response to the concerns of the people.
Beyond general issues, the Griffiths papers have importance for their documentation of the specific contribution of this one woman member of Congress, who served for twenty years, and who was rewarded by her colleagues with increasingly responsible committee positions. Especially significant was her appointment to the powerful Ways and Means Committee under the chairmanship of Wilbur Mills. Griffiths' files from her work on W and Means Committee detail the major pieces of tax reform legislation of the 1960s, notably Griffiths' efforts to legislate some equity into the benefits accorded to American women.
The Martha W. Griffiths papers, with few exceptions, have been maintained in the arrangement scheme used by the Griffiths office.
Congressional Papers, 1955-1974
Congressional Papers make up the great bulk of the collection. This series is divided into subseries for each two-year congressional term (84th Congress, etc.) and then subdivided into the following sub-subseries: Legislative Files, Bills Files, and Topical Files. For Griffiths' first two terms in Congress, however, because of the relative paucity of materials, these three sequences of material have been combined into one.
The Legislative Files sub-subseries is arranged alphabetically by committee name. The most voluminous files are for those committees on which Griffiths served, especially Ways and Means. The files are further divided by topic, usually a specific piece of legislation then under discussion within that committee's responsibility. These subdivisions have not been listed within this finding aid. The files consist of correspondence between Griffiths and her constituents or other parties interested in the legislation. Some of the larger files have been sampled because of the sameness of the letters received and of Griffiths' response.
The Bills Files sub-subseries consists of files for those pieces of legislation either introduced by Griffiths or of which she was a co-sponsor. Although there is also much constituent correspondence here, the files are more substantive than the Legislative files in that they show the development of the legislation. The files usually include a copy of the bill and related background information. The Bills file for the 92nd Congress has not been received by the library.
The Topical Files sub-subseries is an alphabetically arranged sequence of materials relating to issues, government departments, or individuals. The sub-subseries does not pertain to specific legislation but is a more general file for constituent expressions of complaint or concern. Some of the larger files pertain to issues of race relations, busing, the war in Vietnam, the contemplated impeachment of President Nixon, women's issues, such as the Equal Rights Amendment, and Griffiths' interest in a national health insurance plan.