Pete Seeger vs. The Un-Americans: A Tale of the Blacklist

by Edward Renehan

When Pete Seeger died at age 94 this past January, widespread media coverage included discussion of his trials and tribulations during the McCarthy era when he, like so many other entertainers and artists, was persecuted, subjected to gross indignities, and ultimately prosecuted for Contempt of Congress during the myriad anti-Communist witch hunts of that time. Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans: A Tale of the Blacklist reveals never before known aspects of Seeger's experience during those deark days, including the backstory to his prosecution for Contempt (orchestrated by, of all people, Robert Kennedy).

The story is one of great personal honor and commitment to principle. As Bob Dylan has commented in a most under-stated way: "Pete [was] blacklisted during the McCarthy era and had a hard time, but he never stopped." Eleanor Roosevelt wrote admiringly: "Pete Seeger, the folksinger … lives not far from me near Beacon, NY, and is loved by many people, young and old, who have enjoyed his music. … He has refused to take the Fifth Amendment because he felt that could be construed as an admission of guilt, and chose instead to invoke the freedoms of the First Amendment. His case is now in the higher courts."

In refusing to answer questions posed by the House Select Committee on Un-American Activities (1955), and at the same time refusing to take the Fifth Amendment, Seeger consciously put himself in harm's way of prosecution for Contempt - a brave act also embarked upon by such notables as playwright Arthur Miller, economist Otto Nathan, and the Hollywood Ten. Seeger's eventual 1961 prosecution resulted in guilty verdicts on ten counts, and a one year prison sentence - a finding overturned on a technicality in the Court of Appeals one year later. Summed up, the threat of prison hung over Seeger's head for a good seven years, from 1955 to 1962.

The impact upon Seeger's career was, for a time, quite devestating. He went from selling millions of records and touring top venues with his hit group The Weavers, to playing solo at summer camps and colleges for fees sometimes as low as $25. He and his family subsisted on a shoestring budget. The one thing he was able to put in the bank was his integrity.

The story is also one of survival, endurance and eventual triumph. During the sixties - once McCarthyite hysteria subsided - Seeger's career revived and bloomed. He recorded with Columbia Records for a decade, routinely played to sell-out crowds at venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to London's Royal Albert Hall, and looked on as such Seeger-penned songs as "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "If I Had a Hammer" became hits respectively for the Kingston Trio, the Byrds and Peter, Paul & Mary.

By the end of his life, Seeger had been honored by the Kennedy Center, had received the Presidential Medal in the Arts, had been inducted (as an influence) into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, and had been the subject of a PBS American Masters documentary: "Pete Seeger - The Power of Song." Upon the occassion of his 90th birthday, 18000 people gathered in Madison Square Garden for a celebration concert organized by Bruce Springsteen, including performances by Joan Baez, John John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Arlo Guthrie, Tim Robbins, Richie Havens and many others. (Speaking at the birthday celebration, Springsteen summed things up when he said: "Pete - You outlasted the bastards.")

Genres: History, Music

122 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2014

About the author

Greetings:

I've authored a number of critically praised books published by such houses as Doubleday, Crown, Basic, Oxford University Press, and the University of Michigan Press. My works have ranged across biography and history (with a particular though not exclusive interest in business biography/history) and literary studies. Several have been translated into Russian, Japanese, and Chinese. I am also an extensively published ghostwriter of business books, entrepreneurial autobiographies, books on digital technology and related issues, and numerous op-eds and other opinion pieces.

I am in the 41st year of a publishing career which has included stints at St. Martin's Press and Macmillan/Newbridge. I served seven years as Director of Computer Publishing Programs at the latter establishment.

I founded my own digital-native imprint (New Street Communications, LLC) in 2010, doing e-books as well as paper and audio editions. We publish across a number of topic categories and disciplines, working with authors spanning from Europe to LA, and have lately made something of a specialty of audiobooks. We are located in the waterfront village of Wickford, in southern Rhode Island.

Reviews

[Larry Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is as the old phrase goes short and sweet! It has a bit of a extended focus for a short book on Pete’s experience with the HUAC when he refused to name names and did not assert his fifth amendment rights But simply took the position that his first amendment rights ruled his conduct.

Pete was a hero to many including myself. His brush with the fifth amendment it’s some thing I take close to heart. The US government took me to federal court in 1985 as a result of my war tax resistance and my refusal to divulge the location of my assets to the IRS so they could collect them. In my case the judge asserted my fifth amendment rights and I did not actually have to assert them myself. So I can only wonder if I might have followed In the path of Mr. Seeger if the judge had not intervened.

This very short book is written by a friend an admirer and it is filled with appreciation and some humor. It is enjoyable to listen to.

[Alan Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should preface this by saying that I know the author and I knew Pete Seeger personally, That said, I find this little volume to be a remarkable story of courage, perseverance, and integrity. It truly captures what it means to be an American and one man's insistence on exercising his rights in the face of persecution and hardship. There are many lessons to be taken from this.

[George Heidemark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good but short read about the activist musician Pete Seeger and his testimony before HUAC. The author knew Seeger and he gives an intriguing description of him. If you like music, politics and history this is for you. The book does a great job of capturing a dark and paranoid period in U.S. History and tells how a man of principle resisted fascist forces out to crush and blacklist him.

[Msjodi777 · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked listening to it, it is very dry, and finally just put me to sleep. It never ceases to amaze me that people can do so much to try to hurt other people, especially when half of it is either a lie or just plain stupid. Yes, Mr. Seeger joined the communist party when he was very young, but he never tried to overthrow the government, he was just interested in bringing about civil rights to all people in the US, and a living wage to those who were being kept on the fringes of society because they couldn’t make a living wage. Not only that but others were paid to lie about the things that he supposedly did and said. Now that is just wrong. It was an interesting book - sorta, but could have been done much better. It was more like an extended documentary without any pictures to keep things going.