Reinventing free labor : padrones and immigrant workers in the North American West, 1880-1930 / Gunther Peck.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Peck, Gunther

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Padrone system--North America--History.

Padrone system.

Railroad construction workers.

History.

Mexican Americans--Employment.

Mexican Americans.

Italian Americans--Employment.

Italian Americans.

Miners.

Greek Americans.

Foreign workers, Mexican.

Foreign workers, Italian.

Foreign workers, Greek.

Right to labor.

Emigration and immigration.

North America--Emigration and immigration--History.

North America.

Right to labor--North America--History.

Foreign workers, Greek--North America--History.

Foreign workers, Italian--North America--History.

Foreign workers, Mexican--North America--History.

Greek Americans--Employment--West (U.S.)--History.

Miners--West (U.S.)--History.

Italian Americans--Employment--History.

Mexican Americans--Employment--History.

Railroad construction workers--North America--History.

Physical Description:

xiii, 293 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Padrone and immigrant workers in the North American West, 1880-1930

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Summary:

One of the most infamous villains in North America during the Progressive Era was the padrone, a mafia-like immigrant boss who allegedly enslaved his compatriots and kept them uncivilized, unmanly, and unfree. In this first-ever history of the padrone, Gunther Peck argues that they were not primitive men but rather thoroughly modern entrepreneurs who used corporations, the labor contract, and the right to quit to create far-flung coercive networks. Drawing on Greek, Spanish, and Italian language sources, Peck analyzes how immigrant workers emancipated themselves using the tools of padrone power to their own advantage.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 248-278) and index.

ISBN:

0521641608

0521778190

OCLC:

41096221