John L. Spivak and the Role of Investigative Journalism in Exposing Mass Incarceration as New Slavery
Title
John L. Spivak and the Role of Investigative Journalism in Exposing Mass Incarceration as New Slavery
Subject
Spivak John L. (John Louis) 1897-1981, Georgia prison reform, chain gangs, new slavery, mistreatment of prisoners, workers rights, socialism, investigative journalism, 30’s, muckraking, deep south labor mvmt, racial slurs, Georgia, mass incarceration
Rights
This electronic resource is made available by the University of Texas Libraries solely for the purposes of research, teaching and private study.
This material is made available for education and research purposes only. The creator of this exhibit does not own the rights for these items; it cannot grant or deny permission to use this material. Copyright law protects unpublished as well as published materials. It is your responsibility to determine the rights status and secure whatever permission may be needed for the use of any item. Due to the nature of archival collections, rights information may be incomplete or out of date. We welcome updates or corrections. Upon request, we'll remove material from public view while we address a rights issue.
This material is made available for education and research purposes only. The creator of this exhibit does not own the rights for these items; it cannot grant or deny permission to use this material. Copyright law protects unpublished as well as published materials. It is your responsibility to determine the rights status and secure whatever permission may be needed for the use of any item. Due to the nature of archival collections, rights information may be incomplete or out of date. We welcome updates or corrections. Upon request, we'll remove material from public view while we address a rights issue.
Collection Items
Official Whipping Report from Georgia Penitentiary, 1930 (John L. Spivak Collection)
Official typed report listing punishments of prisoners, including names, dates, and reasons for punishment. Signed by the warden.
Georgia Nigger (1932) by Spivak John L. (John Louis) 1897-1981
A work of fiction based in fact about the horrors of the prison system in the early twentieth century.
Newspaper Clipping with Spivak Quote
A book review of Georgia Nigger (1932) by Spivak John L. (John Louis) 1897-1981 which includes quotes from John Spivak
Clipping from Providence R.I. Journal, 1932
Journal clipping reviewing Spivak's fiction novel and explaining the prison conditions he encountered during his investigation
Convicts in a Georgia Chain Gang, with printer annotations, 1931
Photo of black convicts working as part of a Georgia chain gang in the early 1930s. Photo edited for publication in a newspaper. Printers notes on back.
"Seminole county (Ga.) warden in front of his county-supplied home at the convict camp," 1931
Photo of a Georgia warden standing in front of his home at the convict camp. Notes written by Spivak on back.
"Wooden cage with iron bar network in which are housed black and white convicts of the Seminole county (Ga.) camp," 1931
Photo of the prisoner housing at a Georgia prison. Notes written by Spivak on the back say, "Wooden cage with iron bar network in which are housed black and white convicts of the Seminole county (Ga.) camp."
Prisoner chained in iron collar in the Muscogee county, Georgia prison, 1931
Photo of a black prisoner in Georgia wearing an iron collar and sitting in the wooden cage that functioned as housing. Notes by Spivak on the back read, "Chained by neck and feet to iron cage: Muscogee county, Ga. near Columbus, Ga. This convict had…
Chain gang prisoners working on Georgia highway, with printer annotations, 1931
Photo of chain gang prisoners working on a Georgia highway. Printer's annotations, most likely from the "Daily Worker", show how the image was to be cropped for the newspaper. Notes from Spivak on the back read, "A Georgia chain gang at work on a…
Living conditions for black and white convicts in a Georgia prison, 1931
Photo of the inside of a wooden cage that served as living quarters for black and white convicts in a Georgia prison. Notes from Spivak on the back read, "Inside of convict cage at Camp No. 2, Sumter County chain gang - a few miles out of Americus,…

Comments
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