Search results for "tag:"Author Andrew E. Kersten""

Book SynopsisBefore the emergence of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., there were several key leaders who fought for civil rights in the United States. Among them was A. Philip Randolph, who perhaps best embodied the hopes, ideals, and aspirations of black Americans. Born in the South at the start of the Jim Crow era, Randolph was by his thirtieth birthday a prime mover in the movement to expand civil, social, and economic rights in America. A Socialist and a radical, Randolph devoted his life to energizing the black masses into collective action. He successfully organized the all-black Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and led the March on Washington Movement during the Second World War. In this engaging new book, historian Andrew E. Kersten explores Randolph''s significant influences and accomplishments as both a labor and civil rights leader. Kersten pays particular attention to Randolph''s political philosophy, his involvement in the labor and civil rights movements, and his dedication to improving the lives of American workers.Trade ReviewAndrew Kersten's A. Philip Randolph: A Life in the Vanguard accomplishes its goals to an exceptional degree. In clear, often eloquent, prose Kersten relates the essentials of Randolph's life and achievements. Kersten's sympathetic, but not uncritical, portrait is grounded in the extensive primary sources and recent scholarly studies without being overwhelmed by them. For the interested general reader and the discerning undergraduate, Kersten's Randolph should be the biography of choice. -- John H. Bracey Jr., University of Massachusetts, AmherstThis very fine biography of A. Philip Randolph reminds us that the roots of the 20th century civil rights movement are found as much in the urban North as in the rural South. Andrew Kersten never lets us forget that Randolph proved such a successful tribune because he faithfully advanced the aspirations of a restless, multiracial working class, within the world of Pullman service and without. -- Nelson Lichtenstein, director of the Center for Work, Labor and Democracy at the University of California, Santa BarbaraTable of ContentsForeword Chapter 1: From Preacher Son to Socialist Radical: Randolph's Formative Years in Florida and New York City Chapter 2: A Union Revolution: The Creation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Chapter 3: When Negroes Don't March: A. Philip Randolph and the Power of Protest Politics during World War II Chapter 4: Unfinished Business: Randolph's Civil Rights Struggles During the Cold War Chapter 5: The 1963 March on Washington: Randolph's Finest Hour Afterword Documents Bibliographic Essay

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Book SynopsisA history of the American Federation of Labor, which played a key role in wartime production and was a major actor in the contentious relationship between the state, organized labor, and the working class in the 1940s.Trade Review;One often hears that labor history’s halcyon days have passed, but Kerstens balanced and readable study provides a potent example for how the field might be revitalized. * American Historical Review *Labors Home Front is an outstanding contribution. Balanced and fair-minded, Kerstens richly documented account puts the AFL at the center of wartime labor relations and domestic history generally. . . . Kersten also sheds new light on the key role of the AFL in the emergence of social democratic liberalism during the era of World War II. -- Robert H. Zieger,University of FloridaLabor's Home Front is the work of a careful and thorough historian. Kersten establishes the centrality of the often neglected American Federation of Labor to the story of labor's uphill efforts during World War II to breathe life into the lofty ideals embodied in the Four Freedoms. He skillfully weaves his case studieson gender, race, union rivalries, safety, the open shop, and postwar planninginto a narrative fully attentive to the evolution of the Federation's ideology and politics, poignantly conveying the spirit of sacrifice and suffering without romanticizing his subjects. This is a genuinely important book. -- Eric Arnesen,author of Brotherhoods of Color: Black Railroad Workers and the Struggle for Equality;Kersten boldly goes where few historians have gone beforeand it’s about time. . . . Zeroing in on significant issues including wartime labor relations, race and gender discrimination, and postwar planning, Kersten provides ample evidence of both change and continuity. * Journal of American History *Highlights a crucial time in the union movement’s history * Labor Studies Journal *Table of ContentsPreface: Labor's Grave Hour1 The Politics of "Equality of Sacri?ce": The AFL and Wartime Labor Relations 2 Putting the Shackles on Labor: The AFL and the Fight Against the Open Shop 3 Building Ships for Democracy: The AFL, the Boilermakers, and Wartime Racial Justice in Portland and Providence 4 "Under the Stress of Necessity": Women and the AFL5 Union Against Union: The AFL and CIO Rivalry 6 Death in the Factories: Worker Safety and the AFL7 Planning America's Future: The AFL and Postwar Planning Epilogue: Labor's Moment NotesA Note on Sources Index About the Author

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