Social Democracy 101: Jack London at Yale: The Roots of Socialism in the United States

In 1906, my great-grandfather Dr. Alexander Fitzgerald Irvine was the secretary of the Socialist Party of Connecticut and a fellow at Yale University where he taught studies in divinity. He sought to shed some light on the subject of social protection. He had first-hand experience as a reverend in the New Haven religious community. He became very aware of parishioner stealing and other forms of skulduggery used to acquire the most prosperous benefactors. He despised the practice of selectively seeking profitable parishioners while ignoring the plight of the downtrodden. He felt that this practice was in conflict with Jesus’ teachings. He thereafter invited Jack London to speak at Yale on the subject of socialism. This book is derivative of my great-grandfather's book, Jack London at Yale.

My great-grandfather further believed that, due to this hypocrisy involving the church’s duty to the poor, the government needed to take an active role in offering a hand up to those in need. He strongly advocated that it should not be assumed that the church and pity be the sole final resources for those in need, and the government needed to take an active role in providing social networks.

Health, education, and welfare are major barriers to entrepreneurial opportunity. Without forms of social democracy such as universal healthcare and education, the potential for mass enterprise is squandered. People are precluded by these basic economic barriers from reaching their potential. It is these issues that have continued to plague workers worldwide, and people of all persuasions and walks of life are affected by this ongoing class struggle. We need individualism and a free market society, and we also need it to be tamed with a fairness that, along with prosperity, provides protections for the vulnerable and opportunity for all. Health, education, and welfare are just as important as a strong military. All of them are forms of social democracy.