History 411: American Labor History
MWF 11AM-12PM
Spring 2007
Colorado State University - Pueblo
Professor Jonathan Rees
Office: 124 Psychology
Office Phone: 549-2541
Office Hours: MWF 10-11AM, MW 1-2PM.
E-Mail: Jonathan [dot] Rees [at] colostate-pueblo [dot] edu
This course will cover the history of labor in the United States in the broadest possible sense. We will examine the history of American workers and the unions that they organized, but we will also consider the changing nature of work and the cultures of the workplace which laborers created. We will also look at the situation facing individuals not directly part of a traditional employer/employee relationship. In addressing these topics, we will pay special attention to the way that issues of race, gender and ethnicity affected historical developments.
This class will focus on the period between 1877 and 1945 because that is when industrialization first raised vital social and economic issues for labor that are still being debated today. We will devote a considerable amount of time to discussing the contemporary ramifications of American labor history throughout the semester.
The taping of class lectures and discussions is not permitted unless you have my explicit permission. Please turn off your portable phones before class begins.
Access to e-mail is a requirement for this course. If you do not have it currently, you are entitled as a student to set one up through the university. Call the computer help desk at 549-2002 for more information.
This University abides by
the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, which stipulates that no student shall be denied the benefits of an
education "solely by reason of a handicap." If you have a documented
disability that may impact your work in this class and for which you may require
accommodations, please see the Disability Resource Coordinator as soon as
possible to arrange accommodations. In order to receive accommodations,
you must be registered with and provide documentation of your disability to:
the Disability Resource Office, which is located in the Psychology Building,
Suite 232.
You are responsible for all the
rules and requirements contained on this syllabus. Failure to learn them will
likely result in damage to your final grade.
Textbooks
Brecher, Jeremy. Strike! Updated Edition.
Dublin, Thomas. Women at Work.
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickeled and Dimed.
Lichtenstein, Nelson. State of the Union.
Martelle, Scott. Blood Passion.
Rees, Jonathan and Pollack, Jonathan Z.S. The Voice of the People.
All books are available for purchase at the CSU-Pueblo Bookstore.
Grading and Attendance Policies
Your grade will be based on a 4-6 page paper dealing with the Martelle Book (15%), a 10-12 page research paper (20%), your written critiques of two other students' draft papers (5%), a take-home final exam (25%), class participation (20%) and the timely completion of questions on three of the assigned texts (15%).
Your question for the Martelle book is:
Using Scott Martelle's book as your factual guide, evaluate whether labor or management was most responsible for the tragedy at Ludlow. Cite specific passages from the book to support your conclusion.
Your paper should be 4-6 pages, double-spaced, with one inch margins all around. Footnotes in proper Turabian format are required. A bibliography is only required if you go to outside sources. A draft that demonstrates substantial progress with the assignment is due February 29. The draft paper (and all other draft work) should be sent to me at ReesAssignments@gmail.com. The final paper is due March 14.
For more information on your research paper, click here.
The final will consist of three essay questions: all comprehensive. You will answer one of them in 6-8 type-written pages. It will be due on the scheduled day of our final exam period. You will get those questions at least two weeks before the final answer is due.
When determining class participation, I will be interested in the quality of your statements rather than the frequency with which you talk. If your comments demonstrate that you have not done the reading, you are better off not speaking at all. However, failure to talk at all during the class will make an above average grade on class participation impossible.
Questions on the Dublin, Lichtenstein and Ehrenreich books will be available on the web site at least one week before the book in question is due to be discussed in class. The answers to these questions are due to me by e-mail at ReesAssignments@gmail.com at the beginning of the class period when the novel is discussed. Answers will be graded on a 0-5 scale. A letter grade will be assigned at the end of the semester based on your performance on all three assignments. If the answers do not arrive by E-mail at the appointed time or they are unacceptable, you will get no credit. No late questions will be accepted. After all, what's the use once the discussion is over?
Click here for the Dublin questions.
Click here for the Lichtenstein questions.
Click here for the Ehrenreich questions.
Click here for the questions that make up your take-home final.
Grades will be measured on an A-F scale with pluses and minuses. [The University I will do my best to explain the criteria by which each assignment is graded before you undertake them.
It is assumed that students will make every effort to
attend each class period, arrive on time and stay for the entire class.
An attendance sheet will be passed around at the beginning of each class.
If you arrive late to class, make sure your name is on the attendance
sheet before you leave. Otherwise,
you will be counted as absent.
You will be permitted FOUR unexcused absences during the course of the semester (to account for the random mishaps, mistakes and burdens of everyday life). After that, you will fail the class participation section of this course. All excuses must be presented to me within one week of the absence in question. If you miss six classes, I reserve the right to make your final grade an F regardless of other performance or drop you from the course.
Any form of academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade for the entire course. This includes plagiarism, the taking of words and/or ideas of another and passing them off as your own. If another person's work is quoted directly in a formal paper, this must be indicated with quotation marks and a citation. Paraphrased or borrowed ideas must be identified in the footnotes of the text.
Weekly Topics and Reading Assignments
Week of January 14th:
Introduction/The Concept of Class
What Do Unions Do?/The Labor Question
Discuss Readings:
-
Start Dublin
-
Darrow, “Labor Question,” R&P, pp. 69-72.
-
Sombart, “The Democratic Style of Public Life,” R&P, pp. 113-16.
Week of January 21st:
Early Trade Unions
The Knights of Labor/The American Federation of Labor
Dublin Discussion:
-
Finish Dublin.
January 25: Dublin Questions Due
Week of January 28th:
Discuss Readings:
-
Brecher, Prologue and Chapter 1.
-
Manning, R&P, pp. 30-32.
-
“Recruiting Song,” R&P, pp. 33-35.
-
“Initiation Ceremony,” R&P, pp. 88-91.
Week of February 4th:
Mining and Miners
CF&I Archives Day
Reading Discussion:
-
Brecher, Chapter 2.
-
Phillips, R&P, pp. 36-38.
-
Agent for US Immigration Commission, R&P, 106-09.
Week of February 11th:
Working-Class Culture
Steel Mill Tour
Discuss Readings:
-
“Anonymous,” R&P, pp. 92-95.
-
Byington, R&P, pp. 110-13.
-
Williams, R&P. pp.132-35.
Week of February 18th:
The IWW, Part 1.
The IWW, Part 2.
Reading Discussion
-
Brecher, Chapter 3 and 4.
-
Mitchell, R&P. pp. 180-83.
-
Begin Martelle
February 18th: Research Paper Topic Due via E-mail.
Week of February 25th:
Library Day
The Ludlow Massacre
Martelle Discussion:
- Finish Martelle
February 29: Draft Martelle Paper Due.
Week of March 3rd:
Music Day
Martelle Draft Discussion
Reading Discussion:
-
Hill, R&P, p. 117-18.
-
Flynn, R&P, pp. 148-50.
-
Taylor, R&P, 136-38.
Week of March 10th:
World War I and its Aftermath
Welfare Capitalism/Scientific Management
Reading Discussion:
-
Cheney, R&P, pp. 83-86.
-
Ray, R&P, 129-31.
-
O’Connor, R&P, 151-56.
March 14: Final Martelle Paper Due
Week of March 17th:
The Great Depression and a New Deal for American Workers
Black Workers After the Great Migration
Discuss Readings:
-
Brecher, Chapter 5.
-
Muste, R&P, 157-59.
-
Kester, R&P, 160-63.
-
Adamic, R&P, 164-67.
Week of March 24th:
Spring Break
Week of March 29th:
March 31st: Class Canceled
Labor During World War II
Reading Discussion:
-
Begin Lichtenstein
-
Brecher, Chapter 6.
-
Rathborne, R&P, pp. 143-46.
-
Leadbelly, R&P, 177-79.
Week of April 7th:
Labor and the Cold War
Lichtenstein Discussion
April 11: Class Canceled.
April 9: Lichtenstein Answers Due.
-
Finish Lichtenstein
Week of April 12th:
Draft Research Paper Discussion
The New Radicalism
Discuss Readings:
-
Brecher, Chapter 7.
-
Acuna, R&P, pp. 191-94.
-
Hamlin, R&P, pp. 220-23.
-
“Judith Ann,” R&P, pp. 226-29.
-
Begin Ehrenreich
April 14: Draft Research Paper Due via e-mail.
April 16: Written critiques of other students' draft papers due via e-mail.
Week of April 21st:
An hour with Scott Martelle.
Ehrenreich Discussion
Final Exam Paper and Reading Discussion:
-
Finish Ehrenreich
-
Brecher, Chapter 9.
-
Rifkin, R&P, 203-06.
-
Greider, R&P, pp. 242-46.
April 23: Ehrenreich Answers Due