The Young Socialists’ Magazine
(1911-1917)
Introduction
The Young Socialists’ Magazine was the first radical working-class children's magazine in the United States. Launched by the Socialist Party in 1908, and issued by the publishing association responsible for producing the Socialist newspaper, the New Yorker Volkszeitung, it was originally titled The Little Socialist Magazine for Boys and Girls and described itself as the “organ of American Socialist Sunday Schools and the Young People’ s Federation.” The Socialist Sunday School movement arose out of the perceived need for an organized entity that would provide a systematic presentation of the socialist point of view and the ideals and principles of socialism to children and young people. At this point, The Little Socialist Magazine for Boys and Girls was geared to younger readers, although it also included a column for older students entitled “For Our High School Reader.” And, because of the large number of German speakers in the Socialist Party at that time, the magazine was bi-lingual, publishing articles in both English and German.
In June 1911, as the targeted readership of the magazine changed, the material became oriented toward an older audience. As a result, it was renamed The Young Socialists’ Magazine. It ultimately became the official organ of the Socialist Party’s youth group, the Young People’ s Socialist League (YPSL) and began to regularly cover YPSL activities. In 1914 it claimed to have a circulation of 10,000.
The monthly Young Socialists’ Magazine carried articles by prominent US and International Socialist leaders as well as poetry, songs, folktales, short essays, and cartoons. It exposed children to a range of socialist and Marxist ideas and told them about the struggles of socialist children in other countries. The journal ceased publication in 1920. Here we offer an incomplete run of issues from 1911 to 1917.
1911
Volume IV, Number 1, January 1911
Volume IV, Number 2, February 1911
Volume IV, Number 3, March 1911
Volume IV, Number 4, April 1911
Volume IV, Number 5, May 1911
Volume IV, Number 6, June 1911
1913
Volume VI, Number 6, July 1913
Volume VI, Number 7, August 1913
Volume VI, Number 8-9, September 1913
Volume VI, Number 10, October 1913
Volume VI, Number 11, November 1913
Volume VI, Number 12, December 1913
1915
Volume VIII, Number 1, January 1915
Volume VIII, Number 2, February 1915
Volume VIII, Number 3, March 1915
Volume VIII, Number 4, April 1915
Volume IX, Number 5, May 1915
Volume IX, Number 6, June 1915
1916
Volume X, Number 1, January 1916
Volume X, Number 2, February 1916
Volume X, Number 3, March 1916
Volume X, Number 4, April 1916
Volume X, Number 5, May 1916
Volume X, Number 6, June 1916
1917
Volume XI, Number 1, January 1917
Volume XI, Number 2, February 1917
Volume XI, Number 3, March 1917
Volume XI, Number 4, April 1917
Volume XI, Number 5, May 1917
Volume XI, Number 6, June 1917
Volume XI, Number 7, July 1917
Volume XI, Number 8, August 1917
Volume XI, Number 9, September 1917
Volume XI, Number 10, October 1917
Volume XI, Number 11, November 1917
Volume XI, Number 12, December 1917