Pete Seeger oral history interview conducted by Joseph Mosnier in Beacon, New York, 2011-07-22.

Summary: Pete Seeger recalls performing at a concert with Paul Robeson in 1949 in Peekskill, New York, visiting the Highlander Folk School, and the evolution of the song "We Shall Overcome." He remembers performing at many civil rights events, including the Selma to Montgomery March. He also discusses his thoughts on Presidents Barack Obama and Rutherford B. Hayes.

Biographical History: Pete Seeger was born in 1919 in New York, New York, married Toshi-Aline Ota in 1943, and had three children. He attended Harvard University and was a folk singer and civil rights activist.

Acquisition Note: The Civil Rights History Project is a joint project of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of individuals who participated in the Civil Rights movement.

Existence and Location of Copies: Copies of items are also held at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (U.S.).

Conditions Governing Access: Collection is open for research. Access to recordings may be restricted. To request materials, please contact the Folklife Reading Room at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.contact.

Related Archival Materials: Artifacts associated with the interview are at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

civil rights movements selma to montgomery rights march 1965 selma ala we shall overcome songs and music highlander folk school monteagle tenn folk singers interviews filmed interviews oral histories beacon ny pete seeger pete seeger history interview history interview joseph mosnier joseph mosnier beacon high resolution civil rights history project us civil rights history project american folklife center film video race relations african americans

1919

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

Public Domain