The paper first outlines the four goals of the OVC's Oral History Project, which involves the construction of the history of the crime victims movement in the United States based on interviews with key individuals associated with important stages and events in the crime victims movement, soliciting information and opinions on their experiences in the context of these events. One of the four goals of this project is to develop two reports that highlight the historical importance of the 30-year anniversary of the field as well as the 20-year anniversary of the publication of the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime Final Report. A second goal is to provide video documentation of interviews with key persons associated with the past 30 years of the victims' rights and assistance movement. The other two goals are to develop archives of these videotapes and develop a recommended format for States, U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia in developing oral histories of victim movements in their jurisdictions. The second major feature of this paper consists of the identification and discussion of five independent influences on the emergence and evolution of the victims movement. The five influences are the development of a field called victimology; the introduction of State victim compensation programs; the rise of the women's movement; the increase in crime accompanied by public dissatisfaction with the criminal justice system; and the growth of victim activism. 12 notes