iii discussing the Communist activities in USA or any other countries, the role of CP
Communist Party cannot be neglected since the party has become the center of all communist activities to spread out the ideological concept to undertaking
revolutionary movements.
2.3.1 The Rise and Growth of CPUSA
The Communist Party of the United States of America CPUSA, the one with which Richard Wright had affiliated, is one of several Marxist-Leninist groups in
the United States. It is preceded by the emergence of other leftist groups like the Communist Party of USA and the Communist Labor Party. Having the friction of
some factions in the socialist movement, several leftist activists such as Charles R, Louise Fraina, and others, founded the party on September 1
st
, 1919. The Bolshevik revolution of Russia in 1917, inspired them to prepare the same
revolution for American people. Therefore, they looked for support and joined the Communist International Comintern and pledged their fidelity to that
organization. However, despite the existence of two Communist Parties, the Comintern was not accepted that condition. Comintern asked them to merge under
the name of the United Communist Party in January 1920. Even though some members disobeyed the instruction and at first continued to operate independently,
the Comintern kept on its effort to unify them. After instructing for a more strongly directive, the Comintern eventually gained success in having the parties
merged in May 1921. The name was finally agreed as the Communist Party of United States of America CPUSA.
iii The party itself had many bad experiences from the very beginning.
Following the nation-wide “red scare” in late 1919 and early 1920, Ebon 1964:277 informs that leaders and headquarters of radical groups all over the
country were seized under the instruction from Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. It made the parties banned on January 20, 1920 and remained illegal for
nearly two years. Gaining its legality, the party started reorganizing its internal leadership
and later found itself involved in more complicated affairs, both nationally and internationally. Dunmore writes that during the era of Great Depression, the
influence of Communism had far deeper since it offered the way out for the problem they faced. Many Americans became the party’s members and many
more were fellow travelers. Considering this time was the ’’red decade”, the party began to gain its notable force in American politic. It had placed labor struggle,
egalitarianism, black liberation, anti Nazism, and some others as the agendas in rallies that often led by the CPUSA. In addition, the party had often delivered it’s
candidates on the presidential election from 1924 to 1984.
2.3.2 Black Acceptance toward Communism
