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This Week in People’s History, Apr 16–22

Portside
A drawing of "Justice" being tortured
U.S. Torture Exposed, not Punished (in 2009), Dixie Demands “Bread or Blood!” (1864), Wasn’t That a Time? (1959), Justice Delayed Isn’t Justice (1989), An Unforgettable Song (1939), Why the U.S. Lost in Vietnam (1969), How the U.S. Was Built (1889)

How Britain Made Paul Robeson a Socialist

Taylor Dorrell Tribune Magazine
Pioneering black singer Paul Robeson was born on this day (April 9) in 1898. One of America’s great radical figures, it was his encounters with Britain’s labour movement which inspired his socialist and anti-imperialist politics.

Slavery Was Crucial for the Development of Capitalism

Robin Blackburn, Owen Dowling Jacobin
Historian Robin Blackburn has completed a trilogy of books that provide a comprehensive Marxist account of slavery in the New World. He spoke to Jacobin about the intimate links between the slave systems in the Americas and the origins of capitalism.

The Green New Deal: From Below or From Above?

Jeremy Brecher Labor Network for Sustainability
The question, “should Green New Deal policies by implemented from above or from below” is rather like the question, “Should I wash my hands or my feet?” The obvious answer is, “both!”