An American History of the Socialist Idea

Harold Meyerson Dissent
If there’s a lesson to be derived from Gary Dorrien’s account of American socialism, it’s that the movement’s open participation in and with the broad democratic left benefits the socialist cause.

We Have Failed To Protect Our Kids; We Have Never Been Civil

Roxane Gay New York Times
Incivility runs through the history of this country, founded on stolen land, built with the labor of stolen lives. The document that governs our lives effectively denied more than half of the population the right to vote.

The Root of Haiti’s Misery: Reparations to Enslavers

Catherine Porter, Constant Méheut, Matt Apuzzo and Selam Gebrekidan New York Times
In 1791, enslaved Haitians did the seemingly impossible. They ousted their French masters and founded a nation. But France made generations of Haitians pay for their freedom — in cash. How much has remained a mystery, until now.

Defending the First Amendment

Paul Ortiz Portside
*Organize where you are* and please understand a simple truth. The widening assault on K-20 education, union rights, intellectual freedom and the First Amendment is soon coming to your back yard if it hasn't yet arrived.

Washington Should Think Twice Before Launching a New Cold War

William D. Hartung, Nick Cleveland-Stout, Taylor Giorno Tom Dispatch
Heightened rhetoric about Russia and China seeking to undermine American influence will only reinforce Washington’s support for repressive regimes. The consequences of that could, in turn, prove to be potentially disastrous.

books

The Uneasy Alliance Between Frederick Douglass and White Abolitionists

William G. Thomas III New York Times
Douglass refused to cede the Constitution to the slaveholders. He insisted the Constitution did not sanction slavery, that natural law and the Constitution assured liberty, and political action would be necessary to destroy slavery and secure freedom
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