Workers on Arrival - Black Labor and the Making of America by Joe William Trotter
Brief Description:
"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 new 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 black workers' complicated journey from the transatlantic slave trade through the American Century to the demise of the industrial order in the 21st 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"--Provided by publisher.
Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Prologue: Foregrounding the Black WorkerPart 1 Preindustrial Beginnings
Chapter 1 - Genesis of the Black Working Class
Chapter 2 - Building the Early Community
Chapter 3 - Prelude to the Modern AgePart 2 The Twentieth Century
Chapter 4 - The Industrial Working Class
Chapter 5 - African American Workers Organize
Chapter 6 - Demolition of the Old Jim Crow Order
Chapter 7 - Demise of the Industrial Working Class
Epilogue: Facing the New Global Capitalist EconomyAppendix: Interpreting the African American
Working-Class Experience, an Essay on Sources
Notes
Index
Publisher Marketing:
"An eloquent and essential correction to contemporary discussions of the American working class."--The NationFrom 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 new 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 black workers' complicated journey from the transatlantic slave trade through the American Century to the demise of the industrial order in the 21st 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.