''The Truth Seeker'' is an American periodical published since 1873. It was considered the most influential

Freethought Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...

publication during the period following the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

into the first decades of the 20th century, known as the

Golden Age of Freethought The Golden Age of Freethought is the mid 19th-century period in United States history which saw the development of the socio-political movement promoting freethought. Anti-authoritarian and intellectually liberating historical eras had existed man ...

. Though there were other influential Freethought periodicals, ''Truth Seeker'' was the only one with a national circulation. The headquarters is in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. The ''Truth Seeker'' is the world’s oldest freethought publication, and one of the oldest periodicals in America. Among general-readership titles, only ''

Harper’s Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'', ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it i ...

'', and ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

'' are older.

Overview

In the first issue, on September 1, 1873, editor

D. M. Bennett DeRobigne Mortimer Bennett (December 23, 1818 – December 6, 1882), best known as D. M. Bennett, was the founder and publisher of ''Truth Seeker'', a radical freethought and reform American periodical. Biography Shaker Life Derobigne M. Ben ...

and his wife Mary proclaimed that the publication would devote itself to: "science, morals, free thought, free discussions, liberalism, sexual equality, labor reform progression, free education, and whatever tends to elevate and emancipate the human race." De Robigne Mortimer Bennett circa 1873

Subsequent editors included Eugene and George E. Macdonald,

Charles Lee Smith Charles Lee Smith (1887 – October 26, 1964) was an American atheist and white supremacist author and activist widely known for being the last successful conviction for blasphemy in the United States. Biography Raised a Methodist in Maud, Oklaho ...

(along with his associate editors Woolsey Teller and later

Robert E. Kuttner Robert E. Kuttner (March 10, 1927 – February 19, 1987) was an American biologist and white supremacist.Jackson, John P. (2005). ''Science for Segregation: Race, Law, and the Case against Brown v. Board of Education''. New York University Press. ...

James Hervey Johnson James Hervey Johnson (August 2, 1901 in Oregon - August 6, 1988 in San Diego, California) was an American atheist freethinker, writer and editor of '' The Truth Seeker'' (founded 1873), formerly run by Charles Lee Smith. Early years Born in Oreg ...

Bonnie Lange Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...

, and Roderick Bradford. For several years,

Susan H. Wixon Susan H. Wixon (October, 1839 - August 28, 1912) was an American freethought writer, editor, feminist, and educator of the long nineteenth century. She was a member of the Fall River, Massachusetts, Fall River School Board for 24 years. Wixon espe ...

had editorial charge of the children's department. In 1988,

Madalyn Murray O'Hair Madalyn Murray O'Hair (née Mays; April 13, 1919 – September 29, 1995) was an American activist supporting atheism and separation of church and state. In 1963 she founded American Atheists and served as its president until 1986, after which her ...

put out several issues under the masthead during the course of an unsuccessful attempt to take over the company; however, the courts ruled against her ownership. The Truth Seeker, January 1874

Morris Altman,

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

Robert G. Ingersoll Robert Green Ingersoll (; August 11, 1833 – July 21, 1899), nicknamed "the Great Agnostic", was an American lawyer, writer, and orator during the Golden Age of Free Thought, who campaigned in defense of agnosticism. Personal life Robert Inge ...

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca ...

, Clarence Darrow,

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

, Steve Allen, Paul Krassner, and Gay Talese are or have been contributors, subscribers, and supporters of ''The Truth Seeker''.

Past Racism

Starting in the 1950s, the ''Truth Seeker'' started publishing explicitly racist content. Under the editorship of Charles Lee Smith beginning in 1937, Smith, Woolsey Teller and their successor James Hervey Johnson championed

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

, scientific racism and

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...

. Anthropologist Robert Sussman described the ''Truth Seeker'' as a "virulent anti-Semitic publication".Sussman, Robert W. (2014). ''The Myth of Race: The Troubling Persistence of an Unscientific Idea''. Harvard University Press. p. 223. In 1995, authors Mark Fackler and Charles H. Lippy noted:

historian Tom Flynn noted that "1950 to 1988 marked its most troubled period, when the periodical embraced racism, eugenics, and anti-Semitism, but precisely because of that achieved the smallest impact in its history." After Johnson's death in 1988, Bonnie Lange assumed the role of publisher and editor and the "racism, anti-Semitism, white supremacism, eugenics advocacy, and other marginal interests of the Smith-Teller and Johnson years were conclusively abandoned."

References

{{Skeptical magazines

External links

''The Truth Seeker'' (Official Website)
Political magazines published in the United States Atheism publications Magazines established in 1873 Magazines published in California