Free Labor: The Civil War and the Making of an American Working Class

Abstract

The subtitle of this study evokes E. P. Thompson’s classic 1960s work, The Making of the English Working Class. Mark A. Lause draws on Thompson’s contention that a working class is not constituted by individuals holding a subset of occupations but rather is created as workers develop a consciousness of their position in society and take actions to defend and promote their distinct interests. Lause posits the centrality of the Civil War in shaping American workers’ consciousness. However, his deeply researched study leads to a conclusion seemingly at variance with the title’s promise. Lause emphasizes unique socioeconomic circumstances in the United States and cites labor leader Samuel Gompers, who epitomized narrow craft unionism, to conclude that post–Civil War Americans were capable of class feelings—solidarity within limited segments of the labor force—but not a broad working-class consciousness. Lause’s conclusion is not innovative. Nevertheless, a journey through Free Labor’s strengths and weaknesses may remind readers of a rollercoaster ride that is worth taking.