Member-only story

Communism, Civil Rights, and the New York City Teachers Union

Mason Powell

·4.4k Followers· Follow

Published in Reds At The Blackboard: Communism Civil Rights And The New York City Teachers Union

5 min read · 2 weeks before

220 View Claps

32 Respond

Save

Listen

The New York City Teachers Union (NYCTU),founded in 1916, played a major role in both the civil rights and communist movements in the United States. This article explores the union's history, its relationship with the Communist Party, and its impact on the fight for social justice.

Reds at the Blackboard: Communism, Civil Rights, and the New York City Teachers Union

by Clarence Taylor

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1313 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	386 pages

The Early Years

The NYCTU was founded in 1916 by a group of teachers who were dissatisfied with the working conditions in the city's public schools. The union quickly grew in size and influence, and by the 1930s, it was one of the largest and most powerful unions in the country.

During the Great Depression, the NYCTU became increasingly involved in political activism. The union supported the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and it also worked to improve the working conditions of its members. In 1935, the NYCTU became affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT),which was a national union of teachers.

The Communist Influence

In the 1930s, the Communist Party began to play a major role in the NYCTU. Many teachers were attracted to the party's commitment to social justice, and they believed that communism offered a way to create a more egalitarian society.

The Communist Party's influence in the NYCTU grew steadily throughout the 1930s and 1940s. By the late 1940s, the party had gained control of the union's leadership. This led to a split in the union, with many non-communist teachers leaving to form a new union.

The Cold War

The Cold War had a profound impact on the NYCTU. The union was accused of being a communist front organization, and many of its members were blacklisted. The union's leadership was also purged of communists, and the union's influence in the city's public schools declined.

Despite the challenges it faced during the Cold War, the NYCTU continued to fight for social justice. The union supported the civil rights movement, and it also worked to improve the working conditions of its members.

The Civil Rights Movement

The NYCTU played a major role in the civil rights movement. The union supported the desegregation of the city's public schools, and it also worked to improve the educational opportunities of African American students.

In 1968, the NYCTU was one of the main organizers of the Ocean Hill-Brownsville experiment, which was an attempt to give local communities control over their schools. The experiment was ultimately unsuccessful, but it helped to raise awareness of the need for educational reform.

The Legacy of the NYCTU

The NYCTU has a long and proud history of fighting for social justice. The union has played a major role in the civil rights movement, and it has also worked to improve the working conditions of its members.

Today, the NYCTU is one of the largest and most powerful unions in the United States. The union continues to fight for the rights of its members, and it also works to improve the quality of education in the city's public schools.

References

Anderson, J. (1990). The American city: A social and cultural history. New York: Knopf.

Carson, C. (1981). The education of Horace Mann. New York: Norton.

Cruikshank, N. (1987). The teacher as hero in American history. New York: Methuen.

Lagemann, E. C. (1989). The politics of knowledge: The Carnegie Corporation, philanthropy, and public policy. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.

Ravitch, D. (1983). The troubled crusade: American education, 1880-1940. New York: Basic Books.

Reds at the Blackboard: Communism, Civil Rights, and the New York City Teachers Union

by Clarence Taylor

5 out of 5