On June 16, 1918, union leader Eugene Debs delivered this speech at the Ohio State Socialist Party Convention. In it, he famously criticized the USA’s involvement in World War I. Four days later, the federal grand jury condemned his speech by way of the Sedition Act of 1918, and he was sentenced to ten years in prison. Debs serves as an inspiration for all those who persistently advocate for the working class despite opposition.

After criticizing US involvement in WWI, Eugene Debs found himself testifying in court for violation of the Sedition Act of 1918. Debs, an outspoken socialist and advocate, stated that he saw this law “as a despotic enactment in flagrant conflict with democratic principles and with the spirit of free institutions.” In his address to the court, he defends his socialism by discussing his working-class childhood and the plight of the American poor. Despite facing years in prison, Debs’ ended ...

The birth of liberation movements in the C19th saw a rise in fighting for the rights of workers.William Morris believed decries the belief “not that Commerce was made for man, but that man was made for Commerce”, with the profit motive that renders all work miserable when “It is right and necessary that all men should have work to do which shall be worth doing, and be of itself pleasant to do; and which should be done under such conditions as would make it neither over-wearisome nor...

The Eugene Debs Party Succeeds: A Third Parties Flash Fiction offers Progressives and others a pathway to achieve their dreams and to achieve electoral success. May this vision inspire Progressives and others to do the impossible!26 pages.

Volume 4: Red Union, Red Paper, Red Train, 1905–1910 gathers for the first time approximately 180 articles, speeches, letters, and interviews from the prime years of American socialist and labor leader Eugene V. Debs. These include materials relating to some of the great events for which the Indiana orator is best remembered: the founding of the Industrial Workers of the World (the red union), his move from freelance oratory to employment on the staff of the mass circulation A...

This is the first in a five volume series that will collect much of trade unionist and Socialist Party founding father Eugene V. Debs’ work for the first time in a single place. The collection makes readily accessible approximately 150 documents, only a few of which were ever subsequently republished, by one of the seminal figures in the labor movement of his era. Illuminating 19th Century labor history, particularly the complex and shifting situation in the transportation industry, this v...

Eugene V. Debs exploded upon the national scene in 1894 as the leader of a sensational strike by his American Railway Union (ARU) against the Pullman Parlor Car Company—a job stoppage which paralyzed the country's transportation network for nearly two weeks. On January 1, 1897, the polarizing public figure Debs declared his allegiance to international socialism, emerging as the most widely recognized socialist in America. He would thereafter tour the country relentlessly, speaking to large...

The second volume of essays and speeches from an early leader of the labor movement, who "turned a radical creed into a deeply American one" ( The New Yorker).Tim Davenport and David Walters have extracted the essential core of Debs's life work, illustrating his intellectual journey from conservative editor of the magazine of a racially segregated railway brotherhood to his role as the public face and outstanding voice of social revolution in early twentie...

In "Class Unionism," Eugene V. Debs presents a compelling critique of the American labor movement, advocating for a unifying approach that transcends traditional craft and trade unions. Debs employs a clear, persuasive literary style that intertwines passionate rhetoric with empirical observations, dissecting the socio-economic disparities of his time. The book emerges in the context of the early 20th century, a period marked by escalating class struggles, industrialization, and the rise o...

"The Negro Workers" by Eugene V. Debs explores the challenges and injustices faced by African American laborers in the early 20th century. Debs, a prominent socialist and labor leader, highlights the systemic racism in labor practices and advocates for unity among all workers, regardless of race. The book's core themes include racial inequality, economic exploitation, and the power of solidarity.Debs describes the harsh working conditions and discrimination African American workers ...

Your knowledge of Eugene Victor Debs' activity during and since the First World War will not be complete until you read this book. It includes his speech at Canton, Ohio, that brought about his arrest; his fearless address to the jury; his daring statement to the court, and excellent account of the trial; and a short history of the Socialist Party's Amnesty Campaign."While still an inmate of the United States Penitentiary at Atlanta, Georgia, the suggestion was made to me by interes...

Before Bernie Sanders, before Zohran Mamdani, America’s favorite socialist was Eugene Debs.In 1912, some 1,200 Socialists held elected office across the United States. Wisconsin had a Socialist congressman in Washington, and ministers in Oklahoma preached the gospel of “Christian socialism” at revival-style gatherings come summertime. The leader of this vibrant movement? One Eugene V. Debs—part working-class agitator, part radical prophet, a man who made it feel li...