FOlKWA YS RECORDS FH 5514

WE.B. DUBOIS
Socialism and the American Negro
Speech before the audience in Great Hall, Madison Wisconsin Memorial Union,
April 9, 1960. Sponsored by Wisconsin Socialist Club. Recorded by Lee Baxandall.
 FOLKWAYS FH 5514

W.E.B.
DUBOIS
Socialism and
the American Negro
1972 FOLKWAYS RECORDS AND SERVICE CORP.
701 SEVENTH AVE., N.Y.C., U.S.A.
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FOLKW A YS FH 5514
FOLKWAYS RECORDS Album No. FH 5514
1972 Folkways Records and Service Corp. , 701 Seventh Ave ., NYC USA

WE.B. DUBOIS
Socialism & the American Negro

and the'new China and recently to watch the Negro

I-I demonstrations in the South, All of which have

interested him enough to put them in writing as
well as in speaking. Dr . DuBois has a very im-
pressive list of writing to his credit aside from
Side 1 . Band 1. one time editing t he magazine Crisis . He is the
editor of Fireline Magazine a quarterly on a
Introduction Negro social and historical problems and has a
list of much greater than 16 books to his credit
I ts very rarely that we have the opportunity to dealing with all subjec ts dealing with the Negro
hear a man with the stature of Dr. DuBois . He is problems to social problems in this country,
92 years old at present . I was trying to think social problems abroad, social revolutions in
just a few minutes ago what living way back in all the countries which have had social revolutions
about 1868 was like . Its rather striking that of late . His educational background I find very
Dr . DuBois has lived through 'all of the major impressive also . He received his bachelor ' s degree
wars with the exception of about three . He has from Fisk University, did his Masters and PhD work
witnessed a great number of social changes to our at Har vard and has also studied at t4e University
country . The reconstruction period, the advent of Berlin, Howard University and a couple of others .
of Jim Crow, the coming and going of almost every He has about 8 honorary PhD' s to his credit which
President since President Lincoln . He was able to is in i tself qui te a sizeable array of decorations
wa tch the campaign of devs , he saw both of the for a wall plus the very deep feelings behind these
Russian revolutions, 1905 and 1917, he quite recently decorations . I'm very honored and very pleased at -
coul d wat ch the Supreme courts decision on thi s time to present to you Dr . W.E.B . DuBois
Segregation in the South, was able to tour Russia (appl ause )


American Negroes were not Socialists . They did not

know what Communism was doing or trying to do but

1-2
Side 1, Band 2 .
they knew that Negro education must be better, that
Negroes must have better opportunities to work and
to receive a wage which would let them enjoy a
decent standard of life . They were victims of
disease and drifting into crime . To remedy this
Dr . DuBois they sort to pattern their life after successful
Americans . They must work hard, save money, be-
Ladies and Gentlemen, Socialism and the American come employers and property owners and investors .
Negro , Democracy has so disappeared in the United This they thought would bring them recognition as
States that there are some subjects that cannot American citiz ens equal to others . But America
even be discussed. The essence of the democratic had changed . There was still a chance for some
process is free discussion . There was a time when to rise and get rich but the working classes were
men were not allowed to talk about universal suffer- n~ longer generall.y able to buy land, their wages
age of the education of women, or freedom for Negro dld not amount to what they in reality earned and
slaves . Today Communism is the dirty word and those handicapped by race prejudice had small
Socialism is suspect . I often refer to my education chance to overcome poverty and ignorance and disease .
in democracy . In the little New England town where A class structure began to arise within the Negro
I was born we had a high school of about 25 pupils . group which produced haves and have- nots and tended
I entered it in 1880 at the age of 12. As I to encourage more successful Negroes to join the
attended the town meeting annually in the Spring forces of monopoly and exploitation and help
there used regularly to appear one of the dirtiest victimize their own classes and any other lower
old men I ever saw . He was fat and greasy, and classes that were possible . To remedy the situation
every year he made a fierce attack on wasting his thinking Negroes still regarded their first step
taxes on a high school. I was always furious . I toward emancipation as being political power . They
wondered why the citizens sat silent and let him felt that their present plate was due to the fact
rant but they did and then quietly they voted the that they had never become voting citizens of the
money for the high school, There I learned my country and their first efforts were toward gaining
lesson in Democracy . Listen to the other side . the real right to vote . The young colored men of
In this state and in our time occurred one of the 1905 of which I was one emphasized this. This group
worst blows to the democratic process which our meeting at Niagara Falls, Canada in June, 1905
nation suffered . Senator McCarthy succeeded in demanded freedom of speech and criticism, manhood
making America afraid to discuss Socialism or to sufferage, the abolition of all distinction based
recognize Communism as bought with a conspiracy on race, recognition of basic principles of human
and this in the state of Robert LeFollet. I knew brotherhood and respect for the working man . They
LeFollett and his valiant wife. I voted for him called themselves the Niagara movement . And despite
for President in 1924 and I saw him give his life voilent attack on all sides they met again the next
fighting monopolized wealth and asking world peace . year, 1906 at Harper ' s Ferry . There they said in
My own work at the time was trying to secure freedom the past year the work of the Negro hater has
and equality for American Negroes . For a quarter flourished in the land . Step by step the defenders
of a century I edited a little monthly magazine the of the rights of American citizens have retreated .
Crisis and despite opposition I spoke plainly. I The work of stealing the Black man ' s ballot has
was criticized as being bitter, as seeking not progressed and 50 or more representatives of stolen
simply political but social equality for Negroes votes still sit in the nation ' s capitol . Never
for favoring the teaching of Karl Marx and for ' before in the modern age has a great and civilized
joining the Socialist Party . These ac~usations folk threatened to adopt so cowardly a creed in the
were true . But largely as a result of my work treatment of fellow citizens born and bred on its
and the work of others the Negro made progress soil . Stripped of verbal subterfuge and in its
toward equal citizenship . Progress but not com- naked nastiness the new American creed says fear
plete success . The collapse of the capitalist to let Black men even try to rise lest they become
system after the first World War brought poverty the equals of whites . This in the land professes
unemployment and distress worse than America had' to follow Jesus Christ . The blasemy of such a
ever seen . And then came a surge toward Social- course was only matched by its cowardice . This
ism called the New Deal . The nation relieved was the statement of 1906 .
distress, built public works, helped agr.i cul tural
trade, encouraged literature and art . It joined The NAACP organized in 1909, added to the program of
the Soviet Union in overthrowing Hitler , Mussolini the Niagara Movement the realization that the fight
and Japan and informing the United Nations to for freedom could not be carried on by Negroes alone
avoid future war. With the death of Roosevelt but by a national movement which united Negroes
came reaction . The United States not only stopped and whites . They emphasized the role which pre-
progress toward socialism but ceased to discuss or judice played . A prejudice often unconscious but
study it and came to regard the object of Social- nevertheless effective . The NAACP made a nationwide
ism and Communism as a crime . Especially the fight against the horror of lynching and mob vio-
American Negro . Still as a mass, poor, ignorant lence . Then more and more began to concentrate on
and sick, were given no opportunity to know the sort the legal aspects of ~ace discrimination . The .'
of progress the world was making to immediatorate fact that the Negro was pressed beca\l;3e ihe. con-
the plate of the unfortunate working people the stitution of the United States was not being en-
world over who were in conditions similar to ours. forced . This ~fight had unprecendented success and
 culminated in 1954 in the unaminous decision of the capitalism and the possibility of it becoming a
Supreme Court against segregation . But during all force so destructive that it cannot be endured .
this struggle we knew that something still was One of my first experiencp.s was in England . I had
lacking . If we hark back to the cr y of the French in London a severe attack of intestinal disorder .
Revolution, liberty, equality and brotherhood it A young physician summoned at midnight came and
was clear that there was not and could not be treated me . He made six or more visits within the
liberty of i ndividual action under the great in- next few days until he had me completely on my feet .
dustrial organization which was growing up in the When I asked for my b ill I was told that there was
world led by the United States . Production in no charge that his services were paid for by the
industry and trade involved planning and planning British Government . I reminded him that I was an
curtailed liberty . Moreover our inequality as American and that in America we were repeatedly in-
Negroes was a matter of fact Negroes with their formed that socialized medicine in Great Britain
ignorance and poverty and sickness were distinct- was a failure . He smiled , the only cost of my ill-
ly below the ave rage of those of their white ness was the medicine that he prescribed and that
neighbors who were educated, well- to- do and was less than five dollars. On the other hand I
healthy . Finally despite all propaganda we saw found that Great Britain, France and Holland and
democracy failing in America . Fewer and few Belgium were countries which for the past centuries
people went t o the polls . It was increasingly had built their comfort, their prosperity and
difficult to know for whom or for what one was civilization mainly on the free land and materials
voting and the cost of election arose to and cheap labor partly furnished by their own
suspicious heights. The election in which working class but mainly by colored people over-
Abraham Lincoln became President of the United seas whom they dominated by their colonial empires .
States cost about a hundred thousand dollars . In 1858 it was clear that the end of this colonism
The election which made Dwight Eisenhower was in sight . Already mos t of the col onies in
President probably cost more than one hundred Holland had become independent . Britai n had lost
million . Its possible that it cost twi ce tha t . the empire of India and France was fighting i n
Election expenses today include no t only direct vain to hold North Africa . Yet despite the fact
bribery but indirect influences. Monopoly, that the colonial organization must end these three
propaganda and deception . Under the se circum- gre at countries of Wes tern Europe and others like
stances the appeal of Socialsim to all Ame r ic ans Italy, West Germany and Portugal were depending for
increased but the answer to the doctrines of their future life on materials which they under-
Karl Marx, Utopias, Safuyay and others was that priced in t he world market on stolen land and on
with human nature as it is Socialism simply would labor wretchedly underpaid . The political power
not work . To me the obvious approach to soc ialism to carry on this process depe nde d upon the laboring
seemed consumers cooperation . I tried to plan an class in Western Europe and America and that
organization among Negroes as consume rs which would laboring class was being bribed by political power
furnish employment, help savings and bring unity of and high wage which came no so much out of the
action . But it was soon evident as many of my profits of the employers as out of the low wages of
fellow workers warned me from the beginning that colored labor . I did not sense in Western Europe
individual action alone could not bring consumers and certainly I had not seen in America any dis -
cooperation. That without the power of the govern- position so to improve the organization of work and
ment it would fail. And with government cooperation the distribution of income as to make any essential
it was socialism. My own training in this thought change in the present c apitalist system. On the
came from my travel . My two years sojourn in . other hand I was astonished and encouraged by what
Germany at the end of the 19th ' century . I s aw the I saw socialism doing . Not only did I see the re-
rise of the social democratic party ;:..~ r epeated sults of socialized medicine in England and progress
visits to England and .France in the first decade in housing, . health and worker ' S pensions in Sweden,
in this second century . My vi~its to the Soviet Holland, Bel gium and France but in the Soviet Union,
Union i n 1926 , 1936 and 1949 . Th~ as a peculiar and East Germany I :saw a change of attitude t oward
aftermath of the two world wars and my advoc acy of the masses of people . Not as the wards and
peace my travel abroad was stopped. from 1950 to beneficiaries of the rulers of .t he nation but as the
1958 . In 1958 I was able to make a trip covering main body which itself. owne4 the nation and for
11 months in which I visited Western Europe, Eastern whiCh the nation ex isted and as the,reservior out
Europe including the Soviet Union and the Republic of which were being recruited those people who were
of China . This trip completely transformed my making civilization . In China it seemed to me that
thinki ng . I sta~ted on it believing that social- the process was going even further. And that human -
ism was a possible form of gove rnment, an economic nature was being so changed that instead of self
organization and was being carried on successfully seeking and class hatred which so characterized
in Easte~n Eur9pe . That .capitalism was also a the west that there was coming a sense of partner-
form of organization and while it might degenerate ship in a vast and .growing nation of willing coop-
into facism and the rule of wealth, neve.rtheless eration and of a wide spread content and happiness
it could, as have been proven by Franklin Roosevelt, which I had not seen elsewhere in the world. All
become a progressive organiz ation . I returned with this was my deep and firm impression . I c annot
completely changed ideas . I saw soc ialism as the prove it particularly not to you who have been
most successful form of government today possible poisioned by lies and distortions for ten years .
in 'the Soviet Union and in the Chinese republic . After all I saw these countries only partially
I saw it evolving into Communism to an astonishing and for brief visits yet I am a traveler of some
successful degree . On the other hand I was fright- experience and I know personally the trials of
ened and I am still alarmed at the degeneracy of the poor and despised . I was given unusual
9Pportunity for observation and thus my con- for war and facing this necessity of war prep-
clusions are of some value. I saw a spread of aration on dislike and distrust and contempt for
socialism and communism . Today more than half most of the human beings who inhabit the world.
the people of the world live under a socialism We have no peace movement in the United States
which i s growing toward communism . In my mind that deserves the name. We have almost no men of
there is no doubt but that the world of the 21st intelligence and prestige who dare speak up for
century will be overwhelmingly communistic . peace . Coward and silent we face immeasurable
catastrophe and the first duty of Americans iS,to
realize this fact . To illustrate what I'm try1ng
to say let me remind you of certain occurences in

2
, 8
recent times . On October 27, 1951, 21 years ago,
Colliers Magazine , a flamboyant pictorial with a
circulation claimed to be a million and a half,
published a number in which the leaders of American
Side II Science and literature made contributions . At a
time when few socialists in the United States
Returning now to the United States I look again dared open their mouths and many were in jail, when
upon the scene . The legal fight led by the NAACP economics and social science were being taught in
has been an astonishing success but its very success institutions like this with the utmost caution, and
shows the limitations of law and law enforcement . when I was being handcuffed for advocating peace
Unless this program has an economic foundation , with the Soviet Union this extrordinary magazine was
unless a mass of Negro people have not simply on every newsstand and on radio and television . It
legal rights but have such rights to work and wage predicted and described in one hundred and thirty
that enable them to live decently. Here in the pages the aggressive war of the United States
United States we have had a stirring of the Negro against the Soviet Union and the editors and con-
population which emphasizes these facts . In the tributors said that this year, 1960 would see the
slave South Negroes impoverished and mistreated utter destruction of communism the world over and
have sought remedy by pouring into the cities of the victorious American troops walking in the
the South and especially into the great cities streets of Moscow . Who wrote these words and made
of the North. They caused problems of housing and these profecies . The editors say and I quote this
of crime of poverty and disease. It spells the historical report was written by the west 's top
dammnation of youth and death of children and de- historians political, economic and military experts
gragation of women. Through this the Americ an commentators and artists among them were Alan Nevins,
Negro is passing . It emphasizes our national described as one of the foremost American historians .
problem of gambling and prostitution and drug Stewart Chase, Edwin R. Murrow, Rob:rt Sherwood,
using and murder and suicide. On the other hand J.B. Priestly and Margaret Chase Sm1th. Senator
the Negroes who have grown in intelligence and Smith wrote on America's on Russia's rebirth which
awareness of their handicaps have begun to fight she pictured as being accomplished by American
back by the use of the boycott and the pass of soldiers presumably like those then raping Korean
resistance. The experience in Montgomery, the women and burning children alive in Korea and
extrordinary uprising of students allover the dripping disease germs on China . For mys:lf I
South and beginning in the North shows an aware- knew these writers were wrong. I'd been 1n the
ness of our situation which is most encouraging. Soviet Union. In 1926 and in 1936. In 1949 25
But it still does not reach the center of the Americans were invited to attend a Soviet peace
problem. And that center is not simply the congress with expenses paid . I was the only one
right of Americans to spend their money as they who accepted. I addressed a cross- section of
wish and according to law but the chance for that great nation. I did not and I would have
American Negroes to have money to spend because been justified in doing devote this opportunity to
of employment by which they can make a decent describing the plight of my people . On the con-
wage. What then is the next step? It is for trary . I contended that I was speaking for those
American Negroes in increasing numbers and more Americans who did want war and that they were a
and more widely to insist upon the legal rights majority of the nation . No one visiting the
which are already theirs and then to add to that Soviet Union at that time could for a moment
increasingly a socialistic form of government an doubt its peaceful intentions. The reply to my
insistence upon the welfare state which denies thesis was this extrordinary article which broke
the further carrying out of industry for the all rules of international decency, told lies
profit of those corporations which monopolize and spread information and yet was received with
weal th and power. The stopping of a government of applause in most quarters, and an unforgivable ,
wealth for wealth and for wealth and the return- silence in others. The year 1960 has come and 1S
ing of governmental power to the individual voter over 1/3 gone . What has happened? Colliers
with all the freedom of action that can be pre- Magazine is dead. Its wanted million and a half
served along with an industry carefully organized
for the good of the masses of people and not for readers have ceased to subscribe because the re-
the manufacture of millionaires. Does capital- duced prices which they charged for Colliers and
ism offer such a program? It does not. It offers a dozen other flashy periodicals which are thrust
war. We have gone insane with the idea that the down our throats are not needed by the publishers.
world is going to be ruled by physical force. Saved as bait to advertisers who pay millions to
More than any other nation on earth or in time we make you buy their goods. The day will come I
are spending fantastic sums of money to prepare suspect when Life and Look will pay their sub-
scribers to allow the use of their names. Amer-
ican troops are not in Moscow and are not planning about socialism from being told . They have no
to be there . But the President of the United right to prevent students from studying the re-
States is going and we hope on an errand of peace markable philosophy of Karl Marx . They have no
to which he has been graciously invited by the head right to prevent Americans from traveling in China
of the Soviet state in one of the greatest speeches especially Americans of eminence must stop the
of our day. On the other hand, there are signs in spreading of lies about the socialist world . A
this nation which should give us pause. There is few years ago I was invited to the Harvard Club
stealing, cheating, poisoining , gambling and killing of New York to hear a former President of Harvard
to a frightening degree. Our exports do not pay lecture on the socialist education in the Soviet
for our imports and we are settling the deficeit Union . I was to ac cept because no Harvard
by exporting four thousand million dollars of our club has ever admitted a Negro membership but it
hoard of gold in the past two years . Unemployment was my duty to go . Knowledge always costs some-
among our workers despite our desperate efforts to thing and this is the kind of currency I have
conceal the truth is far too high. Adulteration often had to pay in order to know . President
of food and overpricing of medicines have reached Conant former Commissioner of Germany, and largely
alarming heights and the cost of living is con- responsible for present conditions there, told
tinuously rising. Perhaps our most ~forgivable his audience that after two visits to the Soviet
deed today is our attitude toward China. His- Union he had been unable to learn on what basis
torically in America, Chinks have always rated of the examination Russian students were grad-
below wops and niggers. Negroes were lazy and uated from the high school into the University .
jolly and this infuriated the slave drivers. Now on his return to America he had learned the
But Chinese coolies worked like dumb driven truth . The Soviet party had refused to allow
cattle . They were valuable because they worked students to be examined in order to promote only
hard for almost nothing. Dliring the 19th century followers of the party. He had hardly got his
they were not only worked at home but were trans- mouth closed before Sputnik had crossed the
ported and drove overseas like slaves to work for heavens and the back of the moon had been photo-
white folk . When they showed signs of rebellion graphed proving beyond doubt the leadership of a
in China we began to steal their land and make communist state in modern science . The super-
them buy opium and we planned to distribute the iority of the Soviet Union in the education of
Chinese empire among the superior white nations . children became indispicable and her lead in
America willingly agreed so long as we got equal industry seemed soon inevitable . America must
entry through this open door . The christian let youth know. American students must dare to
world sent droves of missionaries to make Chinese study the Soviet Union and China as carefully as
submission quick and easy . Then just as we were they study Great Br itain and France . But especially
stretching our claws to. pluck the rich fruit of American Negroes must know what is going on in the
the white man ' s burden Sun- Yat- sen led the last world today and learn for themselves what this has
revolt. The Soviet Union helped him and Chiang to teach them in order that they may preserve their
Kai-shek came forward to assume leadership . Our culture , get rid of their poverty, ignorance and
way is clear . Despite the advice of our own disease and help America live up at least to a
General Stillwell we bribed Chiang to betray and shadow of its vain boast as the land of the free
murder the communists . We gave him money and and the home of the brave. Remember how Browning
arms. And yet with desperate determination once sang "Oh to be in England, and all that
China won its independence and drove the murder- April's there." Today in Wisconsin one hears the
ous traitor into the sea where he still squats winds of spring. But listen low and long the
on an island protected by our guns and money. wails we hear are not all spring their moans be-
We hate China . We propose never to forgive the neath the swish of whips the thongs of South Africa
Chinese . We count them outside humanity . We lashing civilization into niggers with drip of
charge them wi. th every crime we can invent . I blood and roar of guns and sob of mothers and
was on the borders of Tibet last year when babies . This is a part of the system which many
China saved the Tibetian slaves and we shed of you defend; Americans have 350 million dollars
crocodile tears . We have sympathy and money for invested in South Africa . Two and a half times as
the slave drivers who hold the Dalai Lama as much as they had ten years ago. This investment
prisoner. But for the prisoners in our own over- must make profit even as England ' s April does . For
crowded jails who rebel each day and cry in vain our profits the Blacks must work for what we offer .
for justice and mercy our only remedy is more jails . Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy l aden
This shows the increase in our religion . This chant Jew and Christian and I will give you hell .
shows why we tax Americans into crime, poverty and Take my yoke upon you or I will bash your Black
suicide . And spend ten times more for war than faces in. Listen to the winds, listen to the whale
for education, health and social security. Our of death and weep.
national debt for war is greater than possibly we
ever will or can pay . This nation tries to prove
its prosperity by balancing monopolized wealth of
the owners of great corporations against the poverty
of our lower third . What this is called for? Not
a compulsory rush into socialism . Many of us
believe and hope that socialism will and must come
to this land . We see no other way. But scores of
others do not believe this and that is that right .
They ~ave however no right to prevent the truth
@
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