The Socialist Party of America Papers provide an exceptional historical overview of the Socialist Party of America as it struggled to gain support and realize its goals. Documents in the collection include correspondence, position papers, memoranda, financial records, pamphlets and broadsides, and leaflets. The records in the collection reflect the party's internal disputes, including the 1919 split, which resulted in the formation of the American Communist Party. An important segment of the material focuses on the 1950s and 1960s, when the party's momentum was aided by social unrest and the concomitant increase in civil rights activities. These were also the years when the Socialist Party of America finally received widespread attention from intellectuals and influential government leaders in President Johnson's War on Poverty. The files from 1963 to 1976 document the Socialist Party’s new alignment with the Democratic Party as it worked to forge a labor-liberal coalition. These records will allow researchers to investigate the changes that occurred within the party during the 1960s and early 1970s: the formation of the Social Democrats, U.S.A., of the "Debs Caucus," and the Socialist Party, U.S.A.
Content Types: books, bulletins, convention proceedings, letters, meeting minutes, newspapers, official records, pamphlets, serials, and more.
Topics: civil rights, communism, employment, labor unions, politics, race, socialism, strikes, and more.
Organizations: American Civil Liberties Union, American Committee for Struggle Against War, League for Industrial Democracy, NAACP, Socialist Party, Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, Students for a Democratic Society, Union Socialista (Chile), Workers Defense League, Young People's Socialist League, and more.
Sample Key Word Searches: Bolshevism, capitalism, communism, employment, farmers, health care, labor, Lenin, revolution, strike, taxes, Trotskyism, union, voting, War on Poverty, working class
Socialist Party of America Papers, 1897-1964
Although the Socialist Party as a political entity played a relatively insignificant role in major American political elections, Socialists and socialism have had an enduring influence on the United States. Many Socialist Party platforms and programs were adopted by major political parties. Hundreds of leaders in trade unions, government, the news media, academic institutions, and religious organizations spent their politically formative years in or in close contact with the Socialist Party, often carrying the Socialist spirit and goals, if not the party name, into their work.
Socialist Party of America Papers, 1919-1976, Addendum
During the 1960s the Socialist Party, although small in size, continued to advocate for labor and social welfare reform, peace, and civil rights. The party had significantly less resources during this period. Although they did not always agree completely with its programs, most Socialist Party members tended to gravitate towards the Democratic Party, seeking to forge with civil rights groups and labor unions a new labor-liberal coalition.
