First published 1992
Bruce Levine explores how German immigrants transformed America's working class in the decades before the Civil War. He focuses on skilled craftsmen who arrived from Germany and became central figures in the nation's economic and political struggles. Levine traces their influence through major labor conflicts like the 1850 New York City tailors' strike and shows how these workers shaped both Democratic and Republican politics. The book connects immigration patterns to industrial growth, class development, and the mounting tensions over slavery that would eventually tear the nation apart. Levine demonstrates how German craft workers participated in land reform movements, free soil campaigns, and labor organizing while facing nativist opposition. His analysis reveals how immigrant experiences intersected with American political divisions and economic changes during this turbulent period. The work illuminates the complex relationships between foreign-born workers and native-born Americans as they navigated questions of labor rights, territorial expansion, and slavery's future.
Genres: historical-fiction, labor, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: America, Germany, New York City
Period: Civil War, Decades Before Civil War
378 pages · Hardcover · University of Illinois Press