Arkansas Bans Anarchy and “Bolshevism” (1919)

Fri Mar 28, 1919

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Image: Charles Brough, the Arkansas Governor who signed Act 512 into law, in 1919

On this day in 1919, Arkansas, joining the majority of U.S. states at the time, passed a law to explicitly “punish anarchy and to prevent the introduction and spread of Bolshevism and kindred doctrines” within its borders.

The law, known as Act 512, also banned advocating for the overthrow of the state of Arkansas or federal government, as well as any flag “which is calculated to overthrow present form of government”.

Act 512 categorized these behaviors as a misdemeanor crime, punishable by a fine of between $10 and a $1,000, and the perpetrator could be imprisoned in the county jail for up to six months. On March 28th, 1919, the Act was signed into law by Governor Charles Brough (shown).

These anti-Bolshevik laws were used against socialist, communist, and union organizers in Arkansas a number of times in the 1930s, approximately the same time that the Communist Party of Arkansas reached its zenith. Examples of repression enabled by this law include the 1934 arrest of George Cruz, associated with the Original Independent Benevolent Afro-Pacific Movement of the World (OIBAPMW) and the 1935 arrest of Ward Rodgers, a member of the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union (STFU).