Beyond Equality: Labor and the Radical Republicans, 1862-1872

by David Montgomery

"For anyone who believes that there was no important labor movement before Roosevelt, or before Gompers, or before the Knights of Labor, this well-documented work should prove a shocker. And for those who look to the past for enlightenment to guide us through our troubled tomorrows, this book is a reservoir of historic information and insights." -- New Leader
"Beyond Equality is a masterpiece. . . . A book of bold and brilliant originality, it is now shaping the perspective of a new generation of graduate students." -- David Brion Davis , author of The Problem of Slavery in Western Culture
 

Genres: Labor, History, Politics

552 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1972

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Montgomery presents an interesting argument about the relationship between Radical Republicans and labor during the Civil War and Radical Reconstruction phases of U.S. History. He claims that Radical Republicans' emphasis on equality for all, and their more ambitious push for land reform, ran against the currents of labor who formed a significant constituency for the party. To sustain labor votes in the subsequent elections, Radical Republicans actually had to go "beyond equality" to promote the labor reform movement in ways that ran counter to their ambitions to help freedmen.

This is old-school labor history. Cut-and-dry recounting of labor unions, minutes of meetings, and what seems like thousands of various individuals of insignificant and slight importance in the general scheme of things. This makes the book an extremely dull read, and I would not recommend it for anyone other than specialists and graduate students needing to prepare for a comprehensive exam.