George Rawick
Encyclopedia
George P. Rawick was an American
academic, historian
, and socialist, best known for his editorship of a 41-volume set of oral histories of former slaves, entitled, The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography.
Rawick was born in 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, and died in 1990 in St. Louis, Missouri
. He was educated in the New York City public schools, and attended Oberlin College
in Ohio. He subsequently earned a PhD in history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. He studied under Professor Merle Curti
, who was one of the leading American historians of the era. Rawick completed his dissertation, The New Deal and Youth: The Civilian Conservation Corps, the National Youth Administration, and the American Youth Congress, in 1957: in that work, he contrasted the conservative, authoritarian, Army-run Civilian Conservation Corps
with the leftish, democratically-run National Youth Administration
, which allowed him to discuss the often contradictory impulses underlying the New Deal
generally.
Over his long career in academia, Rawick taught at Washington University, Wayne State University
, State University of New York
, the University of Chicago
, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, among others.
Rawick was involved in leftist politics from his earliest days at Oberlin College, staking out a career as an anti-Stalinist
socialist in the United States
. He participated in a number of left organizations including the Socialist Party
, Correspondence Publishing Committee
and Facing Reality
. He was associated with the ideas of C.L.R. James and was co-author of a Facing Reality
pamphlet, with C.L.R. James, Martin Glaberman
, and William Gorman. He also wrote for the journal Radical America
, which published his important essay, "Working Class Self Activity," in 1969.
Probably the most enduring achievement of his career was his editorship of the 41-volume set of oral histories of former slaves, entitled, The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography. This collection began publication in 1972. The interviews which this set contains were taken under the auspices of the Works Projects Administration (WPA), a New Deal program. They remained in typescript until Rawick took on the task of supervising their preparation for publication. Volume One of the series consists of Rawick's contribution to the historical literature of American slavery, an important book entitled From Sundown to Sunup: The Making of the Black Community. This book has been translated into 12 languages, and was one of the first books to take American slaves seriously as actors in their own history. His papers are held at the Western Historical Manuscripts Collection at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
academic, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, and socialist, best known for his editorship of a 41-volume set of oral histories of former slaves, entitled, The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography.
Rawick was born in 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, and died in 1990 in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. He was educated in the New York City public schools, and attended Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in Ohio. He subsequently earned a PhD in history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. He studied under Professor Merle Curti
Merle Curti
Merle Curti was a leading American historian. He taught a large number of PhD students at the University of Wisconsin, and was a leader in developing the fields of social history and intellectual history. As a "Progressive" historian he was deeply committed to democracy, and to the Turnerian...
, who was one of the leading American historians of the era. Rawick completed his dissertation, The New Deal and Youth: The Civilian Conservation Corps, the National Youth Administration, and the American Youth Congress, in 1957: in that work, he contrasted the conservative, authoritarian, Army-run Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
with the leftish, democratically-run National Youth Administration
National Youth Administration
The National Youth Administration was a New Deal agency in the United States that focused on providing work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 24. It operated from 1935 to 1939 as part of the Works Progress Administration . Following the passage of the Reorganization Act of...
, which allowed him to discuss the often contradictory impulses underlying the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
generally.
Over his long career in academia, Rawick taught at Washington University, Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
, State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, among others.
Rawick was involved in leftist politics from his earliest days at Oberlin College, staking out a career as an anti-Stalinist
Anti-Stalinist left
The anti-Stalinist left is an element of left-wing politics that is critical of Joseph Stalin's policies and the political system that developed in the Soviet Union under his rule...
socialist in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He participated in a number of left organizations including the Socialist Party
Socialist Party USA
The Socialist Party USA is a multi-tendency democratic-socialist party in the United States. The party states that it is the rightful continuation and successor to the tradition of the Socialist Party of America, which had lasted from 1901 to 1972.The party is officially committed to left-wing...
, Correspondence Publishing Committee
Correspondence Publishing Committee
Correspondence Publishing Committee was a radical left organization led by C.L.R. James and Martin Glaberman that existed in the United States from approximately 1951 until it split in 1962.-History:...
and Facing Reality
Facing Reality
Facing Reality was a radical left group in the United States which existed from about 1962 until 1970.-History:Facing Reality originated in the Johnson-Forest Tendency led by C.L.R. James and Raya Dunayevskaya. It has its origins in the Trotskyist left but regarded the Soviet Union as state...
. He was associated with the ideas of C.L.R. James and was co-author of a Facing Reality
Facing Reality
Facing Reality was a radical left group in the United States which existed from about 1962 until 1970.-History:Facing Reality originated in the Johnson-Forest Tendency led by C.L.R. James and Raya Dunayevskaya. It has its origins in the Trotskyist left but regarded the Soviet Union as state...
pamphlet, with C.L.R. James, Martin Glaberman
Martin Glaberman
Martin Glaberman was an influential American Marxist, teacher, and autoworker.-Biography:Glaberman was associated with the Johnson-Forest Tendency, a radical left group that split from the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party, which understood the Soviet Union as a state capitalist society rather...
, and William Gorman. He also wrote for the journal Radical America
Radical America
Radical America was a left wing political magazine in the United States established in 1967. The magazine was founded by Paul Buhle and Mary Jo Buhle, activists in Students for a Democratic Society and served during its first few years of existence as an unofficial theoretical journal of that...
, which published his important essay, "Working Class Self Activity," in 1969.
Probably the most enduring achievement of his career was his editorship of the 41-volume set of oral histories of former slaves, entitled, The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography. This collection began publication in 1972. The interviews which this set contains were taken under the auspices of the Works Projects Administration (WPA), a New Deal program. They remained in typescript until Rawick took on the task of supervising their preparation for publication. Volume One of the series consists of Rawick's contribution to the historical literature of American slavery, an important book entitled From Sundown to Sunup: The Making of the Black Community. This book has been translated into 12 languages, and was one of the first books to take American slaves seriously as actors in their own history. His papers are held at the Western Historical Manuscripts Collection at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.