Workers Party of America

The Workers Party of America was the name of the legal party organization used by the Communist Party USA from the last days of 1921 until the middle of 1929. As a legal political party the Workers Party accepted affiliation from independent socialist groups such as the African Blood Brotherhood, the Jewish Socialist Federation and the Workers' Council of the United States. In the meantime, the underground Communist Party, with overlapping membership, conducted political agitation despite the repression of the Palmer raids. By 1923, the aboveground party sought to engage the Socialist Party of America in united front actions, but was rebuffed. Both the Workers Party of America and the Socialist Party of America engaged in separate labor party efforts, prior to the Presidential election of 1924. The Socialist Party of America participated in the Conference for Progressive Political Action, which dissolved itself into the Progressive Party. The Workers Party of America succeeded in dominating the national Farmer-Labor Party, but that organization quickly returned to its constituent parts.

At the groups 1925 convention, the group renamed itself the Workers (Communist) Party, and in 1929 the Communist Party, USA. The parties youth affiliate was named the Young Workers League, Young Workers (Communist) League and Young Communist League in tandem with the parent organization.

As the Comintern entered the "Third Period", the principle of a leftist united front was abandoned in favor of a single above ground Communist Party. The aboveground Workers Party of America and underground party were gradually merged in a series of party conferences in the late 1920s.