The biography project is our attempt to shed a personal light on socialist history. Enjoy our attempts to document the lives of our heros, the past leaders of the socialist movement, by clicking here.

David Hacker, has writen an expansive thesis on our organization, the Social Democrats, USA, entitled Social Democrats, U.S.A.: Learning From Our Past and Revived Under New Leadership to Build for a Brighter Future for the United States of America and the World. We simply refer to it as the "Hacker Manifesto".

The following people are no longer officers or members of the Social Democrats USA--Socialist Party USA. They were not expelled or purged. They chose to stop paying dues, to associate themselves with a Marxist-Leninist organization that advocates violent overthrow of the United States government (the Communist Party of South Africa), refused to fulfill their duties of office, and created an organization (Social Democracy for the 21st Century) which does not allow dues paying members of the SD,USA-SP,USA to join. All this is in violation of the SD,USA-SP,USA Constitution. As these individuals continue to style themselves as officers of the SD,USA, it is important to point out that any monies they have collected or will collect in the future are not going to the operation of this organization. Finally, they continue to use the graphics created by Comrades Atlee Yarrow and Seamus Johnston despite repeated cease and desist requests. It has therefore been necessary for the Party to undertake legal action to correct the disassembles of these individuals. Should they again agree to abide by our democratically approved constitution, they may reapply for membership.

September 17, 2008

This is directed to anyone interested in the process by which we, the Committee to Revive the Social Democrats, USA-Socialist Party of America, endorse candidates for public office. We do not formally endorse candidates nationally. We have made no filings with the Federal Election Committee or the Secretary of State of any state other than the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We have voted to allow local parties to endorse candidates for local public office and to allow them, if they choose, to use a Social Democratic Party or Socialist Party ballot line. We currently have no provision for formally endorsing the candidacies of any minor political party.

Our endorsement of the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama is aimed solely at our own members and supporters. We hope that our members can work locally to support the Obama campaign by filling in the gaps that the Democratic Party is leaving open. Obama's platform calls for re-industrialization but is vague as to specifics. In coalition with trade unions and community groups we hope to draft local plans on re-industrialization and publicize them through the League for Industrial Democracy.

We have no recognized Political Action Committee and we therefore cannot raise or distribute funds to candidates for office at any level. We hope to change this by January 1 and begin a Socialist Party of America fund raising effort to back candidates for local offices that are winnable. That does not mean we demand that a candidate be a shoe-in, but we do not wish to be constant also-rans. It is extremely unlikely that we will be formally endorsing candidates for federal office in the near future. Obviously, members have the right to campaign for any office they choose, but please do not endanger our tax status by claiming an endorsement that you do not have.

If you wish to form a Social Democratic or Socialist Party of a state or region and afaffiliateith our national electoral arm, the Socialist Party of America, that can be discussed and voted on in a case by case basis. At present, only the Social Democratic Party of Pennsylvania has sought and received such affiliation.

Social Democratic Party was originally founded June 11, 1898 as a direct political offshoot of the communalist Social Democracy of America (Labor Day Message of 1897 by Eugene Victor Debs). After a merger with the Socialist Party of America (1901) the party remained essentially the same although the named varied a few times, until 1972. There was a division within the party at that time and it was renamed Social Democrats, USA. Two factions separated from Social Democrats USA, forming the Debs Caucus - later to become the Socialist Party, USA and the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee which became the Democratic Socialists of America.

Our current membership is composed the Fist & Rose, Social Democrats USA, Democratic Socialist of America, Greens, Labor supporters, Christian Social, and Christian Democrats. Members were compelled to reform the original organization by a conviction that America was in need of an effective center-left party being active in winnable elections at the local and state levels first. National level campaigns are ineffectively wasteful until there is a greater public trust. Also that we engaged in the global socialist movement with like organizations throughout the world vis-a-vis the Socialist International.

The Fist & Rose Tendency of the Socialist Party USA was started to maintain relations with the parties of the Socialist International. The Fist & Rose soon outgrew the party and began to include members of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Social Democrats USA plus those who had never been members of a socialist group. We began a project to build a nationwide - bottom up - a consolidated open solidarity style party beginning with our namesake Socialist Party of America (the original name from the party of Eugene Debs, Mother Jones, Norman Thomas, Michael Harrington, A. Philip Randolph, Frank Zeidler, and Bayard Rustin to name a few). The Social Democratic Party of Pennsylvania affiliated with the Social Democrats, USA. At present, SDPPA is the only state-level affiliate, though other states are in the process of organizing new affiliates to the Social Democratic Party of America, which continue the work of solidarity with the Social Democrats, USA, Socialist Party of America, and Fist & Rose as the standardbearers for freedom, democracy and, economic justice.

For more information read:

• Fist & Rose Manifesto

Click here to visit the complete archive of our website prior to the 2007 refoundation. This provides a excelent rewind on history, as many of the old articles, plus Notes On-line, are still there.

• 1828: Working Men's Party (link) is founded in Philadelphia. This group supported a limited work day, public education, and its members were active in forming numerous early trade unions. The Party organ, The Worker's Advocate, published George Evan's "Workingman's Declaration of Independence", asserting the rights of workers in a fashion based on Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. Despite new sections forming in numerous American cities, the Party survived only two years.
• 1876: The Working Men's Party of the United States (link) is founded in Philadelphia. The group used the name of the earlier trade union party founded in Philidelphia in 1828. After two years, the Party changed its name to the Socialist Labor Party.
• 1886: The Socialist Labor Party, at this point influenced by anarchist theory, took part in the Knight's of Labor strike for an eight hour day. Its members were present in Chicago's Haymarket Square at the time of the bombing (link), which was blamed on trade union and anarchist leaders.
• 1889: Second Workingman's International declares May 1st to be International Worker's Day, in commemoration of the Haymarket Affair of 1886 in Chicago, IL and subsequent prosecution of labor and anarchist leaders. Though the events memorialized occur in the United States, this country is one of the few nations not to celebrate May 1st as Labor Day.
• 1897: Eugene Debs (link) founds the Social Democracy of America out of the ruins of his American Railway Union, an organization smashed by the government. This group concentrates on forming model communities in Western states. Appeal to Reason, edited by Julius Weyland, begins publishing in Girard, Kansas. By 1917, circulation will grow to seven hundred and sixty thousand weekly. Upton Sinclair's book, The Jungle, is first serialized in the Appeal to Reason, which at the time has the largest circulation of any socialist publication in the world.
• 1898-1901: Victor Berger (link) founds the Social Democratic Party (link) as a split from the non-political Social Democracy of America. At foundation, it has a membership of 10,000, with two members elected to the New York state courts.
  • 1900: Eugene Debs becomes leader of the Social Democratic Party and its Presidential candidate.
  • 1901: A merger on July 29 between the Social Democratic Party and Morris Hillquit's (link) "Kangaroo Faction" of the Socialist Labor Party (link) creates the Socialist Party of America.
• 1901-1914: Membership of the Socialist Party of America rises to 118,000 in 1912. In the ensuing years, the Party elects numerous members to public office. In 1912, 56 Party members serve as mayors and more than 300 Party members as aldermen or city council members. Several Party members are elected to various state legislatures. Two Party members are elected to the U.S. House of Representatives: Victor Berger, elected 1910; Meyer London (link), elected 1914.
  • 1905: Intercollegiate Socialist Society is founded by Jack London, Upton Sinclair, Clarence Darrow, and Norman Thomas (link). Eugene Debs, Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, "Big Bill" Haywood of the Socialist Party of America, join with Daniel De Leon of the Socialist Labor Party and members of 43 worker's organizations opposed to the "pure and simple" union of the America Federation of Labor to form the Industrial Worker's of the World (link).
  • 1908: The Industrial Worker's of the World pass a resolution condemning political activity and calling on worker's to engage in direct action, i.e. strikes, boycotts, and industrial sabotage. Debs and De Leon leave the Industrial Worker's of the World.
  • 1909: Socialist Party of America begins the tradition of celebrating Women's Day on February 28th. The date is later changed to March 8th and becomes International Women's Day (link) when it is proclaimed as such by the Women's Section of the Second Workingmen's International.
  • 1911: "Big Bill" Haywood is expelled from the National Committee of the Socialist Party of America for condemning the Party's reliance on elections as opposed to direct action. Haywood and thirty thousand like-minded comrades leave the Party.
• 1917: There is a majority opposition to American entry into World War I within the Socialist Party of America, although certain members support it. Pro-war socialists form National Party (link). The Russian Revolution encourages the left wing of the Party to demand a more militant program. In this year, Congress passes the Espionage Act which criminalizes opposition to America's entry into the World War I.
• 1918: Eugene Debs delivers his famous Canton, Ohio speech condemning America's involvement in World War I.
• 1919: Despite the end of World War I, Eugene Debs is sentenced to ten years in a federal penitentiary for supporting draft resistance in his "Canton Speech". The US Supreme Court upholds the conviction in Debs v. US. (1919). In a companion case, Schenck v. U.S. (1919), Charles T. Schenck, the Secretary of the Socialist Party of America, is arrested and imprisoned for mailing leaflets asking people to oppose the draft. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the conviction, with Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes writing in the majority opinion that "freedom of speech is not the freedom to falsely shout fire in a crowded theatre and cause a panic". Debs and Schenck were denied their First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
• 1919: The National Committee of the Socialist Party of America, in an effort to maintain the democratic socialist nature of the Party, expels most of the Party's foreign language federations and several state and local parties, which had become self-styled Bolshevik organizations. Between May and July, about two thirds of the membership of the Party is expelled. After a failed attempt by the "Left Wing" to retake the Party, John Reed breaks with the Socialist Party of America to form the Communist Labor Party and Louis Farina leaves the Party to form the Communist Party of America. These Parties are bitter rivals but eventually merge on the orders of the Moscow-based Comintern.
• 1919:Victor Berger is denied his Congressional seat because of his anti-war activism convictions, despite being twice elected by his constituency in this year. Five New York state Socialist Assemblymen are also denied their seats for apposing America's entry into World War I.
• 1920: Despite being incarcerated for opposing American involvement in the First World War, Eugene Debs receives nearly 1 million votes for President of the United States.
• 1921: Intercollegiate Socialist Society changes its name to League for Industrial Democracy. Norman Thomas becomes first National Secretary.
• 1918-1924: Minnesota elements of Social Democrats work with Minnesota Farm-Labor Party (link) before their merger with the Democratic Party as a Caucus (link).
• 1920-1950: Socialist Party of Pennsylvania creates a political dynasty in Reading, PA.
  • 1920's-1930's: Norman Thomas becomes leader of the Socialist Party of America. Faction infighting causes major differences within the Socialist Party of America. Three major factions emerge: the Old Guard, with leadership mostly from PA, NY, CT, the Militants, who follow a Marxist doctrine, and the Progressives--young, radical non-Marxists who dislike the Soviet Union for its denial of civil liberties.
    • 1922: Victor Berger wins re-election to the U.S. Congress, after have suffering defeat in 1920.
    • 1924: Socialist Party endorses Republican Senator Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette, the candidate of the Progressive Party. La Follette gathers three million votes.
    • 1926: Eugene Debs dies.
    • 1932: During the Socialist Party of America national convention in Milwaukee groups clash over Morris Hillquit as national chairman and two resolutions concerning the Soviet Union. Norman Thomas nearly matches the 1920 Eugene Debs' vote count as Socialist Party Presidential candidate.
    • 1934: The different factions once again clash at the Socialist Party of America's national convention in Detroit while drafting a Declaration of Principles. Southern Tenant Farmers Union (link) is founded.
    • 1936: The Worker's Party enters the Socialist Party of America as part of the "French Turn" strategy, whereby Trotskyists enter Social Democratic Parties in an effort to recruit for "Revolutionary Socialism". The Old Guard leaves the Socialist Party of America at the close of its national convention in Cleveland to become the Social Democratic Federation. The Socialist Party of America remains divided into three ever more smaller factions:
      Moderates, under the leadership of Jack Altman and Paul Porter, support the American Labor Party.
      Clarity is named for the periodical Socialist Clarity. Its leaders are Frank Trager, Gus Tyler, Max Delson, and Herbert Zam.
      Appeal members are followers of Leon Trotsky and form a revolutionary Trotskyist grouping named for its periodical the Socialist Appeal.
    • 1937: The Trotskyists are expelled from the Socialist Party of America by its National Committee for uncomradely behavior. Most of the Young Peoples' Socialist League leave the Party and enter the new Trotskyist Socialist Worker's Party at this time.
  • 1940-1949: One of the groups expelled from the Socialist Party of America forms the American Worker's Party, later to be renamed Independent Socialist League.
  • 1941: Union for Democratic Action is founded by Socialist Party member Rev. Reinhold Niebuhr and others in reaction to the isolationism of both the Communist and Socialist Parties.
  • 1944-1956: New York Social Democratic Federation works first with the American Labor Party and then within the Liberal Party of New York state (link).
  • 1947: Two hundred activists, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Hubert Humphrey, and Reinhold Niebuhr, meet to form Americans for Democratic Action, "an anti-Communist liberal organization". Americans for Democratic Action champion the reforms of the New Deal, while supporting American interventionism against emerging Communist insurgencies. Many of the leaders of the Socialist Clarity faction of the Socialist Party of America become prominent in Americans for Democratic Action.
  • 1948: Frank Zeidler (link) is elected Socialist mayor of Milwaukee Wisconsin. He holds the post until 1960.
• 1956: There is a reunification of the Socialist Party of America and most of the Social Democratic Federation. This creates the Socialist Party-Social Democratic Federation. The Socialist Party runs Darlington Hoopes (link) for President as its last Presidential candidate.
• 1958: Max Shachtman's Independent Socialist League enters the Socialist Party of America. Shachtman (link), a third camp socialist, had been a confidant and the literary executor of Leon Trotsky. Third camp socialists (link) held that the new class, which ran the Soviet Union's economy, was at least as dangerous to workers as the capitalists of the West. Although remaininghis literary executor, Shachtman later broke with Trotsky, disagreeing over the nature of the Soviet Union. The Independent Socialist League's youth affiliate, the Young Socialist League, is chaired by Michael Harrington (link).
• 1960's-1970's: Socialist Party-Social Democratic Federation is very active in the black civil rights struggle. Party members participate in "Freedom Rides", Voter Summer, and the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee.
  • 1960: The nearly moribund Student League of Industrial Democracy changes its name to Students for a Democratic Society as part of a move to re-energize the group. The Student League for Industrial Democracy had opposed American involvement in the Korean War. This and other issues had led to disaffection between the Student League and its parent organization. Many leaders of the Socialist Party-Social Democratic Federation, including Norman Thomas, are happy to see the old organization reorganized with new leaders as it had become a focus for inter-party strife. Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee is formed. Many of the organizers, like Stokely Carmichael, are members of the Young People's Socialist League.
  • 1962: Students for a Democratic Society (link) hold their Port Huron conference. The conference is paid for by a grant from the League for Industrial Democracy (link), a fund closely allied with the Socialist Party. Michael Harrington, Irving Howe, and other leaders of the Socialist Party condemn the conference and the "Port Huron Statement" written by Tom Hayden, the group's chairman, as insufficiently tough on totalitarianism, particularly Soviet communism. Michael Harrington, Harry Fleishman, and others leave the conference in protest. Kahn, Horowitz,and Donald Slaiman attempt to act as peacemakers. Oddly, the peacemakers will later come to at least tacitly support the war in Vietnam, while those who departed in protest will come to oppose it.
  • 1963: The "March on Washington for Jobs and Justice" is held. Socialist Party of America member A. Philp Randolph (link), a long time socialist, is march chairman. Rachelle Horowitz and Tom Kahn (link), members of the Young Peoples' Socialist League (link) and friends of Bayard Rustin (link), who is the chief organizer of the march, write many of the speeches delivered at the Lincoln Memorial Rally.
  • 1964: The Socialist Party-Social Democratic Federation (link) formally changes its name to the Socialist Party, USA. The Young People's Socialist League is dissolved.
  • 1964: A split occurs in the Socialist Party, USA when Hal Draper (link) of Berkeley, CA forms the Independent Socialist Club (link) which later helps to form the International Socialists.
  • 1965: Students for a Democratic Society and the League for Industrial Democracy sever ties.
  • 1967: The Young People's Socialist League is reformed. Many members of the Young Peoples' Socialist League who are close to Max Shachtman find jobs in Organized Labor and with "Cold War Liberal" political figures like Senators Henry Jackson and Daniel Moynihan.
  • 1968-1972: Michael Harrington becomes chair of the Socialist Party, USA.
    • 1968: The "Debs Caucus" is formed within the Socialist Party, USA. Members oppose American involvement in Vietnam and plan to run third-party candidates, calling for the formation of a third political party.
    • 1969: Students for a Democratic Society, which is now the leading anti-war group in the United States and claims 100,000 members, holds its national convention in Chicago. The convention, and Students for Democratic Society as a whole, fractures due to faction fighting between rival groups of Maoist revolutionaries. Several of the groups claim to be the 'real SDS'. None of the splinter organizations have either an national base or any serious political impact. There is a short-lived Movement for a Democratic Society formed to accommodate radicals beyond campus age.
    • 1972: In April, the Socialist Party, USA holds a "unity" convention, at which, the Democratic Socialist Federation, a small remnant of the Social Democratic Federation, rejoins the Party to form the Socialist Party, USA-Democratic Socialist Federation. Michael Harrington is elected one of three co-chairs along with civil-rights activist, Bayard Rustin, and Jewish Verbund leader, Charles Zimmerman. Harrington resigns chairmanship. In December, a majority of the Party, the "Unity Caucus", votes to change the name to Social Democrats, USA. Despite being assured seats on the Social Democrats, USA National committee, Harrington's "Coalition Caucus" and Zeidler's "Debs Caucus" leave the Party. In part, the name change to Social Democrats, USA is motivated by an effort to demonstrate that the group is now an interest group in the Democratic Party, rather than a separate political party. The Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee also works within the Democratic Party.
  • 1973: The "Debs Caucus" joins with the Union for Democratic Socialism to reconstitute the Socialist Party, USA. The Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee is formed under the leadership of Michael Harrington. Bayard Rustin becomes chair of the Social Democrats, USA after Socialist Party has a three way split over issues regarding Vietnam War. Social Democrats, USA favor negotiated withdrawal. The Coalition Caucus, now the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, and the "Debs Caucus", now the "reconstituted" Socialist Party, USA, favor an immediate pull out of American troops.
  • 1974: The Socialist Party, USA changes its name to its current title, Socialist Party of the United States of America (link).
  • 1976: The Socialist Party of the United States of America runs Frank Zeidler for President.
  • 1978: The Socialist Party of Greater Philadelphia is founded. It publishes a newsletter entitled The Red City News.
• 1980: Several prominent members of the Social Democrats, USA, including Carl Gershman, resign to take jobs in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. The Socialist Party of the United States of America becomes the first party to run an openly gay person for President when it nominates David McReyonlds (link).
• 1982: The Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee merges with the New American Movement, a socialist group that emerged from the New Left, to form the Democratic Socialists of America. To date, three members of the Democratic Socialists of America (link) have served in the U.S. Congress: Ronald Dellums, Major Owens, and Jerry Nadler. Democratic Socialists of America member, David Dinkins, is elected mayor of New York city. John Sweeney, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, becomes president of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organization.
• 1983-2002: Norman (link) and Velma Hill, David Jessup, Penn (link) and Eugenia Kemble, and Joel and Rita Freedman lead Social Democrats, USA.
  • 1988: The Socialist Party of Greater Philadelphia expands to become the Socialist Party of Pennsylvania. Its publication, The Red City News, becomes The Keystone Socialist, later The Red Penn. The publications editor, Donald F. Busky, places ads in the classified sections of numerous left wing periodicals attracting many new members to the Socialist Party of the United States of America.
  • 2003-2006: Michael C. Marino, action chair of the Socialist Party of Oregon, begins negotiations with the Chicago Socialist Party to found a bottom-up socialist grouping. The negotiators use the working title "Socialist Party of America" (link). Negotiators will eventually include members of the Socialist Party of North Carolina and the Social Democratic Party of Pennsylvania. Only the later joins the Socialist Party of America as a state affiliate.
    • 2005: Melvin Little founds Fist and Rose Tendency (link) within the Socialist Party of the United States of America in response to an edict from the Party's National Committee that orients the Party's foreign policy work towards smaller left wing parties and away from the parties of the Socialist International. The Fist and Rose Tendency issues a manifesto (link).
    • 2006: On Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday, a coalition announces that Students for a Democratic Society and Movement for a Democratic Society are being reformed. The coalition includes many members of the Direct Action Tendency of the Socialist Party of the United States of America, especially Tom Good, and numerous activists ranging from original officers of the Students for a Democratic Society, including Allen Haber, the group's first president, and Tom Hayden, the author of the "Port Huron Statement", to many current campus activists. Jeff Brindle founds the Social Democratic Party of Pennsylvania. The Social Democratic Party of Pennsylvania affiliates with the Social Democrats, USA in order to advance efforts to rebuild the Socialist Party Of America. Representative Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic Socialist, is elected Senator from Vermont. While Sanders is not a member of any socialist organization, he was assisted in his election bid by members of the Democratic Socialist of America and some members of the Socialist Party of the United States of America. While the Socialist Party of the United States of America formally endorsed the candidate of the Vermont Liberty Union Party in the general election, members across the country raised money for Sander's campaign.
  • 2007: The Socialist Party of the United States of America files for trademark protection for its name. The organization using the working title Social Democratic Party of America/Social Democrats USA/Socialist Party of America lays claim to the intellectual property of the Social Democrats, USA including the names Socialist Party of America, League for Industrial Democracy, Young Social Democrats, Young People's Socialist League, Inc., and to the legacy of Debs, Jones, Thomas, Sinclair, Randolph, Harrington, Hoopes, Zeidler, and Rustin. Gabriel Ross is elected acting General Secretary of the Social Democratic Party of America. The Party currently has one elected official: assessor, Richland Township, PA.
  • 2008: Young Social Democrats is reconstituted under the leadership of acting Youth Secretary, Jaime Johnston. Plans are laid with Social Democrats, USA / Social Democratic Party of America for a joint re-foundation convention in Philadelphia for the last weekend in June. A committee to revive the efforts of the League for Industrial Democracy is formed. Donald F. Busky resumes editorship of the Red Penn.
  • 2009: The SDUSA--SPUSA mourns the loss of our dear comrades Donald Busky and Rob Tucker.
  • 2010- : Your name?

For more detailed information on the American Left, see Dr. Donald F. Busky's "Democratic Socialism: A Global Survey" (excerpt) and the resources found at Early American Marxism. For those interested in the history of American socialism, please consider joining the SPHistory list at Yahoo!Groups. Also well worth looking at is Stuart Elliot's blog, the New Appeal to Reason.

† Please note there are no candidates for Federal level offices. In theory, "A safe and secure family home of quality cannot be built without a solid foundation." Social Democrats have learned that direct democracy works best for socialism from the ground up approach. Some local elections; a party name is not associated with the candidates as they are considered non-partisan in nature. Any top down socialism is viewed as a malformation leading to dictatorship and cannot be tolerated such as the case in 1972 during the Vietnam War party split.

The Social Democrats USA reserves all Rights to its seat with the Socialist International. Our organization is undergoing reorganization in association with new membership and the last remaining SD, USA Local of PA which in the past held observer membership status.

Our ideologies are in agreement with those of our international center-left neighbors: freedom, justice, and solidarity. Our work is towards a world without poverty, where everyone has the right for the decent living conditions, where decisions follow that of personal responsibility, social responsibility, and ecological balance respecting the world as a whole. Our organzation emphasizes the importance of a well-regulated and reformed market system respecting all and accompanied by welfare policies. Our fight against under-employment, unemployment as well as under-insured or uninsured has a high priority. Similarly, a strong and efficient public sector needs to carry on in delivering services i.e. free education beyond the normal 12 years to include college, health care, public transportation, et cetera.