July 1863 marked a turning point in the Civil War. In the east, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia met defeat at Gettysburg, while in the west Vicksburg fell, dividing the Confederacy. Hoosier eyes, however, were focused closer to home, as Confederate cavalry under General John Hunt Morgan crossed the Ohio River in hopes of diverting Union troops and attention.Follow General John Hunt Morgan's raid through the eyes of contemporary reports in southern Indiana newspapers. As editors rep...

In this new edition of Why Unions Matter, Michael D. Yates shows why unions still matter. Unions mean better pay, benefits, and working conditions for their members; they force employers to treat employees with dignity and respect; and at their best, they provide a way for workers to make society both more democratic and egalitarian. Yates uses simple language, clear data, and engaging examples to show why workers need unions, how unions are formed, how they operate, how collective ...

The economic crisis has created a host of problems for working people: collapsing wages, lost jobs, ruined pensions, and the anxiety that comes with not knowing what tomorrow willbring. Compounding all this is a lack of reliable information that speaks to the realities of workers. Commentators and pundits seem more confused than anyone, and economists—the so-called "experts"—still cling to bankrupt ideologies that failed to predict the crisis and offer nothing to explain it.

An analysis of how the working class can mobilize as a force for change in the present dayOne of the horrors of the capitalist system is that slave labor, which was central to the formation and growth of capitalism itself, is still fully able to coexist alongside wage labor. But, as Karl Marx points out, it is the fact of being paid for one's work that validates capitalism as a viable socio-economic structure. Beneath this veil of “free commerce” – where workers ar...

A potent glimpse into the behind-the-scenes workplace control mechanisms which prevent workers from defending themselves from exploitationFor most economists, labor is simply a commodity, bought and sold in markets like any other – and what happens after that is not their concern. Individual prospective workers offer their services to individual employers, each acting solely out of self-interest and facing each other as equals. The forces of demand and supply opera...

In this new edition of Why Unions Matter, Michael D. Yates shows why unions still matter. Unions mean better pay, benefits, and working conditions for their members; they force employers to treat employees with dignity and respect; and at their best, they provide a way for workers to make society both more democratic and egalitarian. Yates uses simple language, clear data, and engaging examples to show why workers need unions, how unions are formed, how they operate, how c...

Early essays by a legendary freedom fighter and Indian intellectual“The state, the government machinery is just a weapon in the hands of the ruling class to further and safeguard its interest. We want to snatch and handle it to utilize it for the consummation of our ideal, that is, social reconstruction on a new, that is, Marxist, basis.” – Bhagat SinghThe young martyr Bhagat Singh is a legend of the Indian anti-colonial struggle. He was not just a man of a...

The economic crisis has created a host of problems for working people: collapsing wages, lost jobs, ruined pensions, and the anxiety that comes with not knowing what tomorrow willbring. Compounding all this is a lack of reliable information that speaks to the realities of workers. Commentators and pundits seem more confused than anyone, and economists—the so-called "experts"—still cling to bankrupt ideologies that failed to predict the crisis and offer nothing to explain it.In this ...

In early 2011, the nation was stunned to watch Wisconsin’sstate capitol in Madison come under sudden and unexpectedoccupation by union members and their allies. The proteststo defend collective bargaining rights were militant and practicallyunheard of in this era of declining union power. Nearlyforty years of neoliberalism and the most severe economiccrisis since the Great Depression have battered the labormovement, and workers have been lar...

In early 2011, the nation was stunned to watch Wisconsinsstate capitol in Madison come under sudden and unexpectedoccupation by union members and their allies. The proteststo defend collective bargaining rights were militant and practicallyunheard of in this era of declining union power. Nearlyforty years of neoliberalism and the most severe economiccrisis since the Great Depression have battered the labormovement, and workers have been largely complacent in theface of stagnant wages, slas...

While the Civil Rights Movement is remembered for efforts to end segregation and secure the rights of African Americans, the larger economic vision that animated much of the movement is often overlooked today. That vision sought economic justice for every person in the United States, regardless of race. It favored production for social use instead of profit; social ownership; and democratic control over major economic decisions. The document that best captured this vision was the Freedom B...

While the Civil Rights Movement is remembered for efforts to end segregation and secure the rights of African Americans, the larger economic vision that animated much of the movement is often overlooked today. That vision sought economic justice for every person in the United States, regardless of race. It favored production for social use instead of profit; social ownership; and democratic control over major economic decisions. The document that best captured this vision was the Fre...