Postmaster General James A Farley's famous toast "to the forty-seven states and the soviet of Washington" introduces and sets the tone for this study of Washington State radicalism. The state's colorful reputation for radical movements was established in the 1920s and 1930s by free speech fights, strikes, strong labor organizations, and woman suffrage reforms. Charles LeWarne finds the roots of this radicalism in the communitarian experiments of the late nineteenth century.

Through analyses of several of these experiments, LeWarne demonstrates that the influence of a coterie of...

This revised, updated, and improved edition of the leading high school textbook on Washington State history brings the reader from the earliest known accounts of the region up to the present. Incorporating the newest data from the 2000 census, LeWarne presents a vivid and up-to-date portrait of the cultures and trends that continue to shape Washington State. From the role of Native American tribal governments to the administration of Governor Gary Locke, he examines changes in the political arena including the pivotal events of the 2000 elections. The book addresses a range of ongoing...

Winner of the Malstrom Award of the League of Snohomish County Historical Organizations

In 1968, a time of turbulence and countercultural movements, a one-time television salesman named Paul Erdmann changed his name to Love Israel and started a controversial religious commune in Seattle's middle-class Queen Anne Hill neighborhood. He quickly gathered a following and they too adopted the Israel surname, along with biblical or virtuous first names such as Honesty, Courage, and Strength. The burgeoning Love Israel Family lived a communal lifestyle centered on meditation and the...