Truman J. Nelson (1911 – 11 July 1987) was an American writer of historical novels and essays, a civil rights activist, and a curator. His literary works mainly dealt with subjects such as revolution and the "revolutionary morality" as well as anti-racism and the civil rights struggle in the United States.

Career

Nelson was a factory worker until the age of forty, after which he completely devoted himself to the writing profession. He was relatively unknown after his death, except to parts of the Black American population. He was not always a highly regarded author in his lifetime. Nevertheless, writers like

Seán O'Casey Seán O'Casey ( ; born John Casey; 30 March 1880 – 18 September 1964) was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes. Early life O'Casey was ...

and

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relativel ...

praised his work.

Conrad Lynn Conrad Joseph Lynn (November 4, 1908 – November 16, 1995) was an African-American civil rights lawyer and activist known for providing legal representation for activists, including many unpopular defendants. Among the causes he supported as a la ...

said among other things that "you are probably the last white man who meant something for the black revolution."

Death

Nelson died in Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States of heart failure.

Works

Nelson wrote the introductory essay entitled "The Resistant Spirit" for

Robert F. Williams Robert Franklin Williams (February 26, 1925 – October 15, 1996) was an American civil rights leader and author best known for serving as president of the Monroe, North Carolina chapter of the NAACP in the 1950s and into 1961. He succeeded ...

' iconic book '' Negroes with Guns''. Nelson authored "People With Strength In Monroe, North Carolina." to raise funds for Robert F. Williams Monroe North Carolina NAACP Chapter ;Books * ''The Sin of the Prophet'' (Little, Brown, 1952) * ''The Passion by the Brook'' (Doubleday, 1953) * ''The Surveyor'' (Doubleday, 1960) * ''People with Strength: The Story of Monroe, NC'' (1963) * ''The Torture of Mothers'' (Beacon, 1968) * ''The Right of Revolution'' (Beacon, 1968) * ''Documents of Upheaval'' (Hill and Wang, 1966) * ''The Old Man:

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

Harper's Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 269 at the 2020 United States census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers in the lower Shenandoah Valley, where ...

'' (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1973)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Truman J 1911 births 1987 deaths People from Newburyport, Massachusetts Historians from Massachusetts