When Max Eastman Was Young
For the young Max Eastman, socialism meant open inquiry, cultural experimentation — and above all, freedom.
Max Eastman and Claude McKay at the 4th Congress of the Comintern, Moscow, 1923.
One hundred years ago, in autumn 1918, a dazzlingly handsome young socialist editor coolly faced the jury in a Manhattan courtroom. His mission was to defend himself and fellow contributors to the Masses magazine against indictment under the Espionage Act.
A big man with an agile, cat-like walk, prematurely white hair, and favoring bright clothing, Max Eastman had swagger. The words he spoke were adroit, eloquent, and defiant. The judge and courtroom were spellbound, and, with eight dissenting votes, a verdict could not be reached. Soon a pamphlet version of the editor’s speech was being hawked around the country under the auspices of his new magazine, the Liberator. It was called Address to the Jury in the Second Masses Trial: In Defense of the Socialist Position and the Right of Free Speech.
The Espionage Act As Censorship
When Eastman was put on trial on the grounds that editors of the Masses had published treasonable material that could obstruct the military draft, the thirty-five-year old became legendary as a figure who left an indelible mark on his generation of radicals. In two trials, in April and November 1918, the jury was deadlocked about Eastman and his fellow editors, though a mechanism was found to shut down the Masses by taking away its mailing rights.
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