Dartmouth College. Society of Social Friends

Biography

The Society of Social Friends was established in 1783 as a literary society whose main purpose was to manage a student library. In 1786, a rival group, the United Fraternity, was formed by members seceding from the Society. Conflict between the two societies existed for many years and resulted in many records being destroyed prior to 1805. There was additional interference by the faculty of the College who sought more control over Society property. The Society library was also attacked in 1817 by faculty of the state-established Dartmouth University in an attempt to seize its books. After this tumultuous period, the literary societies on campus worked together to bring speakers to campus, including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman, and, in 1874, the Society agreed to combine its library with those of other literary societies and place them within the College Library. Meetings of the Society become infrequent after the transfer of the library and cease altogether before the end of the 19th century. The Society reconvened in 1903 -1904 to dissolve the organization.