Leon M. Despres

Henry Rosemont, a printer and labor activist/historian, explores many crucial but little-known aspects of American labor history in this collection of his articles. America's First Strike covers the role of Benjamin Franklin in the Philadelphia printers' strike of 1786; his influence on organized labor; the early union printers' support for the abolition of slavery; their leadership in the U.S. labor movement overall; and other issues such as the problem of technology and important labor battles like the Haymarket affair of 1886, the 1938-40 Newspaper Guild strike, and the Chicago newspaper strike of 1947-49. Dave Roediger wrote the introduction, and former Chicago 5th Ward alderman Leon Despres contributed a note about Rosemont, who was a personal acquaintance.