Communist Party of America

Ernest Goodman Papers

drice — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:49:05 -0400

A founding member of the Detroit Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, Ernest Goodman served as NLG President, and formed the nation’s first (known) interracial law firm: Goodman, Crockett, Eden and Robb. He was deeply involved with the labor movement and some of its most bitter union organizing struggles and remained committed throughout his career to serving the common man, with clients ranging from Communists, Black Panthers, prison inmates, and African-Americans during the civil rights movement.

Part I of Mr. Goodman’s papers reflect his involvement in civil rights, constitutional law and labor issues, focusing on the Michigan Smith Act trial, the Sherrill School desegregation case, and the Black Panther trial for the murder of a Detroit Police officer.

Part II reflects his activities as counsel in controversial cases, particularly first amendment and civil rights cases, courts martial, deportation and denaturalization, and the 1971 Attica prison uprising. These papers further focus on the events, places, and people who influenced both his personal life and a career spent in service to social justice for the common man.

Part III (Two storage boxes) focuses on various cases, mainly from the 1980s-1990s, Goodman's writings, his work with Wayne State University Law School, and Estonian family correspondence.

George James Saul Manuscript

drice — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 14:13:03 -0400

George James Saul (1897-1967) was born in Nebraska, but eventually settled in the Detroit Area with his family, becoming an active member in radical politics. After serving during World War I, Saul pursued higher education at the University of Denver, graduating in 1925. After graduation, he was committed to “working for Civil Rights, Unionization, Radical Politics, and in general working toward the betterment of society and for the working man in particular.” Saul was also heavily involved in Civil Rights activism in the South during the 1920’s. Increasing responsibilities in his personal life drew him away from activism, though he remained active until World War II and interested in politics until the end of his life. During his inactive periods, Saul was persuaded to write a book detailing his involvement in radical politics by friends and acquaintances. Due to declining health, he was unable to complete the manuscript. As such, the manuscript focuses on his early life, growing up on the Great Plains. Saul’s son included an introduction penned by his father and information on the Saul family in appendices at the back of the manuscript. Obituaries from various socialist papers and one local paper give details of Saul’s involvement in the communist party, the Gastonia textile strike of 1929, and his participation in the founding of the UAW.

This collection contains one manuscript. It is an unfinished autobiography, copyrighted with a forward by Saul’s son, William Edward Saul in 1969.

Ford Hunger March

kchinery — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:49:56 -0400

As the devastation of the Great Depression spread throughout Detroit, increased lay-offs and financial instability among Ford Motor Company workers led to an atmosphere of despair that reached an apex in 1932. These workers were among those who marched to Ford’s River Rouge Industrial Complex in Dearborn, Michigan on March 7, 1932. This event, famously known as the Hunger March, was orchestrated by members of Detroit’s Unemployed Councils, who had been helping unemployed workers fight evictions and seek relief from charitable agencies. read more »

Trial of the Michigan Six

kchinery — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:30:00 -0400

On October 14, 1949, 11 members of the National Board of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) were convicted of violating the Smith Act of 1940 by advocating the overthrow of the government of the United States with force and violence. The ten-month trial, which took place in New York City, captured the country’s attention with its sensational events both inside and outside of the courtroom. More importantly, it established a precedent for prosecuting other communists across the country. read more »

(12271) Ford Hunger March, Funeral Procession, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:49 -0400

“The head of the vast funeral march of 70,000 proceeding down Woodward Avenue in silent pledge that the four martyrs (Joe York, George Bussell, Coleman Leny and Joe Blasio) who were killed on Monday, March 7, 1932 did not die in vain.”

--Photographer’s Description

Note: The banner leading the marchers reads "Smash Ford-Murphy Police Terror." The "Murphy" invoked is Detroit's Mayor Frank Murphy.

(12272) Ford Hunger March, Funeral Procession, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:49 -0400

-Photographer's Notation

(12273) Ford Hunger March, Funeral Procession, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:49 -0400

Thousands line Woodward Avenue as the funeral procession for four of the men slain during the Ford Hunger March passes by, Detroit, Michigan. Within the crows, people hold banners and sign denouncing the violence and urging men to join the auto worker’s union.

(12274) Ford Hunger March, Funeral Procession, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:49 -0400

Thousands line Woodward Avenue as they await the funeral procession for four of the men slain during the Ford Hunger March, Detroit, Michigan.

(12275) Ford Hunger March, Funeral Procession, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:49 -0400

Thousands fill the streets as they await the funeral procession for four of the men slain during the Ford Hunger March, Detroit, Michigan.

(12276) Ford Hunger March, Funeral Procession, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:50 -0400

The first of four hearses that carry Joe York, George Bussell, Coleman Leny and Joe Blasio, four of the men killed during the Ford Hunger March, leads the vast funeral procession down Woodward Avenue.

(12276) Ford Hunger March, Funeral Procession, Hearse, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:48 -0400

The first of four hearses that carry the men who were killed during the Ford Hunger March leads the vast funeral procession down Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan.

(12277) Ford Hunger March, Funeral Procession, Police, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:50 -0400

Mourners confront Detroit Police officers during the demonstration and funeral procession for four of the men killed during the Ford Hunger March. Several people hold signs aloft, the most prominent proclaims “Negro and White Unite!.”

(12278) Ford Hunger March, Funerals, Communist Party Headquarters, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:50 -0400

The coffins that hold Joe York, George Bussell, Coleman Leny and Joe Blasio, four of the men killed during the Ford Hunger March, are given a public viewing at Detroit's Communist Party Headquarters prior to their internment at Woodmere Cemetery.

Note: The African American man at front center is Christopher Alston, a future organizer for UAW - Ford.

(12279) Ford Hunger March, Funerals, Woodmere Cemetery, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:50 -0400

Mourners stand by memorial wreaths during the funerals of Joe York, George Bussell, Coleman Leny and Joe Blasio, four of the men killed during the Ford Hunger March, at Detroit's Woodmere Cemetery.

(12280) Ford Hunger March, Victims, Joe Bussell c. 1930s

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:50 -0400

Portrait of Joe Bussell, killed by Ford Servicemen during the 1932 Ford Hunger March, Detroit, Michigan.

(12281) Ford Hunger March, Victims, Joe York, c. 1930s

pneirink — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:50 -0400

Portrait of Joe York, killed by Ford Servicemen during the 1932 Ford Hunger March, Detroit, Michigan.

Courtesy of Belle Weisman

(12282) Ford Hunger March, Workers' Inquiry, Flyer, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:50 -0400

A flyer inviting people to the public investigation of the Ford Hunger March Massacre by a Workers Jury to be held March 25, 1932 at Detroit’s Cass Tech High School.

(30531) Communists, Smith Act, 1950s

eclemens — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:10:57 -0400

A holiday card, sent to the President of the United States, asks for amnesty for those arrested and/or incarcerated under the Smith Act.

Courtesy of the Civil Rights Congress of Michigan Collection.

(30350) Communists, "Michigan Six," Pamplets, 1950s

eclemens — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:06:51 -0400

Pamphlet covers pertaining to the Smith Act and the trial of the “Michigan Six," circa 1950s.

Courtesy of the Civil Rights Congress of Michigan Collection.

(30532) Communists, "Michigan Six," Smith Act, Trial, 1953

eclemens — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:17:51 -0400

Group portrait of Communist party leaders in Detroit, Michigan, identified as Saul Wellman, Thomas Dennis, Philip Schatz, Nat Ganley, Helen M. Winter and William Allen. The group, known as the "Michigan Six" were convicted of violating the Smith Act.

(DN_76441) Ford Hunger March, Marchers en route, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:38:43 -0400

Demonstrators fill the streets en route to the Ford Motor Company River Rouge Plant during the Ford Hunger March.

(DN_77644_2) Ford Hunger March, Violence, 1932

pneirink — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:13:14 -0400

Demonstrators are met with violence by Dearborn Police and Ford Motor Company Servicemen outside of the Rouge Plant during the 1932 Ford Hunger March, Dearborn, Michigan.

(DN_77644_3) Ford Hunger March, Violence, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:13:14 -0400

Tear gas fills the air as Dearborn Police and Ford Motor Company Servicemen attack demonstrators outside of the Rouge Plant during the 1932 Ford Hunger March.

(DN_77644_4) Ford Hunger March, Violence, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:13:15 -0400

Tear gas fills the air as Dearborn Police and Ford Motor Company Servicemen attack demonstrators outside of the Rouge Plant during the 1932 Ford Hunger March.

(DN_77645) Ford Hunger March, Violence, Victims, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:13:15 -0400

An unidentified Dearborn Policeman is assisted off of Miller Road after finding himself the first casualty of the fight between Dearborn Police, Ford Servicemen, and demonstrators during the Ford Hunger March.

(DN_77646) Ford Hunger March, Violence, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:13:15 -0400

Demonstrators on Miller Road outside of the Rouge Plant flee as tear gas and bullets are released on them by Dearborn Police and Ford Servicemen during the 1932 Ford Hunger March.

(DN_76441_1) Ford Hunger March, Marchers en route, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:36:00 -0400

Demonstrators fill the streets en route to the Ford Motor Company River Rouge Plant during the Ford Hunger March.

(DN_77646_1) Ford Hunger March, Violence, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:13:15 -0400

Tear gas fills the air as Dearborn Police and Ford Motor Company Servicemen attack demonstrators outside of the Rouge Plant during the 1932 Ford Hunger March.

(DN_77646_2) Ford Hunger March, Violence, 1932

eclemens — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:13:15 -0400

Tear gas fills the air as Dearborn Police and Ford Motor Company Servicemen attack demonstrators outside of the Rouge Plant during the 1932 Ford Hunger March.

[Podcast] Communists and Community in Wartime Detroit

teller — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 09:57:06 -0400

Dr. Ryan Pettengill explains how communist activists in Detroit worked with labor activists during and after the Second World War to enhance the quality of life in the community by advocating for civil rights, affordable housing, protections for the foreign-born, and more. read more »

[Podcast] No Equal Justice: The Legal and Civil Rights Legacy of George W. Crockett Jr.

teller — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:59:00 -0400

Peter Hammer describes the life and legacy of civil rights icon George W. Crockett, Jr. A Black lawyer who fought racism and defended constitutional rights in landmark cases in the 1940s through the 1960s, Crockett brought his ethos to the Detroit Recorder’s Court during his time on the bench from 1966 through 1978, and to his decade of service in the 1980s as a Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives. read more »

The Call

kchinery — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 10:26:14 -0400

Processed

The Communist

kchinery — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 15:56:52 -0400

Processed. New York: Workers Library Publishers, Inc.

The Hudson Worker

kchinery — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 11:20:39 -0500

Processed