Abstract

The 1970s saw a resurgence in the scholarship on Anna Louise Strong’s life, especially in feminist circles. In general, historians pre-1970 doubted the authenticity of Strong’s political radicalism and criticized the inconsistency in her participation. Neis’ scholarship represents the largely uncritical second-wave feminist interest in Strong’s life following her death in 1970. The scholarship on Strong’s life falls into three categories: the old guard, the feminist renaissance, and twenty-first-century perspectives. Since 2000, a more nuanced interpretation of Strong’s life incorporated elements of the old guard and feminist discussions. Anna Louise Strong’s introduction to activism began in her childhood as the daughter of a liberal preacher and early adopters of abolition theology. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Oberlin, Anna Louise Strong presented her Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. Most of the primary sources are of Strong’s writings, including her 1935 autobiography I Change Worlds: The Remaking of an American. Strong’s faithful support of the Wobblies and more radical causes did not manifest all at once. After Strong’s testimony at Wobbly Hulet Wells’ trial in the fall of 1917, a recall movement against her gathered new momentum. Strong’s documentation of the events of the Everett Massacre of 1916 and the trials of I.W.W. trial cemented her status as a radical among the Seattle business elite.

First Advisor

John Lear

Second Advisor

Katherine Smith

Degree Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in History

Date of Award

Spring 5-15-2022

Department

History

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