Channels, Spring 2017

P age 46 Schwartz • Inspiration or Distraction? America into a relevant political entity? Or was he a lightning rod whose demagoguery created a personal following while his indifference to Party organization doomed it to decline when less favorable conditions to socialism developed in America? As in most debates, the truth likely lies somewhere between the extremes, but a detailed historical investigation can create the context necessary for a factual, nuanced, and meaningful conclusion. Most of the historiography on Debs attempts a full biography. His life is examined from birth to death with as much of an emphasis on his upbringing, his family, and his health as his historical impact. In these works, either the introduction or the conclusion usually serves to establish the author’s perspective on Debs’ significance as a historical figure and thus make the reader aware of the possible biases which may flow through the examination of Debs throughout his life. Yet, these treatments do not satisfy the need and opportunity to delve into the practical leadership of Eugene V. Debs and assess its effects from the perspective of history. This work aims to fulfill that goal. This project is intended to serve as a focused treatment of Eugene V. Debs’ time as a political leader in the Socialist Party of America and come to a conclusion about the ultimate value of that leadership and its implications for the future of the Party. The temporal bookends of this study of Debs are his time spent in jail in 1895 and his 1921 pardon from President Warren Harding. Before the first jail stint, Debs was not yet a socialist but merely a union organizer. As such, he had not contributed as a principal figure in the Socialist Party. It was during this time that he was converted to socialism through literature and the efforts of eminent Milwaukee socialist Victor L. Berger. Upon his release, Debs quickly rose as an important member of the political party of American socialism, the Social Democracy of America that eventually became the official Socialist Party of America. His national prominence as a labor organizer in charge of the Pullman strike, his natural communication ability, and his enjoyable personality all served to thrust him rapidly into an authority position with his new party. He maintained his success until his release from prison, physically broken by the years of toil and imprisonment. He would pass away only five years later, leaving the Socialist Party of America bereft of the necessary successor. During these 26 years of Eugene Debs’ leadership as an American Socialist, The United States underwent unique and influential events and changes. The Maine incident, in which the U.S. naval vessel Maine mysteriously exploded in harbor at Havana, Cuba, created tension with Spain, which was fighting to maintain colonial control of Cuba. The tension ultimately led to the Spanish-American War and to the United States taking overseas colonies. President William McKinley was assassinated while in office, and his successor, Theodore Roosevelt, would attempt to run for a then-unprecedented third term. Deeper historical trends for American politics, culture, and society permeated this period as well. Laws like the Sherman Anti-Trust Act were passed to regulate and limit trusts and restrain the excesses and damages wrought by big business, signaling a gradual movement toward greater government involvement in the economy. The U.S. Constitution was amended four