Socialist Labor Party.

Founded in 1877, the Socialist Labor Party (SLP) developed into the foremost socialist organization in the United States at the turn of the century and was the first American Marxist party to maintain its existence over a long span of years.

From the guide to the Socialist Labor Party records, 1877-1907., (Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library)

The Socialist Labor Party (SLP), founded in 1877, was the first significant American socialist organization. Its history of internal conflicts set the pattern for the factionalist tendencies that later plagued thej Socialist Party. During the 1890s the SLP entered upon the most aggressive and successful period of its history under the leadership of Daniel DeLeon. He transformed the SLP into a doctrinaire Marxian movement and developed a revolutionary program of militant trade unionism and political action. In opposition to the AFL, DeLeon and the SLP organized the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance in 1895 and participated in the formation of the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905. After 1894, the SLP also withdrew from all progressive and populist movements and dedicated itself to a program which advocated immediate revolutionary conversion to an industrial democracy. In 1900 a group of moderates known as the Kangaroos led by Morris Hillquit, split from the party and eventually joined the Social Democratic party in organizing the Socialist Party of America in 1901. Following the withdrawal of Hillquit and DeLeon's death in 1914, the SLP's principal activity was educational agitation.

From the description of Records, 1879-1900. (New York University). WorldCat record id: 17269471

Founded in 1877, the Socialist Labor Party (SLP) developed into the foremost socialist organization in the United States at the turn of the century and was the first American Marxist party to maintain its existence over a long span of years.

In 1877, the Workingmen's Party of the United States reorganized and changed its name to Sozialistische Arbeiter-Partei or, in its English version, the Socialistic Labor Party, a title which, fifteen years later, was changed to Socialist Labor Party. Of the estimated 90% of the members of foreign origin, Germans formed the most numerous nationality group and furnished many of the leaders, although the first secretary, Philip Van Patten, was a native-born American. A great deal of the material in this collection is in German.

Throughout its early decades the Socialist Labor Party was frequently torn by internal factional disputes and controversies. One group of militant unionists, led by F.A. Sorge, withdrew in 1877-1878. Two other factions, sydicalist and anarchist in tendency, led by Albert Parsons, August Spies, and Johann Most, withdrew in 1881. Within the remaining membership conflicts were waged between Lassalleans, the right-wing members committed to political action, and the Marxists, the left-wing revolutionary members emphasizing militant unionism. The Lassalleans controlled the Party until 1889, but in the 1890's, through the influence of new leaders, including Daniel De Leon, Hugo Vogt, Lucien Sanial, and Henry Kuhn, the Party developed an aggressive program emphasizng both militant trade unionism and independent political action.

In 1895, the SLP broke off relations with the American Federation of Labor and formed the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance. It was never able to mount any serious challenge to the AFL, and its remnants joined in founding the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905.

The SLP fielded its first national ticket in 1892 and did so again in 1896. In state and local politics, particularly in New York State, the Party provided numerous candidates beginning in 1877, although it sometimes supported progressive or populist candidates running under other party labels. In 1898, the Party had reached the zenith of its size and influence, with an estimated membership of 6,000 and 82,000 votes garnered for its own candidates in state and local elections.

Dissatisfaction with Party policies and leaders persisted among members friendly to the AFL, members evolutionary in their concept of socialism and members who resented De Leon's autocratic personality and Party discipline. Led by Morris Hillquit, many of these dissenters withdrew in 1899 to form the Socialist Party, and from this schism the SLP never fully recovered. Following the withdrawal of Hillquit and the death of De Leon in 1914, the SLP's principal activity was educational agitation.

From the description of Records, 1877-1907. [microform]. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 64755572

The Socialist Labor Party (SLP) was established in 1876 as the Workingmen's Party but renamed the next year. It is the oldest socialist political party in the United States and the second oldest socialist party in the world. It ran the first socialist presidential campaign in 1892, and fielded national tickets in every presidential campaign through 1976.

According to the party's website, their goal is "a classless society based on collective ownership and control of the industries and social services, these to be administered in the interests of all society through a Socialist Industrial Union government composed of democratically elected representatives from all the industries and services of the land. Production would be carried on for use instead of profit."

Daniel DeLeon (1852-1914), author of three of the pamphlets, was an American socialist newspaper editor, politician, Marxist theoretician, and trade union organizer, and was a leading figure in the Socialist Labor Party of America.

Arnold Petersen (1885-1976), author of two of the pamphlets, was the party's National Secretary for more than 50 years.

From the guide to the Socialist Labor Party Pamphlets, 1913-1942, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)

The Socialist Labor Party (SLP), founded in 1877, was the first significant American socialist organization. It was also one of the most important organizations in the early socialist period because its history of internal conflicts set the pattern for the factionalist tendencies that later plagued the Socialist Party.

For the first 15 years known as the Socialistic Labor Party (more commonly known by its German title, Sozialistische Arbeiter Partei), the SLP was hampered by numerous struggles between various ideological factions. The conservative group, who were disciples of socialist theoretician Ferdinand Lassalle, were committed to a purely political program. Although they managed to retain control of the party organization until 1889 and, during this period, were even able to support several non socialist movements like the Greenback movement of 1880 and Henry George's "Single Tax" campaign in 1886, they were able to do so only within the context of bitter internal struggles.

During the 1890s, the radical element in the party purged the Lassallean wing and entered upon the most aggressive and successful period of the SLP's history. Much of the party's success at this time was due to the leadership of Daniel De Leon. Under De Leon's supervision, the SLP was transformed into a doctrinaire Marxian movement. It repudiated both its own earlier tendency to political reformism and also the type of trade union activity practiced by the American Federation of Labor (AFL). In its place, the SLP developed a revolutionary program of militant trade unionism and political action. In opposition to the AFL, De Leon and the SLP organized the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance in 1895 and participated in the formation of the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905. After 1894, the SLP also withdrew from all progressive and populist movements and dedicated itself to a program which advocated immediate revolutionary conversion to an industrial democracy.

The decline of the SLP dates from the winter of 1900 when a group of moderates, led by Morris Hillquit, split from the party and gathered in Rochester, New York, for a special convention to determine an alternative socialist program. Known as the "Kangaroos", Hillquit's faction not only resented the autocratic and dogmatic discipline imposed by De Leon, but they advocated a more conservative socialist program which consisted of support for the AFL's craft union policy and a gradualistic approach toward achieving a socialist state in America. Eventually Hillquit and his followers joined the Social Democratic Party in organizing the Socialist Party of America in 1901. Following the withdrawal of the "Kangaroos" and De Leon's death in 1914, the SLP's decline accelerated to the point in which its principal activity, for many years, was restricted to agitation of a purely educational nature.

From the guide to the Socialist Labor Party Records, 1879-1900, (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)