New York City Cartmen, 1667-1850

Graham Russell Gao Hodges

Open Access Published by New York University Press 2012

New York City Cartmen, 1667-1850

Graham Russell Gao Hodges

https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479800452.001.0001

Overview
Contents

About this book

The cartmen—unskilled workers who hauled goods on one horsecarts—were perhaps the most important labor group in early American cities. The forerunners of the Teamsters Union, these white-frocked laborers moved almost all of the nation’s possessions, touching the lives of virtually every American. New York City Cartmen, 1667–1850 tells the story of this vital group of laborers. Besides documenting the cartmen’s history, the book also demonstrates the tremendous impact of government intervention into the American economy via the creation of labor laws.

The cartmen possessed a hard-nosed political awareness, and because they transported essential goods, they achieved a status in New York City far above their skills or financial worth. Civic support and discrimination helped the cartmen create a community all their own. The cartmen's culture and their relationship with New York's municipal government are the direct ancestors of the city's fabled taxicab drivers.

But this book is about the city itself. It is a stirring street-level account of the growth of New York, growth made possible by the efforts of the cartmen and other unskilled laborers. Containing 23 black-and-white illustrations, New York City Cartmen is informative reading for social, urban, and labor historians.

Author / Editor information

Hodges Graham Russell Gao :

Graham Russell Gao Hodges, a former New York City cabdriver, is the George Dorland Langdon, Jr., Professor of History and Africana and Latin American Studies at Colgate University. He is the author of many books, including David Ruggles: A Radical Black Abolitionist and the Underground Railroad in New York City.

Reviews

Gary B. Nash,Professor of History, UCLA:
Graham Hodges impressive book lifts the cartmen from historical obscurity and analyzes the economic and political ideology of these preindustrial teamsters with admirable acuity.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
ILLUSTRATIONS Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO FIRST EDITION Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
INTRODUCTION Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
CHAPTER ONE The London Cartmen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	7
CHAPTER TWO Creation of the Bond in New York City, 1667-1700 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	19
CHAPTER THREE Affirmation of the Bond, 1700-1745 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	33
CHAPTER FOUR Expansion and Prosperity, 1745-1760 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	41
CHAPTER FIVE The Cartmen in the Era of Revolution, 1760-178] Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	51
CHAPTER SIX The Postwar Years, 178]-1788 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	66
CHAPTER SEVEN The Cartmen Organize, 1789-1795 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
CHAPTER EIGHT Problems with Politics, 1795-1801 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	93
CHAPTER NINE Creating Security within the Municipal Government, 1801-1818 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	108
CHAPTER TEN Political Consolidation and Challenge, 1818-18]5 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	129
CHAPTER ELEVEN The World of Isaac Lyon: Continuity and Change, 18]5-1845 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
CHAPTER TWELVE Epilogue Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	170
APPENDIXES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	175
NOTES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	221

Language: English
Publisher: New York University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Illustrations
- Other: 23 black and white illustrations

eBook

Published: September 1, 2012
ISBN: 9781479800452