The Radical Reader: A Documentary History of the American Radical Tradition

The Radical Reader: A Documentary History of the American Radical Tradition

Language: English

Pages: 688

ISBN: 1565846826

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


Key documents illustrate the richness of the American radical tradition.

Radicalism is as American as apple pie. One can scarcely imagine what American society would look like without the abolitionists, feminists, socialists, union organizers, civil-rights workers, gay and lesbian activists, and environmentalists who have fought stubbornly to breathe life into the promises of freedom and equality that lie at the heart of American democracy.

The first anthology of its kind, The Radical Reader brings together more than 200 primary documents in a comprehensive collection of the writings of America's native radical tradition. Spanning the time from the colonial period to the twenty-first century, the documents have been drawn from a wealth of sources—speeches, manifestos, newspaper editorials, literature, pamphlets, and private letters. From Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" to Kate Millett's "Sexual Politics," these are the documents that sparked, guided, and distilled the most influential movements in American history. Brief introductory essays by the editors provide a rich biographical and historical context for each selection included.

Includes:
Common Sense, Thomas Paine
Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln
Confession, Nat Turner
Last Speech to the Jury, John Brown
Letters on the Equality of the Sexes, Sarah Grimke
Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Seneca Falls Convention
Life in the Iron Mills, Rebecca Harding Davis
Speech to Striking Coal Miners, Mother Jones
Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Ballot or the Bullet, Malcolm X
The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan
Silent Spring, Rachel Carson

The Reagan Diaries

The Occupiers: The Making of the 99 Percent Movement

The Will of the People: Churchill and Parliamentary Democracy

The Nation (June 11, 2012)

Public Administration: A Comparative Perspective (Public Administration and Public Policy, Volume 59)

Imperialism and Global Political Economy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and class antagonisms more sharp. Trade lines have been swallowed up in a common servitude of all workers to the machines which they tend. New machines, ever replacing less productive ones, wipe out whole trades and plunge new bodies of workers into the ever-growing army of tradeless, hopeless unemployed. As human beings and human skill are displaced by mechanical progress, the capitalists need use the workers only during that brief period when muscles and nerves respond most intensely. The

were “a colony of heaven,” called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be “astronomically intimidated.” By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the

construction of the new patterns which will liberate us. It is the primacy of women relating to women, of women creating a new consciousness of and with each other which is at the heart of women’s liberation, and the basis for the cultural revolution. Together we must find, reinforce and validate our authentic selves. As we do this, we confirm in each other that struggling incipient sense of pride and strength, the divisive barriers begin to melt, we feel this growing solidarity with our

oppressors. Sometimes even top pigs are not too proud of the work they do. Activists can capitalize on this weakness and degrade high-ranking bureaucrats in front of their employees. The oppressors are usually taken off guard and come out looking either ridiculous or violent. When the scene is replayed on TV news, they look foolish and vulnerable. Zaps present the oppressor with a dilemma: either capitulate, or win by resorting to violence. In either case, the Gay Liberation Movement wins—for

for that matter) deadline for a few days for the counting of votes to determine who the rightful winner of a presidential election is does not constitute a sufficient cause for a short extension of time, then what in the world does? No one has said it better than columnist Thomas Friedman: “The five conservative Justices essentially ruled that the sanctity of dates, even meaningless ones, mattered more than the sanctity of votes, even meaningful ones. The Rehnquist Court now has its legacy: In

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