Labor History

On the Laps of the Gods

Posted on by mkaustin221

On the Laps of the Gods by Robert Whitaker is a harrowing tale of racial violence that began when black sharecroppers decided to join together in Arkansas in 1919. Local white landlords had been ripping them off for years, when the sharecroppers worked out a feasible and distinctly non-violent plan to help get themselves paid what they were owed in a year when profits were expected to be very high. The pelting, horrific white-on-black violence that resulted turned the victims into villains; and the ensuing legal travesty unleashed yet more violence.

It is particularly disturbing to realize that this bold, murderous attack barely seems to rate a footnote in American history. Robert Whitaker has done a great service by bringing this terrifying saga to the forefront. He painfully illustrates that the initial mob violence was only the starting point. After that the white community as a whole joined together to throw due process out the window and to make victims pay. It was stunning to see how even the prosecutor who knew he had no case against the sharecroppers, nonetheless doggedly performed what he perceived to be his “duty.”

Just as Whitaker makes sure we get the full flavor and impact of this horrific display of civilly sanctioned murder, he also improbably provides a local hero in the form of Scipio Africanus Jones, a local black attorney. Jones was indefatigable, brave, daring and imaginative. It is as if this one case called upon everything he had ever learned and every helpful relationship he had ever fostered. The way in which he proceeded to change the law is stunning and beyond heroic.

For those of us who are lawyers or who like legal strategy, this book is unparalleled. Whitaker lays out the remarkable way in which one brilliant lawyer who refused to quit could change the legal landscape of the country. One argument led to another and when one path was cut off, another was found. One only wishes it could happen like this more often.

In the Laps of the Gods presents a gripping and essential piece of American history, and Robert Whitaker writes it brilliantly. I am so glad I read In the Laps of the Gods. I needed to know about what happened in Arkansas in 1919 and thereafter. It can’t be forgotten or shrouded and longer. I highly recommend this book.

The Aspirin Age — 1919/1941

Posted on by mkaustin221

The Aspirin Age is simply fantastic. Isabel Leighton presents eclectic essays by wonderful writers who cover some of the hottest topics and players from the period between World Wars I and II. Obvious subjects such as Versailles, Sacco and Vanzetti, the Depression and Pearl Harbor are discussed succinctly and brilliantly.

I was even more taken by the essays on less events and individuals, such as Aimee Semple McPherson, the charismatic conwoman/preacher who led a scandalous life, hogged the headlines and collected millions of dollars from her devoted followers. I particularly loved Gene Tunney’s thoughtful essay on how he developed his strategy for beating the brilliant heavyweight boxer Jack Dempsey. Keith Munro’a piece on the phenomenon of the Dionne Quintuplets was great fun and, like the pieces on McPherson and Lindbergh, provides bemused insight on the creation and fostering of celebrity.

For presidential history fans, there are great treatments of the brazen corruption that flourished under the hopelessly unqualified President Warren Harding. Even better was Irving Stone’s essay on Calvin Coolidge, “A Study in Inertia.” “Huey Long: American Dictator” is another brilliant and highly timely piece. Corruption is nothing new, but these pieces delve into the particularities of the period.

On a more idealistic note, Roscoe Drummond’s piece, “Wendell Wilkie: A Study in Courage” is a tribute to a politician who courageously chose to do what he believed was right for the country, even though it meant losing a presidential election. I didn’t know much about Wilkie previously and was really moved by Drummond’s admiration for an heroic figure.

ˆThe Aspirin Age” is ideal, both for history buffs who are familiar with the period and for folks who aren’t so familiar with the period, but want to get some idea of what happened between the two World Wars. By focusing on some of the most noted and notorious individuals of the day, Leighton provides a highly entertaining and informative smorgasbord, while at the same time offering a reasonably comprehensive overview of the time.

I believe this wonderful book is out of print, but happily I was able to find a reasonably priced used book on line, and I am so glad I did!

An Excellent Mystery Set in 19th Century England

Posted on by mkaustin221

Chris Nickson’s Gods of Gold is a wonderfully atmospheric murder mystery set in Leeds, England in 1890. Tom Harper is a police detective who has aspirations for upward mobility and personal happiness — he is engaged to Annabelle Atkinson, a young widow entrepreneur, who clearly deserves her own mystery series.

However, Gods of Gold belongs to Tom Harper, who tries to find a missing girl and solve some nasty murders in the face of political corruption and a nasty labor strike. Despite power brokers who are more concerned with the controlling the strike and preserving their particular version of “the peace,” Harper keeps working his cases and trying to find the girl. He may not be brilliant, but he has worked his way up to a good position. Risk aversion is alien to many murder mystery detectives, so it is interesting to see how Harper nudges and works the system and tries to stay out of too much trouble. He takes risks, but he also attempts to manage those risks, both to himself and to those around him. Incidentally, the characters around Harper are particularly well written — the supporting cast is strong.

Gods of Gold offers police work in a different age. Class distinctions are important, and forensic science has barely scratched the surface. Yet the politics of career survival for a detective who wants to triage his own work load rings very true.

Chris Nickson does a magnificent job of describing nineteen century Leeds. The grim poverty presided over by corrupt and “respectable” local power brokers is keenly observed. Still, there is time to appreciate what it meant to be a young man working his way up without benefit of an education. I also loved Annabelle Atkinson, Harper’s fiancée and her ambitions.

I liked this book, and hope to read more Tom Harper books. Gods of Gold is the first of a series of six mysteries, by a very prolific writer who not only writes other detective series, but seems to have spent much of the 1990’s writing celebrity biographies.

Leon Stein’s Epic Book about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire is a Timely Reminder of How Poor Women Suffer When Rich Male Employers Make Their Own Rules

Posted on by mkaustin221

Leon Stein wrote The Triangle Fire in 1962.  Stein, who died in 1990 was the editor of Justice, the official publication of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union.  

The Triangle Fire recounts the horrific story of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire, when 123 young women and 23 men died in a New York sweatshop that had locked doors and utterly inadequate escape routes.  This is a very timely book.  This kind of tragedy is what happens when employers of defenseless and desperate poor women ignore fire laws (which weren’t all that great anyway) and lock their employees into their workplace, just to maintain complete control and perhaps make a few more dollars.  While industrial accidents are scarcely unknown in this country, they happen regularly and often on a much larger scale in third world countries where so many of our clothes, electronics and other consumer goods are made.  (William Greider’s excellent introduction to The Triangle Fire does an excellent job of recounting some of these more recent tragedies.)

 Stronger unions, better fire laws and arguably better fire enforcement all ensued after the Triangle Fire, but the fire didn’t need to happen and all those workers certainly didn’t need to die.  Ironically, Stein writes that because of the way the owners were permitted to overinsure their buildings, they may well have profited from the fire.  The sad fact remains that 146 immigrant women, mostly Jewish and Italians, were killed  — many of them by jumping out the windows of the sweatshop to avoid being burned to death.

This book is a strong reminder that workers need protection from their bosses, who cannot be relied upon to put safety first.  Safety regulations, effective enforcement and constant vigilance are required to prevent industrial tragedies.  Unfortunately the strong anti-government, anti-regulatory fervor that has gripped Washington doesn’t bode well for protecting our workers, and this country’s current leadership has given no indication whatsoever that it cares about the safety of American workers, much less the safety of third world workers who make so many of our products.  To the contrary, the focus seems to be on freeing the rich of all those nasty curbs on their freedom to get richer on the backs of everyone else.

This is a relatively short and very clear book.  I recommend it because it tells an important story about one of this country’s most disastrous industrial tragedies and because it reminds us how vulnerable this country’s workers still are.