ABSTRACT Not long ago, in the pages of this journal, I argued a number of propositions about the current state of historical research in the area of teacher unionism. One of those propositions was that a full explanation of the history of teacher union activity in the U.S.A. quite likely would require a three-pronged analysis involving the local, state, and national arenas. In this article, I hope to elaborate on the interaction and tension among the local, state, and national level of organizational activity as they affected the changing National Education Association [NEA] in the years 1957 to 1973.