The American Labor Movement

by Leon F. Litwack

1962 copyright. 18th printing. Crease on lower right hand side of front cover. The pages inside are very clean and the binding along the back is flat - no wrinkles. Cover price in 1962 was $3.95 which calculates to $29.98 in today's (April 2023) dollars.

Genres: American History, History

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Leon Frank Litwack was an American historian whose scholarship focuses on slavery, the Reconstruction Era of the United States, and its aftermath into the 20th century. He received his BA in 1951 and Ph.D. in 1958 from the University of California, Berkeley, and taught the University of Wisconsin, University of South Carolina, Louisiana State University and Colorado College before assuming a position at UC-Berkeley, where he taught until his retirement in 2007.

Reviews

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really useful resource in understanding the evolution and devolution of labour rights in the USA. There are 19th and 20th century testimonies from congressional hearings and other interviews or writings. Particularly eye-opening is the section on "The Weapons of Resistance" which contains the testimony from the operator of a strikebreaking business in which he explains the extent to which labour espionage is embedded in industry. Then there are lists of weapons used against strikers: guns, tear gas, shells. Important reading.