The Black Worker During the Era of the National Labor Union

There are several documentary histories of Black America, but The Black Worker: A Documentary History From Colonial Times to the Present represents the first compilation of original materials which encompasses the entire history of Afro-American labor. Since the vast majority of Afro-Americans are, and always have been, "workers," this series fills a crucial gap in our understanding of a hitherto neglected, but highly significant, aspect of the black experience. Consequently, it is hoped that this collection will do for the black working class what John R. Commons, most particularly, did for the white working class in his famous Documentary history of American Industry. Volume 2, The Black Worker During the Era of the National Labor Union begins with the call for a convention of black leaders from around the nation to meet in Washington D.C., in December 1869, for the purpose of organizing a counterpart to the white-dominated National Labor Union. The association which emerged from this meeting, the Colored National Labor Union, represented the first confederation of black trade unions. Even though it did not last more than a few years, the CNLU conventions are of considerable historical significance because the assembled black leaders voiced the local concerns of their communities. Therefore, these conventions provide an excellent sounding board for the hopes and fears of black America. Moreover, along with the local and state labor meetings, which also are reproduced in this volume, the proceedings of the CNLU, available here for the first time, reveal the nature and scope of activism among black workers during the 1870s, a decade of complex cross-currents in the labor movement, and a period of economic and political turmoil in the nation at large. Vol. 2 explores the intricate race relations between black & white workers, who sometimes cooperated, but all too frequently found themselves in conflict. The documents are presented with introductions & notes.