Labor History in NEPA: A Course

Introduction

The history of the United States is more than famous generals or industrialists. The history of the United States is the history of the workers who built this country. Unfortunately, workers and their labor unions barely get a passing mention in most U.S. History textbooks, as noted in the 2015 study by the Albert Shanker Institue (in cooperation with the American Labor Studies Center), and when they were, descriptions were either incomplete picture or a mischaracterization.

This Labor History course aims to set the story straight: to fill in the details of workers contributions and correct misconceptions of how our country got where it is today. With these new insights, you will be prepared to meet the challenges of civic life today.

In the series of modules to follow, we will be investigating different groups of workers in northeastern Pennsylvania: Anthracite Coal Miners, Textile Manufacturing workers, Teachers and a final topic which will be developed as a class. In each case, we will look at:Some of the questions we will be asking:We will also be placing the local events in a larger context, relating them to other national events of the time as well as looking at their relationship to current events and struggles locally, nationally and globally.

We will be studying the work of labor historians as well as examining primary documents, oral histories, songs, poems, artwork, literature and memorials.

We will also be contributing to the scholarship through the creation of class projects and individual or group projects. Throughout the class you will practice:Let's begin!
 

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