Labor's Story in the United States [Paperback]

Philip Nicholson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Labor In Crisis | Publication Date: February 9, 2004

In this, the first broad historical overview of labor in the United States in twenty years, Philip Nicholson examines anew the questions, the villains, the heroes, and the issues of work in America. Unlike recent books that have covered labor in the twentieth century, "Labor's Story in the United States" looks at the broad landscape of labor since before the Revolution. In clear, unpretentious language, Philip Yale Nicholson considers American labor history from the perspective of institutions and people: the rise of unions, the struggles over slavery, wages, and child labor, public and private responses to union organizing. Throughout, the book focuses on the integral relationship between the strength of labor and the growth of democracy, painting a vivid picture of the strength of labor movements and how they helped make the United States what it is today. "Labor's Story in the United States" will become an indispensable source for scholars and students. Philip Yale Nicholson is Professor of History at Nassau Community College and Adjunct Professor at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Long Island Extension. He is the author of "Who Do We Think We Are?", "Race", and "Nation in the Modern World".

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Nicholson's style is clear and readable, and students were especially engaged by his discussion of the power of capital to shape American culture...[a] monumental work that prods us to consider the fate of labor and democracy." Labor Studies Journal "Nicholson's history of labor is the story of the evolving dynamics of democracy and equality, and it could serve as a general history of the United States from the bottom-up perspective. Labor's Story in the United States is balanced, thoroughly supported, and accessible to an undergraduate or popular readership. Equally important, it is written by a scholar who cares about the people whose story he tells." WorkingUSA "We have long needed a lively and intelligent history of the labor movement in the United States, and Philip Yale Nicholson gives us just that. He provides a rich historical context, and a refreshing class consciousness. I believe this book will be invaluable in educating a new generation about a much neglected and crucial part of the nation's history." - Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States "This is a wonderfully comprehensive narrative of American labor, full of insight and shrewd judgments. It will be exceedingly useful in the classroom." - Nelson Lichtenstein, University of California, Santa Barbara, and author of State of the Union: A Century of American Labor

From the Publisher

A comprehensive, readable history of work in America. Study Guide available.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press; 1 edition (February 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592132391
• ISBN-13: 978-1592132393
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating overview of an undercovered topic, May 21, 2009

By 

blueblazer73 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Labor's Story in the United States (Paperback)

I read this book for personal enrichment. Realizing my knowledge of US labor history was sorely lacking, I read this to get a broader view of the nation's history. My inadequate early 90's high school/college coverage of the topic basically went something like "back in the 19th century working conditions were terrible for many men/women/children so people started forming unions. There were a couple of big strikes like the Pullman strike that sometimes turned violent. Then the Progressives gave the workers some of what they wanted and things calmed down. Then in the 1950's the AFL merged with the CIO."

Realizing this was a pathetic understanding of history, I had been searching on and off for years for a broad overview of labor history. After trying to muddle through a couple of dry and boring older (mostly from the 60's) books, I stumbled on this wonderful gem.

The book covers an amazing amount of material in a highly readable fashion. I found it to be a real page turner. The author strikes a wonderful balance of depth on individual events while putting these in their proper historical perspective. Not just covering individual strikes or organizations and giving the score card of who won or lost, the author takes these events and puts them in their proper place showing the hows and whys of the rise, absorption, and decline of labor against capital.

The only flaw I see with the book is that the author wears his pro-industrial democracy bias on his sleeve. While he doesn't let this get in the way of the overall story, the bias is there. Given that his bias is almost diametrically opposed to that which we are inundated with regularly in the media, I found his bias a refreshing counterpoint, but I can see why some people that walk into this book with an anti-labor bias would be off-put by it.

That said, I found this a truly riveting, highly readable, and enlightening book on a sadly almost ignored subject. For anyone interested in getting an introduction to US labor history, this is a great place to start.

2 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars a shame, February 21, 2008

By 

Celeste C. Curtis "not the average norm" (north east usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Labor's Story in the United States (Paperback)

this is the most tedious, obtuse presentation i have ever had the displeasure... the info is there but it will not flow! it is especially ominous that so many prestigious colleagues have touted this.