James W. Ford: communist visionary

<p>The Communist Party USA (CPUSA) was a small but influential radical organization in the early twentieth century, and as such, has been the topic of many scholarly works. This dissertation contributes to our understanding of American communism by examining the life and career of African American Party leader James W. Ford. As an activist in the Black Left for four decades, Ford has received only a cursory examination in most scholarly works about American radicalism. However, he was a leading communist thinker and an effective organizer, and his career closely mirrored the rise and fall of the CPUSA. He can, therefore, provide unique insights into the Party’s role in American society and the Communist International, the Moscow-based organizing body of communist parties worldwide. First, an examination of Ford’s career exposes the interplay between Party leadership and grassroots organizing. The CPUSA was a complex organization in which power was shared, mediated, and pulled in different directions by a diverse group of activists. As Ford traveled up and down the ranks of the American and international communist movements, he managed to carve out a space to advocate for causes that interested him, and he pushed communists to prioritize the issues of black workers around the world. Furthermore, Ford’s three-decade career with the CPUSA highlights a continuous arc in communist organizing in the United States. Despite the numerous and often-jarring ideological alterations flowing from the Communist International between 1919 and 1956, American communists consistently held a core set of values. While rhetoric and methodology followed the dictates of Moscow, Party members continued to advocate for workers’ rights, racial equality, anti-imperialism, and many other causes. Finally, this perspective reveals the personal motivations, loyalties, and sacrifices of individual American communists. Ford experienced hardships through his connection with communism, including government persecution, estrangement from family members, racial terrorism, and Party factionalism. He remained loyal to the communist movement because it provided him with a platform, resources, and connections to fight for causes that initially drew him into a life of activism.</p>