The Radical Reader: A Documentary History of the American Radical Tradition

by Timothy Patrick McCarthy (Editor), Eric Foner (Foreword)

Key documents illustrate the richness of the American radical tradition.

Radicalism is as American as apple pie. One can scarcely imagine what American society would look like without the abolitionists, feminists, socialists, union organizers, civil-rights workers, gay and lesbian activists, and environmentalists who have fought stubbornly to breathe life into the promises of freedom and equality that lie at the heart of American democracy.

The first anthology of its kind, The Radical Reader brings together more than 200 primary documents in a comprehensive collection of the writings of America's native radical tradition. Spanning the time from the colonial period to the twenty-first century, the documents have been drawn from a wealth of sources—speeches, manifestos, newspaper editorials, literature, pamphlets, and private letters. From Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" to Kate Millett's "Sexual Politics," these are the documents that sparked, guided, and distilled the most influential movements in American history. Brief introductory essays by the editors provide a rich biographical and historical context for each selection included.

Includes:
• Common Sense, Thomas Paine
• Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln
• Confession, Nat Turner
• Last Speech to the Jury, John Brown
• Letters on the Equality of the Sexes, Sarah Grimke
• Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Seneca Falls Convention
• Life in the Iron Mills, Rebecca Harding Davis
• Speech to Striking Coal Miners, Mother Jones
• Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr.
• The Ballot or the Bullet, Malcolm X
• The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan
• Silent Spring, Rachel Carson

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Anthologies, United States, American History

688 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2011

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands-down, the best treasure trove of historical documents I've read. Includes everything from political tracts to social polemics (including feminist/anti-racist/socialist writings). The cumulative effect is to remind the reader that radicalism is as American as apple pie--and still matters. A very important book.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding, over 150 excerpts from revolutionary literature. The writers I liked most in it were John Dickinson, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, Phyllis Wheatley, Abigail Adams, Thomas Skidmore, Robert Owen, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, John Brown, Sojourner Truth, Ida B Wells-Barnett, William Apess, George Henry Evans, Ira Steward, Joseph A Dacus, Henry George, Upton Sinclair, Big Bill Haywood, Emma Goldman, John Reed, Norman Thomas, Huey Long, Langston Hughes, Angelo Herndon, Robert f Williams, MLK, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Angela Davis, Robin Morgan, Anna Koedt, Susan Brownmiller, Francis M Beal, Herbert Marcuse, Gregory Calvert, Jerry Farber, Ed Sanders, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Edward Abbey, Berry Commoner, David Foreman, Lucian Truscott IV, Carl Wittman, Arthur Evans, Thomas Frank, Kalle Lasn, and Ralph Nader.

[Roger Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word radical comes from a Greek word meaning root. It is most commonly used to describe people, groups of people or writing that regard current social, economic and political problems and injustices as in herent in the social and economic system. That is, the problems are found in the very roots of the system. The radical remedy is to pull up the system by the roots and to start over with another system. By this understanding of radicalism this book, for the most part, lives up to its title. However, there are a lot of writings here that are not radical at all, but rather, are merely reformist.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first edition of this is dated, with framing language like "slave" v. "enslaved" or "transgendered." I expect (hope!) this was updated in the new edition, as it's otherwise a interesting and varied collection of writings and speeches from a wide range of American social movements and radical traditions.

[Pierre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miles has been reading this in his high school social science class & liked it so much that he offered me a copy for xmas. A quick glance at the t.o.c. showed that I may very well have reason to use this erader for general knowledge with most of my second year college students at UA.

[Michael Gause · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't read the whole thing, but it's excellent to pick up and read first source history of radicalism in America. Excellent.

[Robshelton365 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best collection of primary sources by dissenters in America.

[Ale]

Abarca
One chapter about Betty Freidan's The Feminine Mystique