Workers are the backbone of the American economy, as in all nations, but their rights regarding wages, working hours, working conditions, and more, have not always been guaranteed. These rights evolved over time, with the advent of organized labor, and large-scale factors such as world wars and the effects of the Great Depression.
As the burgeoning country was constructed, those workers soon rallied together and formed organizations such as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen―now part of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters―which ushered in the era of the union.
By the early 1900s, strikes and labor unrest grew larger and more violent. WWI interrupted labor around the world, resulting in women entering the workforce for the first time, occupying roles traditionally held by men.
The roaring 1920s saw a decline in union participation, which continued throughout the Great Depression of the 1930s, as many union members could not afford to pay their dues. That all changed, however, with the enactment of the National Industrial Recovery Act, which finally gave workers the right to organize into unions.
This set, Defining Documents in American History: Workers’ Rights, offers in-depth analysis of sixty documents, including addresses, correspondences, court decisions, editorials, essays, government legislation, interviews, manifestos, memoirs, newspaper articles, pamphlets, political tracts, and speeches. These selections help define events surrounding the tumultuous progress of workers’ rights in the United States, including important strikes and movements, and the ensuing legal battles.
The material is organized into five sections:
- American Labor from the Early Republic through the Populist Era
- The Rise of American Labor in the Progressive Era
- American Labor in the era of “Normalcy”
- American Labor in the New Deal Era and Second World War
- The Post-War Struggles of the American Labor Movement
Each section begins with a brief introduction that examines the importance of the topic through a variety of historical documents. The documents contained within these sections provide an overview of the history and significance of the process that entrenched workers’ rights in the U.S., and the many challenges, legal battles, and violent confrontations that occurred along the way, shaping American history in the process.
Each historical document is supported by a critical essay, written by historians, teachers, and researchers, that includes a Summary Overview, Defining Moment, About the Author, Document Analysis, and Essential Themes.
An important feature of each essay is a close reading of the primary source that develops broader themes, such as the author’s rhetorical purpose, social or class position, point of view, and other relevant issues. Each essay also includes a section entitled Bibliography and Additional Reading that provides suggestions for further readings and research.
Appendices in this book include:
- Chronological List which arranges all documents by date
- Web Resources, an annotated list of websites that offer valuable supplemental resources
- Bibliography lists of helpful articles and books for further study
