Raising Reds

From the 1920s through the 1950s, American Communists established children’s organizations, after-school programs, and summer camps with the aim of developing revolutionary consciousness in the minds of the younger generation. In organizations such as the Young Pioneers of America and summer camps such as Camp Kinderland, located in New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and California, more than 20,000 children learned about Communist doctrines, played games designed to foster radical beliefs, and sometimes actively participated in key Communist causes and events – from May Day parades to labour strikes and political demonstrations.