BackStory with the American History Guys » employment http://backstoryradio.org VFH Radio at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:40:59 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Public radio that explores the historical context of todays news. BackStory with the American History Guys no BackStory with the American History Guys vafh-web@virginia.edu vafh-web@virginia.edu (BackStory with the American History Guys) Copyright Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, All rights reserved. VFH Radio at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities history, ed ayers, brian baloah, peter onuf, vfh, humanities, BackStory with the American History Guys » employment http://backstory.vfhblogs.org/files/powerpress/backstory_144.jpg http://backstoryradio.org Looking for Work: A History of Unemployment http://backstoryradio.org/looking-for-work-a-history-of-unemployment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=looking-for-work-a-history-of-unemployment http://backstoryradio.org/looking-for-work-a-history-of-unemployment/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:38:16 +0000 VFHwebdev http://www.backstoryradio.org/?p=356 "Work Promotes Confidence," WPA Poster Collection, Library of Congress Prints & PhotosThree years into the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, almost one in ten Americans is still out-of-work. In many parts of the country, the situation is even worse.

On this special Labor Day episode, the History Guys ask what joblessness has meant for previous generations of Americans. How has the changing nature of employment shaped the experience of not having a job? Have the moral connotations of work evolved?

Over the course of the hour, we hear from historian Alexander Keyssar, take calls from BackStory listeners, and hear an imagined testimonial from an itinerant worker in the “New Northwest” at the turn of the 20th century.

Full Transcript

Guests Include:

Show Highlights

  • Measuring Unemployment — Historian Alexander Keyssar explains how the unemployed were counted and uncounted–acknowledged and unacknowledged–in the 19th and 20th centuries.
  • The Great Migration – William Brown moved north from Jacksonville, FL, during the Great Migration. He describes what happened when he asked a Philadelphia real estate agent for a job. Discussion of challenges for African Americans looking for work in the early 20th century.

Audio Slide Show

Looking for Work in the New Northwest Imagine it’s Seattle, 1910, and you’re a new arrival from back East. You find your way down to Skid Row, where you hear you might be able to get work for the day on a lumber crew. No such luck–but what you do find is a grizzled old man who buys you a drink and launches into the story of how he wound up out of work in the New Northwest.

Cited Resources

Further Reading

Want to dig deeper into the history of unemployment? Check out this list of resources compiled by the History Guys to learn more.

SPECIAL TREAT!!!

Watch a rare, live performance of “Looking for Work” at UVa’s Miller Center of Public Affairs.

eighthnoteListing of the music heard in “Looking for Work”
]]> http://backstoryradio.org/looking-for-work-a-history-of-unemployment/feed/ 25 Alex Keyssar,backstory live show,census,employment,great migration,immigrant,job,Labor Day,labor history,migrant,new northwest,unemployment With unemployment at its highest level in 25 years, we're taking on the history of Americans between jobs. When did the concept of "unemployment" arise in the first place? Are people more or less attached to their jobs than they used to be? (http://backstoryradio.org/files/2009/05/work-promotes-confidence.jpg)Three years into the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, almost one in ten Americans is still out-of-work. In many parts of the country, the situation is even worse. On this special Labor Day episode, the History Guys ask what joblessness has meant for previous generations of Americans. How has the changing nature of employment shaped the experience of not having a job? Have the moral connotations of work evolved? Over the course of the hour, we hear from historian Alexander Keyssar (http://www.hks.harvard.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/alex-keyssar), take calls from BackStory listeners, and hear an imagined testimonial from an itinerant worker in the "New Northwest" at the turn of the 20th century. Full Transcript Guests Include: * Alexander Keyssar - historian, author of Out of Work: The first century of unemployment in Massachusetts Show Highlights * Measuring Unemployment -- Historian Alexander Keyssar explains how the unemployed were counted and uncounted--acknowledged and unacknowledged--in the 19th and 20th centuries. * The Great Migration (http://backstoryradio.org/2010/10/the-great-migration/) -- William Brown moved north from Jacksonville, FL, during the Great Migration. He describes what happened when he asked a Philadelphia real estate agent for a job. Discussion of challenges for African Americans looking for work in the early 20th century. Audio Slide Show (http://backstoryradio.org/files/2009/07/LOC-two-hobos-214x300.jpg)Looking for Work in the New Northwest Imagine it's Seattle, 1910, and you're a new arrival from back East. You find your way down to Skid Row, where you hear you might be able to get work for the day on a lumber crew. No such luck--but what you do find is a grizzled old man who buys you a drink and launches into the story of how he wound up out of work in the New Northwest. Cited Resources * Alex Keyssar's book,  Out of Work: The First Century of Unemployment in Massachusetts (http://books.google.com/books?id=Ak5MgBXyLD8C&dq=out+of+work+keyssar&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=b-G8uGo7yH&sig=qHOuj2y3dsl0CAAxsea1REt7-Lo&hl=en&ei=nxJqSpTaM478MezLhNAM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1), and a review (http://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/04/books/paperbacks-laid-off-in-good-times-and-bad.html?scp=2&sq=keyssar&st=cse) * Entire audio from oral history "Goin' North: Tales of the Great Migration" (http://www.talkinghistory.org/hardy.html) * Transcript (http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/3312) of FDR's fireside chat "On the Unemployment Census" Further Reading Want to dig deeper into the history of unemployment? Check out this list of resources (http://backstoryradio.org/looking-for-work-further-reading/) compiled by the History Guys to learn more. SPECIAL TREAT!!! Watch (http://millercenter.org/public/forum/detail/4901) a rare, live performance of "Looking for Work" at UVa's Miller Center of Public Affairs. (http://backstoryradio.org/files/2009/01/eighthnote.jpg)Listing (../2009/03/backstory-show-tunes/) of the music heard in "Looking for Work" BackStory with the American History Guys no 54:43 "Aliens" in America http://backstoryradio.org/aliens-frominner-space-outsiders-in-america/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aliens-frominner-space-outsiders-in-america http://backstoryradio.org/aliens-frominner-space-outsiders-in-america/#comments Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:17:32 +0000 cm6ay http://www.virginiafoundation.org/vfhradio/backstory/wordpress/?p=74 aliens.jpgIn a country populated by immigrants, why are Americans so wary of newcomers? What’s the difference between the nativism of the early Republic and and the anti-immigrant sentiment on talk radio today? How do we draw the line between “us” and “them?” Historian Mae Ngai explains that the door slammed shut in the the 1920s. Frank Morris of the Center for Immigration Studies discusses historic tensions between immigrant laborers and African-Americans. And immigration lawyer Stan Braverman says that inscrutable legislation passed in the 1990s has taken the fun out of the job.

Show Highlights

  • Open Doors, Back Doors — In a country populated by immigrants, why are Americans so wary of newcomers? Historian Mae Ngai explains that the door slammed shut in the the 1920s.
  • African Americans & Immigration — Frank Morris of the Center for Immigration Studies discusses historic tensions between immigrant laborers and African-Americans.

Related Links:

Read the introduction of Mae Ngai’s book.

What’s the difference between immigration now and 100 years ago?

Learn more about the conflicts between African-Americans and recent immigrants.

]]> http://backstoryradio.org/aliens-frominner-space-outsiders-in-america/feed/ 13 african american history,american identity,asian-americans,citizenship,constitution,economic history,employment,great migration,immigration,nativism,political history,population growth In a country populated by immigrants, why are Americans so wary of newcomers? What's the difference between the nativism of the early Republic and and the anti-immigrant sentiment on talk radio today? How do we draw the line between "us" and "them? (http://backstoryradio.org/files/2008/08/aliens.jpg)In a country populated by immigrants, why are Americans so wary of newcomers? What's the difference between the nativism of the early Republic and and the anti-immigrant sentiment on talk radio today? How do we draw the line between "us" and "them?" Historian Mae Ngai explains that the door slammed shut in the the 1920s. Frank Morris of the Center for Immigration Studies discusses historic tensions between immigrant laborers and African-Americans. And immigration lawyer Stan Braverman says that inscrutable legislation passed in the 1990s has taken the fun out of the job. Show Highlights * Open Doors, Back Doors -- In a country populated by immigrants, why are Americans so wary of newcomers? Historian Mae Ngai explains that the door slammed shut in the the 1920s. * African Americans & Immigration -- Frank Morris of the Center for Immigration Studies discusses historic tensions between immigrant laborers and African-Americans. Related Links: Read (http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/i7633.html) the introduction of Mae Ngai's book. What's the difference (http://hnn.us/articles/49469.html) between immigration now and 100 years ago? Learn more (http://www.cis.org/articles/2007/back207.html) about the conflicts between African-Americans and recent immigrants. BackStory with the American History Guys no 53:00 American Idle: A History of Leisure http://backstoryradio.org/american-idle-a-history-of-leisure-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=american-idle-a-history-of-leisure-2 http://backstoryradio.org/american-idle-a-history-of-leisure-2/#comments Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:00:56 +0000 cm6ay http://www.virginiafoundation.org/vfhradio/backstory/wordpress/?p=95 American IdleT-G-I-F — four of the most beloved letters in the alphabet… but who’d be thankful if Saturday weren’t a day off? In fact, it wasn’t officially part of the American weekend until 1940 (although “St. Monday” was often reserved for nursing hangovers). In this episode: The history of time-off. When did leisure become something for the masses? What are the origins of the weekend? And why does relaxation involve so much…work? Cindy Aron reveals the beginnings of the modern American vacation, and Tom Lutz provides a cultural history of slacking.


Show Highlights

Working at Play
Historian Cindy Aron discusses the origins of the modern American vacation. She explains why traveling to the beach didn’t used to be appealing, and why Americans have often preferred “self improvement” vacations to lazing around in a hammock.

Related Links

Listen to more commentary from Cindy Aron on the history of vacations on NPR’s All Things Considered

Read a sample of Tom Lutz’s Doing Nothing: A History of Loafers, Loungers, Slackers, and Bums in America

Hey BackStory fans–we’re not thrilled with this explanation of “blue laws.” Do you have a better one (even a guess)? Leave a comment!

Colonial games

]]> http://backstoryradio.org/american-idle-a-history-of-leisure-2/feed/ 4 employment,holiday,labor movement,progressive era,social history,unions,vacation,workers' rights T-G-I-F — four of the most beloved letters in the alphabet… but who’d be thankful if Saturday weren’t a day off? In fact, it wasn’t officially part of the American weekend until 1940 (although “St. Monday” was often reserved for nursing hangovers). (http://backstoryradio.org/files/2008/07/leisure1.jpg)T-G-I-F — four of the most beloved letters in the alphabet… but who’d be thankful if Saturday weren’t a day off? In fact, it wasn’t officially part of the American weekend until 1940 (although “St. Monday” was often reserved for nursing hangovers). In this episode: The history of time-off. When did leisure become something for the masses? What are the origins of the weekend? And why does relaxation involve so much...work? Cindy Aron reveals the beginnings of the modern American vacation, and Tom Lutz provides a cultural history of slacking. Show Highlights Working at Play (http://www.backstoryradio.org/2009/05/working-at-play/) Historian Cindy Aron discusses the origins of the modern American vacation. She explains why traveling to the beach didn’t used to be appealing, and why Americans have often preferred “self improvement” vacations to lazing around in a hammock. Related Links Listen (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105545388) to more commentary from Cindy Aron on the history of vacations on NPR's All Things Considered Read a sample of Tom Lutz's Doing Nothing: A History of Loafers, Loungers, Slackers, and Bums in America Hey BackStory fans--we're not thrilled with this explanation (http://www.snopes.com/language/colors/bluelaws.asp) of "blue laws." Do you have a better one (even a guess)? Leave a comment! Colonial games (http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/Foundation/journal/Spring08/ball.cfm) BackStory with the American History Guys no 52:59