Protest nation words that inspired a century of American radicalism

239 Pages·2010·3.483 MB·English

by  McCarthy, Timothy Patrick;McMillian, John

“This is an
extraordinary collection
of the voices of American
dissidents. Even to browse
through it is to be delighted
and inspired.”
—HowArd Zinn, author of
A People’s History of the
Protest Nation is a
United States
dazzling collection of the speeches,
letters, broadsides, essays, and manifestos that
form the modern-day backbone of the powerful American
tradition of activism and struggle. Here are the words—from
socialists, feminists, union organizers, civil-rights workers,
gay and lesbian activists, and environmentalists—that have been
beacons for millions, reaching from the present and going back through
decades of radical thinking and movement-building. Brief introductory
essays by the editors provide a rich biographical and historical context
for the selections, which include a fiery speech by the great socialist
orator Eugene Debs, the original Black Panther Party Platform,
Harvey Milk’s “The Hope Speech,” and Peter Singer’s astonishing
treatise on animal liberation. Protest Nation captures
twentieth-century American radical thought and
action and will both thrill and inspire twenty-
E
d
first-century readers. ite
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PATriTcikm moTcHcyA rTHy Joand Timoy
is Lecturer and Director of the hn M thy P
Human Rights and Social Movements c a
HPe riosg ar acmo- aetd itthoer Hoaf rTvhaer dR aKdeincnael dRye Sacdheor oaln. d Millian trick M
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Prophets of Protest (both published by The Ca
New Press). JoHn mcmilliAn is the author rthy

of Tom Paine’s Children and a co-editor
of The Sixties: A Journal of History,
Political Science/American History $17.95
Politics, and Culture.
www.thenewpress.com
THE NEW PRESS Cover design by David Shoemaker THE NEW PRESS
PROTE ST
NAT ION
ALSO EDITED BY TIMOTHY PATRICK McCARTHY
AND JOHN McMILLIAN
The Radical Reader: A Documentary History of the
American Radical Tradition
PROTE S T
Words That Inspired a Century
NAT ION
of American Radicalism
Edited by Timothy Patrick McCarthy
and John McMillian
© 2010 by Timothy Patrick McCarthy and John McMillian
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form, without written
permission from the publisher.
Requests for permission to reproduce selections from this book should
be mailed to: Permissions Department, The New Press, 38 Greene Street,
New York, NY 10013.
Published in the United States by The New Press, New York, 2010
Distributed by Perseus Distribution
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-I N- PUBLICATION DATA
Protest nation : words that inspired a century of American radicalism /
edited by Timothy Patrick McCarthy and John McMillian.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1 - 59558- 504- 2 (pb)
1. Radicalism— United States—H istory—20th century—
Sources. 2. Protest movements—U nited States—H istory—20th
century— Sources. I. McCarthy, Timothy Patrick.
II. McMillian, John Campbell.
HN90.R3P74 2010
303.48'4—dc22
2010003507
The New Press was established in 1990 as a not- for- profi t alternative to
the large, commercial publishing houses currently dominating the book
publishing industry. The New Press operates in the public interest rather
than for private gain, and is committed to publishing, in innovative ways,
works of educational, cultural, and community value that are often
deemed insuffi ciently profi table.
www .thenewpress .com
Composition by Westchester Book Composition
Printed in the United States of America
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
For Howard Zinn (1922–2 010):
beloved historian, radical patriot, cherished mentor,
and dear friend
May you fi nally know peace

Contents
Ac know ledg ments ix
Introduction by Timothy Patrick McCarthy and John McMillian 1
1. Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1905) 6
2. Emma Goldman, Anarchism: What It Really Stands
For (1911) 11
3. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland (1915) 21
4. Eugene Debs, Address to the Jury (1918) 27
5. Marcus Garvey, Africa for Africans (1923) 32
6. Huey Long, Share Our Wealth (1935) 37
7. Paul Robeson, My Answer (1949) 41
8. Jo Ann Robinson, The Montgomery Bus Boycott
and the Women Who Made It (1955) 50
9. Allen Ginsberg, Howl (1956) 54
10. Students for a Demo cratic Society, The Port Huron
Statement (1962) 60
11. Rachel Carson, Silent Spring (1962) 71
12. Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique (1963) 76
13. Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham
Jail (1963) 80
14. Malcolm X, The Ballot or the Bullet (1964) 100
15. Herbert Marcuse, One Dimensional Man (1964) 110
vii
viii Contents
16. B lack Panther Party, What We Want, What
We Believe (1966) 118
17. Robin Morgan, No More Miss America! (1968) 122
18. Abbie Hoffman, Chicago 8 Trial Testimony (1968) 125
19. Students for a Demo cratic Society, Bring the
War Home (1969) 136
20. Cesar Chavez, Letter from Delano (1969) 141
21. Noam Chomsky, The Responsibility of
Intellectuals (1969) 146
22. Kate Millett, Sexual Politics: A Manifesto
for Revolution (1970) 163
23. Carl Wittman, Refugees from Amerika:
A Gay Manifesto (1970) 166
24. Angela Davis, Pol iti cal Prisoners, Prisons, and Black
Liberation (1971) 176
25. American Indian Movement, Trail of Broken
Treaties (1972) 185
26. Peter Singer, Animal Liberation (1975) 207
27. The Combahee River Collective Statement (1977) 212
28. Harvey Milk, The Hope Speech (1978) 217
29. Audre Lorde, The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle
the Master’s H ouse (1979) 224
Acknowledgments
Once again, we start by thanking each other—f or a rare friendship
that’s now well into its second de cade. What a ride! We would also
like to thank our good friends at The New Press, especially our editor
Marc Favreau, whose support is outdone only by his patience, which
rivals that of Job. Thanks, too, to Maury Botton and Shannon Waite
for their hard work in getting this book to press. Special thanks to
Eric Foner, for putting us in touch with The New Press a de cade ago,
and for generally having our back ever since. We also appreciate the
ongoing support we get from our other mentors—H arry Reid, Man-
ning Marable, Alan Brinkley, Bob Hanning, and Martin Duberman—
and from our colleagues and students at Harvard, especially in History
and Literature, Quincy H ouse, and the Carr Center for Human Rights
Policy. We continue to be very grateful for the longstanding friend-
ships we share with Jeremy Varon, Mike Foley, Steve Biel, Zoe Trodd,
Lizzie and Toby Simon, Renee Richardson Gosline, Richard Parker,
and Jeanne Follansbee Quinn. And fi nally, we want to thank our
families and loved ones— Judy and Harlon McMillian, Tom and Mi-
chelle McCarthy, Malcolm and Malia Green, and C.J. Crowder—f or
pushing us and loving us, even when we test the limits. We love you
right back.
ix