18. Consumerism,, 1910-1980 (bulk 1925-1980)

Summary: Documents activities of the consumer movement in the U.S. including material identifying the characteristics of the consumer, consumer education, consumer law, schemes or rackets and the use of weights and measures. Used for reference and to track the consumer movement. Files include magazine and newspaper clippings, publications, and correspondence. Subjects include the discovery of the consumer, getting gypped, consumerism, business antagonism or indifference toward the consumer, characteristics and inadequacies of the consumer, consumers' need for protection, technological tenuousness, styles and fads, and consumer cartoons, publications and poems. Also material concerning attacks on consumer organizations and the consumer movement, suppression of the consumer, representation of the consumer, consumer boycotts and picketing, anti-German boycott, protests and complaints to manufacturers, and "lemons." Material on education includes development of consumer education, consumer courses, consumer economic courses in schools and universities, CR's courses, consumer colleges, and consumer columns in newspapers. Material on consumers and the law includes consumer law, class action suits, legislation affecting consumers, laws affecting consumers "preponderantly," libel laws (including AD-X2 battery additive case), trademark law (deceptive trade names), copyright law, consumer contracts, wills, lawyers, specific judicial decisions affecting consumers, weights and measures standards, false weights and measures, control of weights and measures by state, rackets or schemes to defraud consumers, post office fraud orders, and land sales rackets.