The regents versus the professors: Edward Tolman's role in the California loyalty oath controversy.
In 1950, the University of California Board of Regents approved a policy that all faculty members, as a condition for continued employment, were required to either sign an oath indicating that they were not members of the Communist Party or explain why they would not sign. A group of faculty members, led by psychologist Edward Tolman, refused to sign the oath and were fired. This article discusses how Tolman emerged as the leader of the faculty nonsigners and how his stature within psychology enabled him to recruit assistance from the American Psychological Association and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.
DAVID W. CARROLL is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
David W
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Carroll
D002140:California; D032781:Codes of Ethics; D004651:Employment; D005178:Faculty; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D011584:Psychology / Q000266:history*; D012919:Social Behavior