Andruss Library Special Collections

From the Great Depression to the early stages of the Cold War, small groups of discontented Americans fumed about the current political system. Outside of the mainstream of American politics, away from the worn paths of familiar parties, these groups struggled to present a picture of what a better United States would look like. For some, like Raymond Healey of the American Bulletin in the early 1930s, this vision entailed a racially pure nation, organized under a Nazi regime. Others lauded the "worker's paradise," the Soviet Union, and sought the establishment of a socialist America. Counterattack, however, railed against this left-wing threat, boldly promoting awareness of the communistic threat and demanding strict measures needed to defend the American way. Libertarian socialists denounced all, declaring the need for a truly socialist "third camp," opposed to the perceived imperialism of both the United States and the Soviet Union.

Obviously, a quick look reveals that extreme political groups were anything but uniform in their ideology. From the Negro Labor News Service to the Socialist Youth Review, widely differing critiques of the American political and economic structure elucidated the underlying currents of discontent, even during the years of American prosperity. Their usefulness in understanding the history of America is important, offering a defiantly negative evaluation of the capitalistic and democratic majority.

Any marks on the newsletters are those of the original owners of the documents.