American History: Exploring the Socialist Movements in Chapter 13

This essay, focusing on American History and specifically Chapter 13, delves into the rise and impact of socialist movements. It examines the historical context of class struggles and the resulting anger, which fueled the unification of the working class to fight for their rights. The essay highlights the influence of feminism and anarchy on these movements, particularly focusing on the struggles of women and children. It discusses the writings of pro-socialist authors and journalists who critiqued capitalism and advocated for a society free of exploitation and injustice. The essay provides examples of the harsh realities faced by immigrant laborers and child workers, illustrating the human cost of capitalist practices. It also explores the contributions of women in the socialist movement, emphasizing their fight against patriarchy and their pursuit of education and equality. The essay references various sources to support its analysis of the different movements and struggles of workers against the oppressive capitalist system.

Running head: AMERICAN HISTORY: PART 1
AMERICAN HISTORY: PART 1
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note

1AMERICAN HISTORY: PART 1
Chapter 13: THE SOCIALIST CHALLENGE
Socialist movements from all over the world are the results of historical class struggles
and class anger. With the advent of time, class struggle and anger rose in magnitude. The
working class from all over the world united together to fight for their fundamental human rights
and civil rights. Socialist movements from all over the world were triggered by feminism and
anarchy as well. Women and children from the working class had begun to fight to end their
struggle, oppression and exploitation (Schumpeter). The workers of all the countries, despite of
their age, gender and abilities got united to overthrow the power and institutions to build a new
institution that would be run by the proletariats demanding for an equal and a just society that
often people term as “utopia”. Several writers, journalists, activists and artists in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth century were pro- socialists and demanded for a society that
would be devoid of exploitation, discrimination and injustice. They wrote against hypocrisies of
religion that forced the society to institutionally follow the “status quo” and made readers believe
the fact that “religion is the opiate of the masses” as described by Karl Marx (Aldridge). Writers
such as Jack London, Frank Norris, Upton Sinclair who wrote about the plights of the immigrant
workers, giving a socialist undertone by highlighting the fact that life could be beautiful
cooperatively worked and shared resources of the earth (London).
Throughout the chapter, rise of socialistic ideals throughout the world have been
documented and explained. Looking at the immigrant laborers of New York City, the poet
Markham, in Cosmopolitan Magazine in 1907 wrote “In unaired rooms, mothers and fathers sew
by day and by night. Those in the home sweatshop must work cheaper than those in the factory
workshops… And the children are called in from play to drive and drudge beside their elders..”
to bring out the plight of the workers, the children who have lost their priceless childhood in the

2AMERICAN HISTORY: PART 1
hands of capitalism and profit mongering. He also wrote, “It is not a cruel civilization that allows
little hearts and little shoulders to strain under these grown up responsibilities..” depicting the
misery child workers had to go through as a part of capitalist means of production. The piece
talks about the outstanding contribution of women in socialist movement, which meant not only
women workers, but also participation of the bourgeoisie and upper class women in the feminist
socialist struggles. Pauline Newman spoke “We would try to educate ourselves. I would invite
the girls to my room, and we took turns in reading poetry in English to improve our
understanding of the language..” which shows the struggle of women to break the shackles of
patriarchy by getting educated and fighting against the oppressive system that had kept them
historically at disadvantageous position in the society (Wang). Capitalism never paid heed to
fires that broke out in ill- equipped industries that claimed lives of thousands of workers,
accidents they fatefully faced and sickness they suffered. The piece describes the different
movements and struggles of workers (men, women and children) who fought against the system
that chained them into submission and oblivion.

3AMERICAN HISTORY: PART 1
References:
Aldridge, Doug. Mark Twain and the Brazen Serpent: How Biblical Burlesque and Religious
Satire Unify Huckleberry Finn. McFarland, 2017.
London, Jack. How I became a socialist. Read Books Ltd, 2017.
Schumpeter, Joseph A. Capitalism, socialism and democracy. routledge, 2013.
Wang, Zheng. Finding women in the state: A socialist feminist revolution in the People's
Republic of China, 1949-1964. Univ of California Press, 2017.