Reinventing Free Labor: Padrones and Immigrant Workers in the North American West, 1880-1930

By Gunther Peck

Book Overview

One of the most infamous villains in North America during the Progressive Era was the padrone, a mafia-like immigrant boss who allegedly enslaved his compatriots and kept them uncivilized, unmanly, and unfree. In this first-ever history of the padrone, Gunther Peck argues that they were not primitive men but rather thoroughly modern entrepreneurs who used corporations, the labor contract, and the right to quit to create far-flung coercive networks. Drawing on Greek, Spanish, and Italian language sources, Peck analyzes how immigrant workers emancipated themselves using the tools of padrone power to their own advantage.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521778190
• ISBN13: 9780521778190
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 332 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Manhood recast

A must-read for anyone interested in immigration history, the history of labor in America (God Bless!) and those fascinated by the real history of organized crime.