People's Freedom Union
Encyclopedia
The People's Freedom Union was a left wing American political group which existed from 1919 to 1920. Established as a federation
of liberal
and radical
organizations in New York City
, the People's Freedom Union conducted marches in support of political prisoners detained under the Espionage Act during World War I
, campaigned for a restoration of American civil rights
suspended under the war, and agitated against American intervention in Mexico
and Soviet Russia
.
and socialist
political activists in an effort to end American participation in the European war. The group was headquartered at 138 West 13th Street, premises it shared with the American Civil Liberties Union
. The organization declared itself a federation of "several New York groups" which intended to practice "the One Big Union idea applied to the peace-and-freedom movement."
The People's Freedom Union was organized in opposition to the expansion of militarism
and imperialism
in the post-war world. It declared in its literature that "imperialism is not dead, even though the kaiser
and the other emperors have gone" and postulated that the empire
-building foreign policy of Great Britain, France, Japan, the United States, and other nations was setting the table for a new round of war. The group therefore sought to organize "liberal and radical forces of the world" in advance of the next conflagration, to "get ready now before the passions of war again sweep them aside."
The group also sought the reestablishment of American civil liberties
suspended during the World War I under the Espionage Act, declaring that "democracy without the unrestricted right to discuss public policies is the shabbiest of pretenses." It cited the recent banning and dispersal of public meetings, suppression of dissident newspapers, and the deportation and imprisonment of critical public speakers as examples of the abusive state of then-current law.
The People's Freedom Union declared its intent to take on "concrete tasks not already covered" by other groups participating in the federation, with a design to "gradually absorb other groups." The group was governed by an Executive Committee, with permanent officers and committees organized around specific projects handling day-to-day affairs.
The People's Freedom Union maintained a publication department under the imprint of "The People's Print," which issued weekly leaflets on pertinent topics in the news and was responsible for the issuance and sale of occasional pamphlet
s. The group also established a speaker's bureau which coordinated speaking tours of "men and women of national and international note who have a message bearing upon the objects for which the organization stands."
A critic of the organization later opined that this demonstration a "rather melodramatic," in which the participants paraded in single file, carrying banners in support of their cause. This criticism, contained in the report of the Lusk Committee established in 1919 by the New York State Senate
, declared that marchers had been "led astray with respect to the great forces at play on the public opinion of the American people" and breathlessly declared that
The organization also organized a demonstration on February 12, 1920, at the White House
in Washington, DC, in an effort to move President Woodrow Wilson
to grant amnesty to political prisoners.
Secretary of the Free Political Prisoners Committee of the People's Freedom Union was Tracy D. Mygatt. Other well-known individuals involved in the organization included Evans Clark, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
, Lewis Gannett
, Harry W. Laidler
, Jessica Smith
, and Norman Thomas
, as well as sociologist Winthrop D. Lane.
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
of liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and radical
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
organizations in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the People's Freedom Union conducted marches in support of political prisoners detained under the Espionage Act during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, campaigned for a restoration of American civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
suspended under the war, and agitated against American intervention in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Soviet Russia
Soviet Russia
Soviet Russia usually refers to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union. It may also denote:* Soviet Russia , magazine of the Friends of Soviet Russia in the United States...
.
Establishment
The People's Freedom Union was the organizational successor of the People's Council of America, an anti-war organization established in New York City by pacifistPacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
and socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
political activists in an effort to end American participation in the European war. The group was headquartered at 138 West 13th Street, premises it shared with the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
. The organization declared itself a federation of "several New York groups" which intended to practice "the One Big Union idea applied to the peace-and-freedom movement."
The People's Freedom Union was organized in opposition to the expansion of militarism
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
and imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
in the post-war world. It declared in its literature that "imperialism is not dead, even though the kaiser
Kaiser
Kaiser is the German title meaning "Emperor", with Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "Empress". Like the Russian Czar it is directly derived from the Latin Emperors' title of Caesar, which in turn is derived from the personal name of a branch of the gens Julia, to which Gaius Julius Caesar,...
and the other emperors have gone" and postulated that the empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
-building foreign policy of Great Britain, France, Japan, the United States, and other nations was setting the table for a new round of war. The group therefore sought to organize "liberal and radical forces of the world" in advance of the next conflagration, to "get ready now before the passions of war again sweep them aside."
The group also sought the reestablishment of American civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
suspended during the World War I under the Espionage Act, declaring that "democracy without the unrestricted right to discuss public policies is the shabbiest of pretenses." It cited the recent banning and dispersal of public meetings, suppression of dissident newspapers, and the deportation and imprisonment of critical public speakers as examples of the abusive state of then-current law.
The People's Freedom Union declared its intent to take on "concrete tasks not already covered" by other groups participating in the federation, with a design to "gradually absorb other groups." The group was governed by an Executive Committee, with permanent officers and committees organized around specific projects handling day-to-day affairs.
The People's Freedom Union maintained a publication department under the imprint of "The People's Print," which issued weekly leaflets on pertinent topics in the news and was responsible for the issuance and sale of occasional pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
s. The group also established a speaker's bureau which coordinated speaking tours of "men and women of national and international note who have a message bearing upon the objects for which the organization stands."
Activities
The People's Freedom Union organized a march up Fifth Avenue in New York on Christmas morning, 1919, in support of political prisoners. The march was to be followed by a dispersal in groups of 10 to picket on behalf of prisoners outside churches throughout New York City in hopes of stirring attendees in support of the cause of freeing prisoners of conscience jailed under the Espionage Act during the war. The march was ultimately broken up by the New York Police Department.A critic of the organization later opined that this demonstration a "rather melodramatic," in which the participants paraded in single file, carrying banners in support of their cause. This criticism, contained in the report of the Lusk Committee established in 1919 by the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
, declared that marchers had been "led astray with respect to the great forces at play on the public opinion of the American people" and breathlessly declared that
"The persons who have participated in this movement, not necessarily familiar with the objects and the purposes which actuate it, are sowing the seeds of disorder and doing their part to imperil the structure of American institutions."
The organization also organized a demonstration on February 12, 1920, at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in Washington, DC, in an effort to move President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
to grant amnesty to political prisoners.
Membership
Executive Secretary of the People's Freedom Union was Francis M. Witherspoon.Secretary of the Free Political Prisoners Committee of the People's Freedom Union was Tracy D. Mygatt. Other well-known individuals involved in the organization included Evans Clark, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn was a labor leader, activist, and feminist who played a leading role in the Industrial Workers of the World . Flynn was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union and a visible proponent of women's rights, birth control, and women's suffrage...
, Lewis Gannett
Lewis Gannett
Lewis Gannett is an American writer.Gannett is the author of the books The Living One, Magazine Beach, The Siege, as well as two Millennium novels: Gehenna and Force Majeure.-External links:*...
, Harry W. Laidler
Harry W. Laidler
Harry Wellington Laidler was an American socialist functionary, writer, magazine editor, and politician. He is best remembered as Executive Director of the League for Industrial Democracy, successor to the Intercollegiate Socialist Society, and for his close political association with perennial...
, Jessica Smith
Jessica Smith (editor)
Jessica Smith was an American editor and activist.Daughter of the painter Walter Granville-Smith of New York, Jessica Granville-Smith, as she was known in her early life, graduated from Swarthmore College and championed women's suffrage...
, and Norman Thomas
Norman Thomas
Norman Mattoon Thomas was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.-Early years:...
, as well as sociologist Winthrop D. Lane.
Publications
- Alice Riggs Hunt, Facts about Communist Hungary Previous to its Overthrow by the Supreme Council at Paris. New York: The People's Press, n.d. [c. 1919].
- Louis P. Lochner, Mexico — Whose War? New York: The People's Press, n.d. [c. 1919].
- Scott Nearing and Eugene V. Debs, Before the Court: Nearing — Debs. New York: The People's Press, n.d. [c. 1919].
- Albert Rhys Williams, Russian Soviets: Seventy-six Questions and Answers on the Workingman's Government of Russia. New York: The People's Press, n.d. [c. 1919].
- Frances Fenwick Williams, The Winnipeg General Strike. New York: The People's Press, n.d. [c. 1919].
- Legislative Committee of the People's Freedom Union, The Truth About the Lusk Committee. New York: The Nation Press, March 1920.
See also
- American Civil Liberties UnionAmerican Civil Liberties UnionThe American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
- People's Council of America for Democracy and PeacePeople's Council of America for Democracy and PeaceThe People's Council of America for Democracy and Peace, commonly known as the "People's Council," was an American pacifist political organization established in New York City in May 1917...