The Industrial Revolution brought sweeping economic changes in the Nineteenth Century. It began in Great Britain and spread to the rest of the world. Ordinary people saw factory owners becoming wealthy while the workers lived in poverty.
Socialism emerged as a response to this economic inequality. When Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1848, socialism became closely associated with communism. The terms were often used interchangeably in the United States. “Socialism” was a dirty word in the early years of the 20th Century.
Socialism played a role in the discussions of creating new textbooks for North Dakota schools. The Nonpartisan Leader noted a clause in a proposed law that would allow North Dakota to print its own textbooks for schools. Book publishers were naturally opposed to this law, which would eat into their profits. The Nonpartisan Leader accused the publishers of spending money on a campaign to influence politicians and the public to oppose the bill.
On this date in 1919, the Oakes Times raised an alarm, claiming that the way was open for socialist textbooks to be introduced into North Dakota schools. The newspaper warned that several members of the Educational Commission were known socialists. This committee would be tasked with reviewing new schoolbooks and recommending books to be placed in schools. The article said, “There is no better way to spread the insidious poison of socialism than to incorporate it into the books used by school children.”
The Grand Forks Herald was equally alarmed and warned, “The introduction of socialist textbooks in the schools of North Dakota, if such is done and not detected in time, will be sufficient to fan into a conflagration civic spirit in the state and pave the way for the certain downfall of the Nonpartisan League.”
The textbook issue was still in the news over a year later. The Grand Forks Herald ran an extensive article detailing what the writer saw as irregularities in how the Educational Commission was handling the matter of textbooks. That, however, was about the end of it. The subject fell off the pages of the newspapers, and public attention moved on.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Oakes Times. “Miss Nielson Shorn of Power.” Oakes ND. 8/14/1919. Page 1.
- Nonpartisan Leader. “League Foes Align for Decisive Battle.” Fargo ND. 6/16/1919.
- Grand Forks Herald. “Kositzky in Interviewed in St. Paul.” Grand Forks ND. 8/15/1919. Page 3.
- Grand Forks Herald. “The Socialists and the Schools.” Grand Forks ND. 10/25/1920. Page 2.
- History. “Socialism.” https://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution/socialism Accessed 7/25/2024.
