A short history of the U.S. working class : from colonial times to the twenty-first century (revolutionary studies)

“His aim is to make the history of labor in the U.S. more accessible to students and the general reader. He succeeds” (Booklist). In a blend of economic, social, and political history, Paul Le Blanc shows how important labor issues have been, and continue to be, in the forging of our nation. Within a broad analytical framework, he highlights issues of class, gender, race, and ethnicity, and includes the views of key figures of United States labor. The result is a thought-provoking look at centuries of American history from a perspective that is too often ignored or forgotten. “An excellent overview, enhanced by a valuable glossary.” —Elaine Bernard, director of the Harvard Trade Union Program "Paul Le Blanc blends economic, social, intellectual, cultural, and political history into a narrative that includes the views of key figures of U.S. labor. His broad analytical framework highlights issues of class, gender, race, and ethnicity. A bibliographical essay directs readers to classic works and cutting-edge scholarship in the field of U.S. labor history as well as to relevant fiction, poetry, films, and videos. The glossary offers definitions and thought-provoking mini-essays for almost two hundred terms from the most basic to the most complex and technical. Illustrations throughout by labor muralist Mike Alewitz provide an imaginative counterpoint to the text."--BOOK JACKET. In a blend of economic, social, and political history, P Le Blanc shows how important labor 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 United States labor. Paul Le Blanc is a professor of history at La Roche College, has written on and participated in the United States labor, radical, and civil rights movements, and is author of such books as Marx, Lenin and the Revolutionary Experience, and Lenin and the Revolutionary Party Noting that standard accounts of US history often pay little attention to the working class, the author presents a history that concentrates on the struggles and achievements of that often neglected labouring majority. He shows how important labour issues have been and continue to be in the forging of our nation's history. A history of the working class in the United States should, first of all, give a sense of what is meant by "the working class in the United States." Le Blanc presents a colorful, fact-filled history that concentrates on the struggles and achievements of the often neglected laboring majority.