The Chicago-born George Jackson was convicted of armed robbery in 1961, and was punished with an indeterminate sentence in the San Quentin State Prison.

It was in San Quentin that George Jackson found radical politics, and began his journey as a Black activist.

"[12] Record World called it "penetrating commentary" and said that "the ever-relevant Dylan, who watched the river flow for a while, jumps head first into the current.

The release did cause controversy in some radio stations due to both the song's contentious subject,[14] and the use of an explicit lyric in the third verse.

[15] Considered within the chronology of Dylan's work, the song "George Jackson" is of special significance, because, along with "When I Paint My Masterpiece" and the single "Watching the River Flow," it represents the only wholly new work to appear from Dylan in the years 1971–72, the period between the albums New Morning (1970) and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973).

Bob Dylan's involvement with specific civil rights groups and organizations is not clear, but his music made him a widely influential figure in the American protest movement of the 1960s, though he did not necessarily want to be associated with the label.