Socialism in the United States
During the Industrial Revolution, many Americans began to question the capitalist system of the United States. The disparity of wealth between the upper classes and the rest of society was astronomical, and caused many to lean towards socialism. Influenced by the writings of Karl Marx, American socialists proposed that “the government should own all industries and divide the profits among those who actually created the products” (“Eugene V. Debs and American Socialism”, 1). While many people stood to gain from these plans, opposition from the wealthy proved to be a huge obstacle.
Eugene V. Debs
Towards the end of the 19th century, Eugene Debs became a prominent leader for socialism in the United States. Influenced by Karl Marx, Debs believed that capitalism hurt the United States, and dismissed the labour movement as class conflict. After his official conversion to socialism in 1897, Debs founded the Socialist Party of America. He represented this party five times in the presidential race from 1900 to 1920, but was never elected.
In 1894 Debs led the Pullman Strike, one of the largest strikes in American history. The court declared the strike, a boycott of trains using Pullman cars, illegal. Chaos ensued, and President Cleveland sent troops to quiet the situation. Debs was arrested and sent to jail for six months. Eugene Deb’s time in jail convinced him of the country’s desperate need for a change. This jail sentence convinced him of the benefits of socialism, and he spearheaded the Socialist Party. During World War I he was arrested a second time for “antiwar activities”, but he ran for President from his jail cell nevertheless (“Eugene V. Debs and American Socialism”, 2). Debs never won an election, but under his supervision the Socialist Party sent over a thousand members to city and state governments. |
Jacob Coxey
Jacob Coxey was also a socialist leader in late 19th century America. He was officially a part of the People’s Party, a political party that was almost violently anti-elitist.
Born in Pennsylvania, Coxey moved to Ohio in his twenties and established a sand company. When the Panic of 1893 hit, Coxey was enraged at the government’s lack of action to help the American people during the economic crisis. He organized a protest march, which set out to march to Washington, DC. The group became known as “Coxey’s Army”, even though it only had around 500 men. When Coxey and his men arrived in DC, he demanded that the government hire jobless workers to assist on “public projects such as roads and government” (“Jacob S. Coxey, 2). President Cleveland refused, and Coxey was arrested for trespassing. After his release from jail, Coxey continued to fight for “the rights of the working class” in Ohio (“Jacob S. Coxey”, 2). Representing the People’s Party, he ran for Ohio governor, Congress, the Senate, and even for the Presidency of the United States. As the economy began to improve, the people had no use for Coxey’s socialist ideals, and he never won an election. |
Coxey's March on March 25th, 1894
Consequences of Socialism
The late 1800s hit the American working class hard. With the elite controlling almost all of the money, many Americans turned towards socialism as a worthy alternative. Their leaders, such as Eugene Debs and Jacob Coxey, organized strikes, attempting to gain the government’s attention. Unfortunately for them, socialism as a democratic ideal did not flourish in the United States, and was essentially dismissed as soon as the economic picked up.