Richard S. Fraser facts for kids

Richard S. Fraser (born June 30, 1913 – died November 27, 1988) was an American political thinker. He was a follower of Trotsky's ideas, which focused on worldwide socialist revolution. Fraser was known for his ideas on revolutionary integrationism in the 1950s.

He was a key member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in the U.S. He joined the Trotskyist movement in 1934 and helped start the SWP.

Fraser studied the issues faced by Black people in the late 1940s. This was after the SWP started losing many Black members. This happened partly because of McCarthyism, a time when people were very suspicious of socialists. It was also due to the party's changing views on Black nationalism.

Fraser's Ideas on Equality

In the 1950s, Fraser disagreed with the idea that Black people in the U.S. were a separate nation. He pointed out that they did not have their own culture, language, or a separate land area. He also noted they didn't have their own independent economy. These things, he argued, are needed to be considered a nation.

The Fight for Equality

Fraser believed that the main goal for Black people in the U.S. had always been the fight for equality. He shared these ideas in speeches and writings for the SWP. He thought that nationalism, or the idea of a separate Black nation, often came from feelings of sadness or disappointment. This happened when white leaders, like capitalists after the Civil War or union leaders later on, did not keep their promises to Black people.

Fraser also looked closely at the history of social classes in the U.S. South and the whole country after the Civil War. He updated some of the ideas from W. E. B. Du Bois's book Black Reconstruction.

Disagreements with the SWP

Fraser disagreed with the SWP's call to "Send Federal Troops to Mississippi." He argued that this idea would make people believe that the U.S. government would always help. He felt it was giving in to the ideas of middle-class Black leaders who wanted reforms.

Later Life and New Parties

Fraser was an important thinker for a group within the SWP called the Revolutionary Tendency (RT). This group was led by James Robertson and Tim Wohlforth. Even though Fraser had different views on Cuba, he influenced this group. The RT members were later removed from the SWP. This happened when they opposed the SWP rejoining an international group called the United Secretariat of the Fourth International.

Fraser himself left the SWP in the mid-1960s. This was because the SWP did not fully support the Viet Cong, a group fighting in Vietnam. Instead, the SWP used a more general slogan, "Troops Out Now."

With his wife, Clara Fraser, Richard Fraser helped start the Freedom Socialist Party. However, he later left this party due to personal disagreements. Richard S. Fraser passed away on November 27, 1988.