Workers on Arrival: Black Labor in the Making of America

by Joe William Trotter Jr.

"An eloquent and essential correction to contemporary discussions of the American working class."— The Nation

From the ongoing issues of poverty, health, housing, and employment to the recent upsurge of lethal police-community relations, the black working class stands at the center of perceptions of social and racial conflict today. Journalists and public policy analysts often discuss the black poor as “consumers” rather than “producers,” as “takers” rather than “givers,” and as “liabilities” instead of “assets.”
 
In his engrossing history, Workers on Arrival , Joe William Trotter, Jr., refutes these perceptions by charting the black working class’s vast contributions to the making of America. Covering the last four hundred years since Africans were first brought to Virginia in 1619, Trotter traces the complicated journey of black workers from the transatlantic slave trade to the demise of the industrial order in the twenty-first century. At the center of this compelling, fast-paced narrative are the actual experiences of these African American men and women. A dynamic and vital history of remarkable contributions despite repeated setbacks,  Workers on Arrival  expands our understanding of America’s economic and industrial growth, its cities, ideas, and institutions, and the real challenges confronting black urban communities today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Labor, Race, African American, American History, Economics

322 pages, Paperback

Published January 19, 2021

Reviews

[David Hollingsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great introduction to the history of the black working class in the US. Most history about the working class doesn't give enough dues to black workers, while a lot of black history focuses on pursuits by the black middle class. This book gives much-needed attention to the black working class, on whose backs much of the US was built.

One thing you should know upfront is that a lot of the first half of the book is social history- that is, a ground level view of people's lives, rather than an overarching summary of large-scale events. Part of this, of course, is because the working class itself was not a large force in working class politics until later on in US history. Either way, social history isn't quite my thing, but it's pretty well-done here.

That said, the second half of the book is where things picked up for me personally. Trotter does a great job documenting the different strategies used and movements pursued by the black working class after the US became more industrialized. I really enjoyed learning more about some of the different movements that have come through black working class organization (especially stuff related to labor), and it was also nice to see some stuff I was already familiar with presented in a new light.

Scholarship wise, Trotter name drops various scholars throughout his work to build up his point. He has clearly done his homework. This book is short and easy to read, but it's also in conversation with various scholars. In that way, it can satisfy casual readers and academics alike.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It covers an often-neglected but important topic in a way that's easy to read. Even if the beginning dragged a bit for me, it more than made up for it later.

[Lisa Krissoff Boehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly engaging, very important book by one of the most noted scholars in labor and urban history. It is amazing that the work offers a lot of new material and insights. While a synthetic work in some ways, the book ties things together in its own unique way.

[Jamie Duda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️this text is very dense and a bit repetitive but dare i say i think that’s a little intentional. I think most people understand generally what it means to say that America was built on slave labor but this book does a great job of really breaking down how those systems came in place post civil war. I think that was one of the more interesting parts for me was the focus on how the development of cities and industrialization kind of evolved with slavery.

would i recommend this to everyone like prob not but certainly if you’re interested in the subject you can get a lot from just even reading a couple chapters.

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be in a shiny cover in my local library system, but it's basically an academic book rather than a popular title. It's very good, thorough,and the epilogue on sources is a great paper in itself. A lot of scholarship has been done since I was more currernt on the topic,so I found it insightful.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book to read in exchange for a review courtesy of Press Shop PR.

The themes and history Trotter explores in this book are greatly relevant to our understanding of black and labor history and American history as a whole–to put it bluntly, American history is not what it is without this history.

See my full review here: https://underground-breakers.com/book...