John Beecher
Encyclopedia
John Beecher was an activist poet, writer and journalist who wrote about the Southern United States
during the Great Depression
and the American Civil Rights Movement. Beecher was extremely active in the American labor and Civil Rights movements. During the McCarthy
era, Beecher lost his teaching job for refusing to sign a state loyalty oath; seventeen years later the California Supreme Court overturned this law in 1967, and he was reinstated in 1977. Beecher's books include Report to the Stockholders, To Live and Die in Dixie, In Egypt Land, and a 1974 Macmillian edition of his collected poems.
on January 22, 1904. Beecher's family was descended from New England
abolitionists (including Harriet Beecher Stowe
, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
) and his father was a steel industry executive. In 1907, Beecher's father was transferred to Birmingham, Alabama
to work for the United States Steel Corporation; as a result of this, Beecher spent the rest of his childhood in the American South.
Beecher's family had intended their son to become an executive like his father. However, as a young man Beecher went to work in the steel mills as a teenager, having graduated from high school at age sixteen. The labor abuses he saw there caused him to become active in labor movement issues. He also wrote a few of the radical
activist poems he eventually became known for.
John Beecher's adult life suffered turbulence often. After leaving Harvard, Beecher went to teach at Alexander Meiklejohn
's Experimental College in Wisconsin, where he earned a master's degree in English, then he pursued graduate studies in sociology at the University of North Carolina, where he worked on Howard Washington Odum's voluminous study of the American South, Southern Regions of the United States, published in 1936. From 1934-1941, he worked with the United States government's Emergency Relief Administration in various states across the South. During World War II
, Beecher volunteered and served as a commissioned officer of the interracial crew of the troop transport Booker T. Washington
and wrote a book about these experiences, All Brave Sailors. After returning from the war, he was commissioned to write a history of populism in Minnesota; the product was published years later as Tomorrow is a Day.
During the McCarthy era, John Beecher was blacklisted after being fired from his teaching job at San Francisco State University
in 1950 for refusing to sign a Levering Loyalty Oath. During the 1950s, Beecher was a rancher and printer, producing privately printed editions and broadsides of his own poetry and a literary magazine called "Morning Star." He also taught at Arizona State University in the late 1950s.
Beecher spent the 1960s primarily as a journalist writing about social injustice, and also as a teacher, while enjoying the renewed prominence of his poetry. As a writer and journalist, he contributed to publications such as The Nation
, Ramparts
, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The New York Times
. In 1967, the California Supreme Court repealed the Levering Act (and in 1977, his firing was overturned and he was reappointed to his teaching position).
As of August 1979, Beecher taught full time at San Francisco State. He taught classes in Sociology, Writing, Humanities, and American Literature. [Los Angeles Times, The book Review. Sunday, August 26, 1979, including hand written notes by John Beecher]
John Beecher died of lung disease on 11 May, 1980.
and John Steinbeck
who chronicled the massive displacements of the Great Depression and the growth of the American labor movement, Beecher used his books and poetry to address basic human issues such as justice and equality. Unlike these other writers, however, Beecher also addressed racism
in his writing, a problem he felt was significant in the pre-Civil Rights Movement South.
Beecher's books of poetry include Phantom City, Report to the Stockholders & Other Poems, To Live and Die in Dixie, In Egypt Land, the 1968 compilation Hear the Wind Blow: Poems of Protest & Prophecy, and a 1974 Macmillan edition, Collected Poems. All are out of print, although a new collection of his poetry, One More River to Cross: The Selected Poetry of John Beecher, was published by NewSouth Books in 2003. In addition to books of poetry, he also published two books of nonfiction: All Brave Sailors, and Tomorrow is a Day, a study of populism in Minnesota.
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and the American Civil Rights Movement. Beecher was extremely active in the American labor and Civil Rights movements. During the McCarthy
McCarthy
McCarthy may refer to:* McCarthy * McCarthy, Alaska* McCarthy , an indie pop band* MacCarthy , a Bordeaux wine* McCarthy Tétrault, a Canadian law firm...
era, Beecher lost his teaching job for refusing to sign a state loyalty oath; seventeen years later the California Supreme Court overturned this law in 1967, and he was reinstated in 1977. Beecher's books include Report to the Stockholders, To Live and Die in Dixie, In Egypt Land, and a 1974 Macmillian edition of his collected poems.
Beecher's early years
John Henry Newman Beecher was born in New York CityNew 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...
on January 22, 1904. Beecher's family was descended from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
abolitionists (including Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom...
, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
) and his father was a steel industry executive. In 1907, Beecher's father was transferred to Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
to work for the United States Steel Corporation; as a result of this, Beecher spent the rest of his childhood in the American South.
Beecher's family had intended their son to become an executive like his father. However, as a young man Beecher went to work in the steel mills as a teenager, having graduated from high school at age sixteen. The labor abuses he saw there caused him to become active in labor movement issues. He also wrote a few of the 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...
activist poems he eventually became known for.
Beecher's later years
Beecher alternated college with working in the steel mills until 1925, when he was severely injured while building the Fairfield Sheet Mill near Birmingham. After recuperating, he entered Harvard Graduate School, then began working at a variety of jobs.John Beecher's adult life suffered turbulence often. After leaving Harvard, Beecher went to teach at Alexander Meiklejohn
Alexander Meiklejohn
Alexander Meiklejohn was a philosopher, university administrator, and free-speech advocate. He served as dean of Brown University and president of Amherst College.- Life and career:...
's Experimental College in Wisconsin, where he earned a master's degree in English, then he pursued graduate studies in sociology at the University of North Carolina, where he worked on Howard Washington Odum's voluminous study of the American South, Southern Regions of the United States, published in 1936. From 1934-1941, he worked with the United States government's Emergency Relief Administration in various states across the South. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Beecher volunteered and served as a commissioned officer of the interracial crew of the troop transport Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915...
and wrote a book about these experiences, All Brave Sailors. After returning from the war, he was commissioned to write a history of populism in Minnesota; the product was published years later as Tomorrow is a Day.
During the McCarthy era, John Beecher was blacklisted after being fired from his teaching job at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
in 1950 for refusing to sign a Levering Loyalty Oath. During the 1950s, Beecher was a rancher and printer, producing privately printed editions and broadsides of his own poetry and a literary magazine called "Morning Star." He also taught at Arizona State University in the late 1950s.
Beecher spent the 1960s primarily as a journalist writing about social injustice, and also as a teacher, while enjoying the renewed prominence of his poetry. As a writer and journalist, he contributed to publications such as The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Ramparts
Ramparts (magazine)
Ramparts was an American political and literary magazine, published from 1962 through 1975.-History:Founded by Edward M. Keating as a Catholic literary quarterly, the magazine became closely associated with the New Left after executive editor Warren Hinckle hired Robert Scheer as managing editor...
, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. In 1967, the California Supreme Court repealed the Levering Act (and in 1977, his firing was overturned and he was reappointed to his teaching position).
As of August 1979, Beecher taught full time at San Francisco State. He taught classes in Sociology, Writing, Humanities, and American Literature. [Los Angeles Times, The book Review. Sunday, August 26, 1979, including hand written notes by John Beecher]
John Beecher died of lung disease on 11 May, 1980.
Beecher's writings
Like writers such as Woody GuthrieWoody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
and John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
who chronicled the massive displacements of the Great Depression and the growth of the American labor movement, Beecher used his books and poetry to address basic human issues such as justice and equality. Unlike these other writers, however, Beecher also addressed racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
in his writing, a problem he felt was significant in the pre-Civil Rights Movement South.
Beecher's books of poetry include Phantom City, Report to the Stockholders & Other Poems, To Live and Die in Dixie, In Egypt Land, the 1968 compilation Hear the Wind Blow: Poems of Protest & Prophecy, and a 1974 Macmillan edition, Collected Poems. All are out of print, although a new collection of his poetry, One More River to Cross: The Selected Poetry of John Beecher, was published by NewSouth Books in 2003. In addition to books of poetry, he also published two books of nonfiction: All Brave Sailors, and Tomorrow is a Day, a study of populism in Minnesota.
External links
- John Beecher recordings at The Smithsonian
- An anthology of Beecher's poetry.
- Beecher webpage at Steven Ford Brown's website
- Modern American Poets Biography of Beecher
- The Irony of John Beecher
- John Beecher Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research CenterHarry Ransom Humanities Research CenterThe Harry Ransom Center is a library and archive at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the United States and Europe. The Ransom Center houses 36 million literary manuscripts, 1 million rare books, 5 million photographs, and more...
at the University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin... - The Life and Poetry of John Beecher by Foster Dickson
- Interviews with Beecher in Jack Rabin Civil Rights Collection at PSU