Cannon Mills and Kannapolis : persistent paternalism in a textile town / Timothy W. Vanderburg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vanderburg, Timothy W.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Textile industry--North Carolina--Kannapolis--History.

Textile industry.

Paternalism--North Carolina--Kannapolis.

Paternalism.

Kannapolis (N.C.)--Social conditions--20th century.

Kannapolis (N.C.).

Cannon Mills Company--History.

Cannon Mills Company.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (297 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Knoxville : University of Tennessee Press, [2013]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Cannon Mills was once the country's largest manufacturer of household textiles, and in many ways it exemplified the textile industry and paternalism in the postbellum South. At the same time, however, its particular brand of paternalism was much stronger and more enduring than elsewhere, and it remained in place long after most of the industry had transitioned to modern, bureaucratic management. In Cannon Mills and Kannapolis, Tim Vanderburg critically examines the rise of the Cannon Mills textile company and the North Carolina community that grew up around it. Beginning with the founding of the company and the establishment of its mill town by James W. Cannon, the author draws on a wealth of primary sources to show how, under Cannon's paternalism, workers developed a collective identity and for generations accepted the limits this paternalism placed on their freedom. After exploring the growth and maturation of Cannon Mills against the backdrop of World War I and its aftermath, Vanderburg examines the impact of the Great Depression and World War II and then analyzes the postwar market forces that, along with federal policies and unionization, set in motion the industry's shift from a paternalistic model to bureaucratic authority. The final section of the book traces the decline of paternalism and the eventual decline of Cannon Mills when the death of the founder's son, Charles Cannon, led to three successive sales of the company. Pillowtex, its final owner, filed for bankruptcy and was liquidated in 2003. Vanderburg uses Cannon Mills's intriguing history to help answer some of the larger questions involving industry and paternalism in the postbellum South. Complete with maps and historic photographs, this authoritative, highly readable account of one company and the town it created adds a captivating layer of complexity to our understanding of southern capitalism.

Contents:

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The founding of Cannon Mills and Kannapolis : paternalism established

James William Cannon : early influences and the emergence of a new South industrialist

The founding of Kannapolis : expansion and paternalism

Cannon Mills, Kannapolis, and Blacks : a reflection of racial attitudes in the South

The growth and maturity of Cannon Mills and Kannapolis : paternalism solidifies amid challenges

A time of upheaval : progressivism and World War I

Postwar downturn, labor unrest, and new management

New leadership, market decline, and consolidation

Paternalism expanded : Charles Cannon and welfare work

The Great Depression, the new deal, and Cannon Mills

Cannon Mills in World War II

Cannon Mills and postwar America : market maturity and the loss of brand loyalty

Cannon Mills and operation Dixie

The danger of larger forces : war, imports, and government policies

The decline of Cannon Mills and paternalism

Cannon Mills in the 1960s : the paternalistic firm in a modern world

The civil rights movement, federal interference, and the weakening of paternalism

Cannon Mills after Charles Cannon : new leadership, union vote, and the continuation of paternalism

David Murdock, modern management, and the demise of paternalism

Fieldcrest Cannon, pillowtex, bankruptcy, and the return of David Murdock

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed December 5, 2013).

ISBN:

9781621900276

1621900274

OCLC:

862746869