In the early 20th century, immigration, labor unrest, social reforms and government regulations threatened the power of the country's largest employers. The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company of Manchester, New Hampshire, remained successful by controlling its workforce, the local media, and local and state government. When a 1912 strike in nearby Lawrence, Massachusetts, threatened to bring the Industrial Workers of the World union to Manchester, the company sought to reassert its influence. Amoskeag worked to promote company pride and to Americanize its many foreign-born workers through benevolence programs, including a baseball club. Textile Field, the most advanced stadium in New England outside of Boston when it was built in 1913, was the centerpiece of this effort. Results were mixed--the company found itself at odds with social movements and new media outlets, and Textile Field became a magnet for conflict with all of professional baseball.

The inspiring story of the 13 courageous Black men who integrated the U.S. Navy during World War II—leading desegregation efforts across America and anticipating the civil rights movement. Featuring previously unpublished material from the U.S. Navy, this little-known history of forgotten civil rights heroes uncovers the racism within the military and the fight to serve. Through oral histories and original interviews with surviving family members, Dan Goldberg brings thirteen forgotten heroes away from the margins of history and into the spotlight. He reveals the opposition these men faced: the racist pseudo-science, the regular condescension, the repeated epithets, the verbal abuse and even violence. Despite these immense challenges, the Golden Thirteen persisted—understanding the power of integration, the opportunities for black Americans if they succeeded, and the consequences if they failed. Until 1942, black men in the Navy could hold jobs only as cleaners and cooks. The Navy reluctantly decided to select the first black men to undergo officer training in 1944, after enormous pressure from ordinary citizens and civil rights leaders. These men, segregated and sworn to secrecy, worked harder than they ever had in their lives and ultimately passed their exams with the highest average of any class in Navy history. In March 1944, these sailors became officers, the first black men to wear the gold stripes. Yet even then, their fight wasn’t over: white men refused to salute them, refused to eat at their table, and refused to accept that black men could be superior to them in rank. Still, the Golden Thirteen persevered, determined to hold their heads high and set an example that would inspire generations to come. In the vein of Hidden Figures, The Golden Thirteen reveals the contributions of heroes who were previously lost to history.

In the early 20th century, immigration, labor unrest, social reforms and government regulations threatened the power of the country's largest employers. The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company of Manchester, New Hampshire, remained successful by controlling its workforce, the local media, and local and state government. When a 1912 strike in nearby Lawrence, Massachusetts, threatened to bring the Industrial Workers of the World union to Manchester, the company sought to reassert its influence. Amoskeag worked to promote company pride and to Americanize its many foreign-born workers through benevolence programs, including a baseball club. Textile Field, the most advanced stadium in New England outside of Boston when it was built in 1913, was the centerpiece of this effort. Results were mixed--the company found itself at odds with social movements and new media outlets, and Textile Field became a magnet for conflict with all of professional baseball.

Presents historical photographs and original essays on Hall of Fame players by nine of the country's finest baseball writers.

“Professor Zinn writes with an enthusiasm rarely encountered in the leaden prose of academic history....[His] chapter on Vietnam—bringing to life once again the fire-free zones, secret bombings, massacres, and cover-ups—should be required reading.”—New York Times Book Review Containing just the Twentieth Century chapters from Howard Zinn’s bestselling A People’s History of the United States, this reissue is brought up-to-date with coverage of events and developments since 2001, analyzing such incidents in modern political history such as the Gulf War, the post-Cold War “peace dividend,” and the continuing debate over welfare, the Clinton presidency, and the “war on terrorism.” Highlighting not just the usual terms of presidential administrations and congressional activities, this book provides readers with a “bottom-to-top” perspective, giving voice to our nation’s minorities and letting the stories of such groups as African Americans, women, Native Americans, and the laborers of all nationalities be told in their own words. Challenging traditional interpretations of U.S. history, The Twentieth Century is the book for readers interested in gaining a more realistic and complete picture of our world."