A Short History of the U.S. Working Class

by Le Blanc, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781573926645
• ISBN10: 1573926647
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1999-10-01
• Publisher: Humanity Books

Summary

Noting that standard accounts of US history often pay little attention to the working class, labour historian Paul Le Blanc presents a colourful, fact-filled history that concentrates on the struggles and achievements of that often neglected labouring majority. In a blend of economic, social, and political history, Le Blanc shows how important labour issues have been and continue to be in the forging of our nation's history. Within a broad analytical framework he highlights issues of class, gender, race, and ethnicity, and includes the views of key figures of US labour -- Cesar Chavez, Eugene V Debs, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Samuel Gompers, Woody Guthrie, 'Big Bill' Haywood, Langston Hughes, 'Mother' Mary Jones, Martin Luther King Jr., George Meany, A. Philip Randolph, and Carl Sandburg, among others. In addition to the main narrative, a bibliographical essay directs readers to classic works and cutting-edge scholarship in the field of US labour history as well as to relevant fiction, poetry, and films for further exploration or study. The book's substantial glossary offers clear definitions and thought-provoking mini-essays for almost 200 terms, from the most basic to the most complex and technical.

Table of Contents

Preface	9	(4)
Carl Sandburg's ``The People, Yes'' (excerpt)	13	(2)
Introduction: Explaining the Title of This Book	15	(4)
Origins	19	(4)
The First American Revolution	23	(6)
Industrial Revolution	29	(5)
Slave Labor, Free Labor	34	(4)
The Second American Revolution	38	(5)
``Gilded Age''	43	(12)
Rainbow Working Class	55	(6)
Progressive Era	61	(12)
Corruption	73	(6)
Hardship and Resurgence	79	(14)
The Second World War and Its Aftermath	93	(5)
Cold War and Social Compact	98	(9)
American Dream	107	(5)
Unfinished Business	112	(8)
Rude Awakenings	120	(6)
Where To, What Next?	126	(9)
Bibliographical Essay: Scholarly, Documentary, and Artistic Sources	135	(24)
Glossary	159	(20)
Timeline of U.S. History	179	(2)
U.S. Labor History Chronology	181	(12)
Index	193