A man must stand up : the autobiography of a gentle activist / John E. Reinecke ; edited by Alice M. Beechert and Edward D. Beechert.

"Includes autobiographical sketches which appeared in the Honolulu record, Oct. 30, 1952 to May 21, 1953." -- From title verso.

Includes index.

Introduction / Alice M. Beechert and Edward D. Beechert --

Autobiographical sketches -- Appendix 1. John Reinecke's poetry -- Appendix 2. Works by John Reinecke in the University of Hawaii Library.

"The prosecution, under the Smith Act of 1940, of members of the U.S. Communist Party proved that political persecution for political gain was possible in the American system. An outstanding example of the impact of such witch-hunting was the trial of John Reinecke in 1953. Fired from his teaching position allegedly for lacking the "ideals of democracy" - a charge that was contradicted by a stream of witnesses - Reinecke went to work for the Honolulu Record, a socially active newspaper of the time. Shortly after Reinecke's arrestor August 3, 1952, the paper's editor asked him to write about his life. These articles [autobiographical sketches], annotated by Alice Beechert and Edward Beechert, are reprinted in A Man Must Stand Up. they show a man of courage, conviction, and enormous integrity - a scholar who lived what he believed. Reinecke's story deals with matters that were central to some of the greatest social and political struggles in Hawaii in the 1940s and 1950s. This autobiography reveals the thoughts of a gentle and principled destined to play a major role in furthering First Amendment rights." - From back cover.