THIS BOOK celebrates the achievements of the movements that have made America a more humane country by profiling their key leaders—the 100 greatest Americans of the 20th century.
Over many years, I have been privileged to know scholars, organizers, activists, journalists, and social critics who have helped me understand the role of progressive ideas and movements in shaping our nation’s history and culture. None was more important than Michael Harrington, who inspired and mentored me. I have also learned a great deal from my friends Dick Flacks, David Moberg, John Atlas, Jan Breidenbach, Harold Meyerson, Frances Fox Piven, Nelson Lichtenstein, and Maurice Isserman.
Researching and writing this book was a great deal of fun, in large part because I was constantly in contact with interesting people who helped me at every stage. The idea for the book was hatched after The Nation magazine published my article “The Fifty Most Influential Progressives of the Twentieth Century,” as its October 4, 2010, cover story. The article triggered an avalanche of letters and e-mails, praising it, attacking it for leaving out certain people, or criticizing it for including others. The article did what I had hoped it would do: generate interest in and debate about the people I listed and the movements they represented. Thanks to Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Richard Kim, and Peter Rothberg at The Nation for publishing and giving shape to the original article, and to Katrina for encouraging me to expand it into a book.
At Nation Books, Carl Bromley and Marissa Colón-Margolies demonstrated consistent support and enthusiasm for this project. Their editorial skills guided me at every stage of the research and writing. The Nation’s Frank Reynolds tracked down all the photographs used in the book.
I reached out to many historians, biographers, journalists, sociologists, political scientists, and others for help in selecting, researching, and writing about the 100 people included in the book. Lucy Knight, Dick Flacks, Ron Cohen, Donald Cohen, John Atlas, Harold Meyerson, Steve Greenhouse, and Nelson Lichtenstein made suggestions about whom to include or leave out. They also made valuable comments on multiple chapters of the book.
Jamie Angell, Chris Myers Asch, Steve Bingham, Jeff Blum, Eileen Boris, Clayborne Carson, Ellen Cassedy, Sue Chinn, Charles Cobb, Norm Cohen, Julie York Coppens, Ken Dingledine, Denis Dison, Kathleen Dolan, Bill Domhoff, Rebecca Edwards, Steve Fraser, Josh Freeman, Herb Gans, Bob Gottlieb, Raymond Gregory, Thomas Hauser, Michael Honey, Maurice Isserman, Madeline Janis, Chana Kai Lee, Mark Levinson, Deborah Martinson, Joe McCartin, John McDonough, S. M. Miller, JoAnn Mort, Philip Nell, Jim Newton, Beverly Palmer, Richard Parker, Miriam Pawel, Nolan Porterfield, Bruce Raynor, JoAnn Robinson, Mark Rogovin, Frank Roosevelt, Richard Rothstein, Jodi Rudoren, Michael Sell, Helen Selsdon, Kathryn Sklar, Daniel Soyer, Rick Valelly, Abbie Van Nostrand, Paul von Blum, Jim Vrabel, Robin Walker, Susan Ware, Howard Winant, and Goetz Wolff supplied important information or reviewed specific chapters that helped me improve the book. Beth Baker, Doug Hess, and Guido Girgenti provided indispensible research assistance.
My students and colleagues at Occidental College have provided a wonderful environment for teaching, writing, and political engagement. In particular, I would like to thank Sylvia Chico, Bob Gottlieb, and Martha Matsuoka.
My wife, Terry Meng, and our daughters, Amelia and Sarah, understood how passionate I was about this project and cut me a lot of slack during the year and a half I spent researching and writing the book. I appreciate their love, support, and curiosity.