Pete Seeger, whose songs such as “If I Had a Hammer“ and “Turn, Turn, Turn“ have inspired thousands to political action, is the subject of a campaign to award him the Nobel Peace Prize.
Seeger turns 90 in May of 2009, and has spent the last 70 years singing and plucking his way through various political campaigns, His dedication to workers’ rights, civil rights, the environment, and peace has motivated four generations to make the world a better place.
Folk Music and Politics with the Almanac Singers and Weavers
In 1941, Pete Seeger founded The Almanac Singers along with Lee Hays, Millard Lampbell, and John Peter Hawes. With its rotating lineup which included well known songsters such as Woody Guthrie and Josh White, the Almanac Singers performed topical songs at Union rallies, Communist meetings, and Popular Front fundraisers.
After serving in WWII, Seeger formed The Weavers, a less topical, though more popular group that laid the seeds for the American Folk Revival. Despite it being less political, Seeger’s history led him to be reviewed by the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Pete Seeger Fights Against Joe McCarthy and the HUAC
When put on trial by McCarthy, Seeger defended himself by invoking the American Bill of Rights’ First Amendment (the right to free speech and to freely associate with people) rather than the Fifth (preventing being forced to self incriminate yourself on trial).
This move may seem like semantics, but what he did had far more impact. By invoking the First Amendment, Pete Seeger was effectively saying that it is not a crime to have beliefs that are unpopular, nor is it a crime to associate with others of the same ilk. The beauty of America is that you can believe what you want to believe and no one can tell you otherwise.
Unfortunately, Joe McCarthy thought otherwise. Pete Seeger was found in contempt of Congress and blacklisted. He was not exonerated until 1962.
Pete Seeger Supports the Unions, is a Civil Rights Activist, a Peace Activist, and the Clearwater
Like his contemporaries, Pete Seeger was very involved in supporting unions. The Almanac Singers followed in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie, acting as a musical newspaper and performing topical songs of the Great Depression’s downtrodden.
Some of Seeger’s songs for the working man and women include:
- The Bells of Rhymney, with Idris Davies
- Hold the Line, with Lee Hays, about the Peekskill Riots
- Talking Union, with The Almanac Singers
- Which Side are you On?, by Florence Reese
Seeger was also involved in the Civil Rights Movement, marching with MLK in the early days of the movement and going on voter registration trips with the Freedom Riders. After Seeger's blacklisting his influence was mostly through inspiring other folk musicians-- people who stood by him when most of the country did not. Pete Seeger was largely the singer who brought the civil rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome” into the American consciousness.
Pete Seeger’s devotion to peace movements is well recorded. Seeger was critical of Roosevelt’s peace time draft of 1940, believing that the American military was being manipulated by major corporations (a complaint that has been echoed by many others during the “War On Terrorism,” thanks to connections between the Bush Administration and major corporations such as Haliburton and the Carlyle Group).
When it became obvious that the Third Reich was committing horrible crimes against humanity (as well as invaded the Soviet Union), Seeger changed his tune, penning “Dear Mr. President,” as well as serving in the US Army.
Seeger’s opposition to the Vietnam Conflict was just as vocal. Seeger made waves by appearing on the Smothers Brothers show and performing “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” a thinly veiled allegory of the Vietnamese police action.
Some of Pete Seeger’s songs of peace are:
- Bring Them Home
- Beans in My Ears, by Len Chandler
- C For Conscription
- Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
In 1966, Pete Seeger co-founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, an environmental organization dedicated to advocacy and education, especially having to do with the Hudson River Valley. With their flagship, Clearwater, they conduct educational programs for children and parents alike.
Pete Seeger and Clearwater were very important in the movement to make the Hudson River a Superfund site and to force the removal of PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls, a highly toxic compound) from the Hudson.
The Clearwater Festival is still a major folk festival in the New York area, with all proceeds going to support the environmental organization. Noted musicians as Odetta, Dar Williams, and Dizzy Gillespie.
Interested in Supporting the Campaign to Award Pete Seeger a Nobel Peace Prize?
The campaign for Pete Seeger’s Nobel Peace Prize is being spearheaded by Eleanor Walden, who created the web site “A Nobel Peace Prize for Pete Seeger.” On the site is access to a petition which will be sent to the Nobel Prize Committee.
In addition, supporters should spread the word about the campaign to anyone they know. Pete Seeger encouraged Americans, and others, to ‘rise up singing,’ perhaps the least community can do is return the favor.
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