Struggle on Their Minds : The Political Thought of African American Resistance

"The rise of the American economy, the persistence of social inequality, and the ongoing struggle for adequate political representation cannot be evaluated separately from slavery, the country's original sin. Five activists who have fought to incorporate slavery into American political discourse are the focus of this timely book, in which Alex Zamalin considers past African American resistance to underscore its future democratic necessity. He looks at the language and conceptions put forward by the American abolitionists David Walker and Frederick Douglass, the antilynching activist Ida B. Wells, the Black Panther Party organizer Huey P. Newton, and the prison reformer Angela Davis. Each through passionate argument revised the core values of the American political tradition and reformed ideas about power, justice, community, action, and the role of emotion in elective outcomes. Zamalin finds numerous examples in which political theory developed a more open and resilient conception of individual liberty after key moments of African American resistance provoked by these activists' work. Their thought encouraged slaves to revolt against their masters, black radical abolitionists to call for the eradication of slavery by any means necessary, black journalists to chastise American institutions for their indifference to lynching, and black radicals to police the police and to condemn racial injustice in the American prison system. Taken together, these movements pushed political theory forward, offering new language and concepts to sustain democracy in tense times. Struggle on Their Minds is a critical text for our contemporary moment, showing how constructive resistance can strengthen the practice of democracy and help disenfranchised groups achieve political parity."--Provided by publisher.;Introduction : the political thought of African American resistance -- David Walker, Frederick Douglass, and the abolitionist democratic vision -- Ida B. Wells, the antilynching movement, and the politics of seeing -- Huey Newton, the Black Panthers, and the decolonization of America -- Angela Davis, prison abolition, and the end of the American carceral state -- Conclusion : the future of resistance. American political thought has been shaped by those who fought back against social inequality, economic exclusion, the denial of political representation, and slavery, the country's original sin. Yet too often the voices of African American resistance have been neglected, silenced, or forgotten. In this timely book, Alex Zamalin considers key moments of resistance to demonstrate its current and future necessity, focusing on five activists across two centuries who fought to foreground slavery and racial injustice in American political discourse. Struggle on Their Minds shows how the core values of the American political tradition have been continually challenged—and strengthened—by antiracist resistance, creating a rich legacy of African American political thought that is an invaluable component of contemporary struggles for racial justice. Zamalin looks at the language and concepts put forward by the abolitionists David Walker and Frederick Douglass, the antilynching activist Ida B. Wells, the Black Panther Party organizer Huey Newton, and the prison abolitionist Angela Davis. Each helped revise and transform ideas about power, justice, community, action, and the role of emotion in political action. Their thought encouraged abolitionists to call for the eradication of slavery, black journalists to chastise American institutions for their indifference to lynching, and black radicals to police the police and to condemn racial injustice in the American prison system. Taken together, these movements pushed political theory forward, offering new language and concepts to sustain democracy in tense times. Struggle on Their Minds is a critical text for our contemporary moment, showing how the political thought that comes out of resistance can energize the practice of democratic citizenship and ultimately help address the prevailing problem of racial injustice. Table of Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction: The Political Thought of African American Resistance 16 1. David Walker, Frederick Douglass, and the Abolitionist Democratic Vision 37 2. Ida B. Wells, the Antilynching Movement, and the Politics of Seeing 74 3. Huey Newton, the Black Panthers, and the Decolonization of America 103 4. Angela Davis, Prison Abolition, and the End of the American Carceral State 134 Conclusion: The Future of Resistance 165 Notes 176 Bibliography 218 Index 234