A Social History of Laboring Classes - Colonial to the Present (Hardcover)

This concise historical narrative provides a sweeping account of the most significant aspect of nearly every American's life-work. Beginning with the seventeenth century, A Social History of the Laboring Classes examines all types of workers -- the waged and unwaged, urban and countryside -- in the context of the large-scale economic transformations that affected workers throughout American history. It explores major themes such as the transition of slavery to free labor, the denigration of women's housework, technological advances, and the rise of the global assembly line, and demonstrates how in response to these changes, workers have reconfigured themselves according to their race, gender ethnicity, and task. From the antebellum American Labor Movement to work sites found today in Las Vegas hotels and casinos, this brief synthesis by an award-winning historian offers readers an unparalleled account of the social history of work in America.