James S. Allen
Encyclopedia
James S. Allen was a Marxist Scholar, writer
, community organizer, and an editor
for the Communist Party
, USA
.
at the University of Pennsylvania
, traveled in 1927 with the first American student delegation to the Soviet Union
.
, and edited the Labor Defender.
James S. Allen, by which he became known, and founded and edited the Southern Worker, the first Communist weekly published in the South, which was circulated on an underground basis.
As a member of the Party's Southern District committee, Allen played a prominent role in all of the CPUSA's major regional activities during the early 1930s; the organizing of Alabama
sharecroppers, the Harlan, Kentucky
miners' strike and the Scottsboro case.
, 1987), reflect his political concerns and southern experiences.
He was drafted into the Army in 1944.
years, he served as foreign editor of the Sunday Worker and was compelled to appear as a witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee
and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
He authored the initial drafts of the program, which was not published until 1970, and corresponded with prominent communists including Herbert Aptheker
, William Z. Foster
, John Howard Lawson
, Pettis Perry and Al Richmond.
From 1962 to 1972 Allen headed International Publishers
, the CPUSA publishing house.
He served as U.S. editor of the Collected Works of Marx and Engels, a joint undertaking with English and Soviet publishers, corresponding with the British Marxist philosopher Maurice Cornforth
.
Allen also wrote several polemical books and pamphlets, including Atomic Energy and Society (1949), For which Albert Einstein
sent him a signed letter.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, community organizer, and an editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
for the Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early Life and Career
He was born Sol Auerbach in Philadelphia in 1906. He was a doctoral candidate in philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, traveled in 1927 with the first American student delegation to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Joined CPUSA
Expelled from college 1928 for radical activities. He joined the Communist Party and began writing for the Daily WorkerDaily Worker
The Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, some attempts were made to make it appear that the paper reflected a...
, and edited the Labor Defender.
Pen Name
In 1930, he took the pen namePen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
James S. Allen, by which he became known, and founded and edited the Southern Worker, the first Communist weekly published in the South, which was circulated on an underground basis.
As a member of the Party's Southern District committee, Allen played a prominent role in all of the CPUSA's major regional activities during the early 1930s; the organizing of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
sharecroppers, the Harlan, Kentucky
Harlan, Kentucky
Harlan is a city in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,081 at the 2000 census and was estimated at 1,880 in 2007. It is the county seat of Harlan County.-History:...
miners' strike and the Scottsboro case.
Seminal Works
Three books by Allen, The Negro Question in the United States (1936), Reconstruction: The Battle for Democracy (1937), and American Communism and Black Americans (with Philip FonerPhilip Foner
Philip S. Foner was an American Marxist labor historian and teacher. The author and editor of more than 100 books, the prolific Foner wrote extensively on what were at the time academically unpopular themes, such as the role of radicals, blacks, and women in American history...
, 1987), reflect his political concerns and southern experiences.
He was drafted into the Army in 1944.
Cold War
During the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
years, he served as foreign editor of the Sunday Worker and was compelled to appear as a witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
Later Years
From 1958-1966, Allen was the secretary of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA)'s National Program Committee, which was charged with developing a new program for the CPUSA.He authored the initial drafts of the program, which was not published until 1970, and corresponded with prominent communists including Herbert Aptheker
Herbert Aptheker
Herbert Aptheker was an American Marxist historian and political activist. He authored over 50 volumes, mostly in the fields of African American history and general U.S. history, most notably, American Negro Slave Revolts , a classic in the field, and the 7-volume Documentary History of the Negro...
, William Z. Foster
William Z. Foster
William Foster was a radical American labor organizer and Marxist politician, whose career included a lengthy stint as General Secretary of the Communist Party USA...
, John Howard Lawson
John Howard Lawson
John Howard Lawson was an American writer. He was head of the Hollywood division of the Communist Party USA. He was also the cell's cultural manager, and answered directly to V.J. Jerome, the Party's New York-based cultural chief...
, Pettis Perry and Al Richmond.
From 1962 to 1972 Allen headed International Publishers
International Publishers
International Publishers is a book publishing company based in New York City specializing in Marxist works of economics, political science, and history. The company was established in 1924 by A.A. Heller and Alexander Trachtenberg, using funds earned through a lucrative trade concession granted...
, the CPUSA publishing house.
He served as U.S. editor of the Collected Works of Marx and Engels, a joint undertaking with English and Soviet publishers, corresponding with the British Marxist philosopher Maurice Cornforth
Maurice Cornforth
Maurice Campbell Cornforth was a British Marxist philosopher. When he began his career in philosophy in the early 1930s, he was a follower of Wittgenstein, writing in the then current style of analytic philosophy...
.
Allen also wrote several polemical books and pamphlets, including Atomic Energy and Society (1949), For which Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
sent him a signed letter.
Initial draft articles and substantial contributions to programmes
- Communist Party of the United States of America, New program of the Communist Party, U. S.A.; a draft (New York, Political Affairs Publishers, 1966), 127 p.
- Communist Party of the United States of America, New program of the Communist Party U.S.A. (New York, New Outlook Publishers, 1970), 128 p.