The Rebel
1911 - 1917
Introduction
The Rebel was a weekly socialist newspaper published in Hallettsville, Texas. Launched in 1911 and edited by Thomas Aloysius "Red Tom" Hickey, The Rebel ultimately became the state paper of the Socialist Party in Texas and the third-largest circulation socialist paper in the United States with a wide national readership.
The Rebel's politics were those of the leftwing of the Socialist Party, combining fierce anti-landlord rhetoric, working-class radicalism, and anti-imperialism. The one issue where it diverged from much of the rest of the Socialist left was racism. On the one hand, Tom Hickey supported segregation and deployed white supremacist language in The Rebel in relation to African-Americans (although he seems to have moderated his views over time, perhaps as a result of the influence of his friend Eugene V. Debs.) On the other hand, Hickey rejected the virulent anti-Mexican racism that was then widespread in Texas, welcoming Mexican tenant farmers into the Socialist Land Renters' Union, and championing the Mexican revolution and its northern leader Pancho Villa.
The Rebel strongly opposed US involvement in World War I; this resulted in The Rebel becoming the first publication denied access to the U.S. mail under the Espionage Act of 1917 after the United States declared war. The Postmaster General's decision forced The Rebel to cease publication.
1916
January 8, 1916
January 15, 1916
January 22, 1916
January 29, 1916
February 5, 1916
February 12, 1916
February 19, 1916
February 26, 1916
March 4, 1916
March 11, 1916
March 18, 1916
March 25, 1916
April 1, 1916
April 8, 1916
April 15, 1916
April 22, 1916
April 29, 1916
May 6, 1916
May 13, 1916
May 20, 1916
May 27, 1916
June 3, 1916
June 10, 1916
June 17, 1916
June 24, 1916
July 1, 1916
July 8, 1916
July 15, 1916
July 22, 1916
July 29, 1916
August 5, 1916
August 12, 1916
August 19, 1916
August 26, 1916
September 2, 1916
September 9, 1916
September 16, 1916
September 23, 1916
September 30, 1916
October 7, 1916
October 14, 1916
October 21, 1916
October 28, 1916
November 4, 1916
November 11, 1916
November 18, 1916
November 25, 1916
December 2, 1916
December 9, 1916
December 16, 1916
December 23, 1916
1917
January 6, 1917
January 13, 1917
January 20, 1917
January 27, 1917
February 3, 1917
February 10, 1917
February 17, 1917
February 24, 1917
March 3, 1917
March 10, 1917
March 17, 1917
March 24, 1917
March 31, 1917
April 7, 1917
April 14, 1917
April 21, 1917
April 28, 1917
May 5, 1917
May 12, 1917
May 19, 1917
May 26, 1917
June 2, 1917