Sources of Inquiry

Case 3: Government Records

A government record is any document produced by a government agency, at the local, state, or federal level. They often contain evidence of government activities, policies, decisions, or transactions, and can include publications, reports, forms, organizational documents, and more. Government records found outside of official state archives are generally present due to the interests, work, or activities of an archival collection's creator, whether an individual or a group.

Three items in the case, Nisei in Uniform, The Shameful Years: Thirty Years of Soviet Espionage in the United States, and The Black Panther Party: Its Origin and Development are from the Gilbert G. Benjamin Subversive Activities Collection. These items were collected by Benjamin as part of his job as a Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or as part of his personal collection of memorabilia. These items can be used to research the specific topics they represent, but also shed light on Benjamin's interests and professional life.

Some items on display in the case demonstrate the evolution of ideas about race, gender, social norms, and cultural differences, such as an order to pay for slave labor, a booklet discussing the employment of minorities in state government, an arrest report stemming from a social activity in the LGBT community, a document examining the rights of child migrants, and a Senate committee hearing agenda for a discussion on the lawful beginning of life. Other items in this case demonstrate how government documents can help us understand important issues, and how the opinions of local, state, and federal lawmakers are shaped.

Case 4, Financial Records, is the flat case nearest this one.

  • 1

    Department of Interior, War Relocation Authority, Nisei in Uniform, 1943Gilbert G. Benjamin, Jr. Subversive Activities Collection

  • 2

    House Committee on Internal Security, The Black Panther Party, Its Origin and Development as Reflected in its Official Weekly Newspaper, The Black Panther Black Community News Service, 1970Gilbert G. Benjamin, Jr. Subversive Activities Collection

  • 3

    Order to pay Monsieur Charles Dugardier 23 cents per day for his slave Benjamin's labor in New Orleans during the War of 1812, August 11, 1914Legal and Financial Documents on Slaves and Slavery in the United States Collection

  • 4

    State of California, Office of the Governor, Negroes and Mexican Americans in the California State Government, 1966Rodolfo F. Acuña Collection

  • 5

    Board of Trustees of the State Normal School, Report of the State Normal School, 1881-82Dr. Robert J. Williams California State Normal Schools Collection

  • 6

    California Department of Water Resources, Progress Report: State Water Project, 1961Feather River Project Association Collection

  • 7

    Los Angeles Police Department, "Slave Auction" Arrest Report, 1976Aristide J. Laurent Collection

  • 8

    US Office of Inter-American Affairs, Mexico: Next Door Neighbor, 1943Carl S. Dentzel Collection

  • 9

    House Committee on Un-American Activities, The Shameful Years: Thirty Years of Soviet Espionage in the United States, December 30, 1951Gilbert G. Benjamin, Jr. Subversive Activities Collection

  • 10

    Certificate of Registration issued by the Shanghai Municipal Council's Public Health Department allowing Dr. Walter Braun to practice medicine in Shanghai, December 28, 1942Frank and Trixie Wachsner Collection

  • 11

    Joint Senate Committee Hearing, Migrant Children's Nutrition, 1972Bill Chandler Farm Worker Organizing Papers

  • 12

    FBI Fact Sheet regarding the establishment of the Los Angeles Committee for American Unity after the Zoot Suit Riots, June 16, 1943Rodolfo F. Acuña Collection

  • 13

    California Senate Committee Hearing Agenda, "The Lawful Beginning of Life," December 16, 1981Zero Population Growth of Los Angeles, Inc. Collection

Location

Case 3 Map