In this study of Birmingham's iron and steel workers; Henry McKiven unravels the complex connections between race relations and class struggle that shaped the city's social and economic order. He also traces the links between the process of class formation and the practice of community building and neighborhood politics. According to McKiven; the white men who moved to Birmingham soon after its founding to take jobs as skilled iron workers shared a free labor ideology that emphasized opportunity and equality between white employees and management at the expense of less skilled black laborers. But doubtful of their employers' commitment to white supremacy; they formed unions to defend their position within the racial order of the workplace. This order changed; however; when advances in manufacturing technology created more semiskilled jobs and broadened opportunities for black workers. McKiven shows how these race and class divisions also shaped working-class life away from the plant; as workers built neighborhoods and organized community and political associations that reinforced bonds of skill; race; and ethnicity.
#258346 in Books 2015-11-13 2015-11-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.29 x .91 x 6.17l; 1.10 #File Name: 0807160504248 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Brilliant; original analysis of powerBy Michael RalphBrilliant; original analysis of power; religion; and politics in New Orleans. I have long used Kodi Roberts' work in my classes. So; I am grateful to see it developed even further with grace and theoretical acumen. A must-read for scholars of the African diaspora; religion; and US history.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy dwExceeded expectations.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Roberts has done a great job in systematically explaining the times as they wereBy Marion Garner WagnerThis book explains the dynamics of religion and power in NOLA. I did not understand how or why Blacks would choose to teach Whites about the very system that would protect them against harm from Whites. Now I understand that the society in NOLA was unique between Creoles and White in NOLA. I do not believe a relationship of this kind existed between the races anywhere else in the United States at this time in history. Prof. Roberts has done a great job in systematically explaining the times as they were. A great book for any student of history!
