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4.5
Men Is Cheap tells a tale of due to the Civil War were used as pawns in the name of wage labor and free capitol. Each of the six chapters are strong enough to be on their own, yet Luskey effortlessly brings together how many prevented free labor and free opportunity for many throughout the conflict. This masterful historian tells the story that people during the Civil War were many times nothing more than a valuable currency that allowed capitol to flow and helped the United States to victory.A good example of how Luskey goes beyond the norms in writing about this time period can be found in his chapter about Bargains Worse than Fraudulent. He developed the persuasive argument that business people and poor working labor desperately sought ways to find safe employment and economic opportunities as sources of credit and capitol became difficult to obtain. Individuals found that being a middleman enabled a few to be able to make money, accumulate wealth and allow a limited number of people to become independent during a time that most were dependent for their life and survival.Those willing to explore this excellent historian’s persuasively argued insights, will have those complicated ideas raised and leave with a more extensive understanding of the war and men’s greed to maintain a way of life and prevent opportunities and forward thinking for many. The writing represents a diverse demographic of different of men, women, rich, middle class, Republicans, Democrats, abolitionists, managerial class, immigrants, African Americans, entrepreneurs and their opinions about the war, business, deception, politics, family and, and life.The author soured archives from across the nation to ferret out heretofore unknown or little-used resources to tell the story of how many individuals took advantage of the war and prevented free labor and complete equality for many former enslaved people and immigrants. Luskey used an abundance of different primary and secondary sources to develop and provide a complete and detailed narrative on an economic and political system that helped the North win the Civil War and become a world economic giant. The author is to be commended for the numerous antidotal stories from many individuals, soldiers, women, immigrants, African Americans, business people and politicians from both that greatly helped the story.Exposing the Frauds of Free Labor in Civil War America examines and insightfully tackles Luskey’s argument that following the conflict Freedmen needed the support of the Freedmen’s Bureau to gain employment and to remain secure in a region that with the Black Codes, the rise of the KKK and a U.S. President; Andrew Johnson, was hostile toward their economic independence. This monograph offers a fresh, innovative, and quite readable account of this important and look at “a rich man’s war, and a poor man’s fight” from the perspective of race, gender, age, and class.The authors use of illustrations is very effective. Luskey skillfully uses his sources for lively details and draws notable character illuminations that helps makes story to come to life and become more understandable for the non-academic. For the student as well as the armchair buff. Students and history buffs will savor this suggestive study.UNC Press has provided twenty images that enrich this tome. Included in this 304-page manuscript, is a compelling conclusion, notes, an excellent and helpful bibliography and an index. The author has done a great service to Civil War scholarship.This reviewer recommends this well written, fast paced, and important new title.
