Connecticut Labor and Working Class History


Additional Resources


  1. Labor and Labor Movements (General):
  • Connecticut Explored is a magazine and podcast about the history of Connecticut. This article provides some great information about the labor movement in Connecticut.
  • The Wisconsin Labor History Society is dedicating to preserving the history of labor in Wisconsin. This video series provides a historical overview of Labor unions in the United States.
  1. Women in Labor Movements:
  1. Connecticut Businesses and their labor movements:
  1. Clock Manufacturing Industry and their Struggles:
  • Fuller, Grace Pierpont. An Introduction to the History of Connecticut as a Manufacturing State. Northampton, MA: Smith College, 1915. The book was written in 1915 and describes the history of business in Connecticut at the time. It seems that in 1915 Connecticut was in a transition period from agricultural to manufacturing. The source describes the settlements and economy of the state in the early 19th century (1815-1818).
  • Carriages and Clocks, Corsets and Locks: The Rise and Fall of an Industrial City-New Haven, Connecticut
    This book offers great insight into the manufacturing scene of New Haven. It also describes how certain areas/districts came to be, their issues, and their demise. The book is divided into six essays and does a great job of incorporating illustrations to further the understanding.
  • Ctexplored.org follows the history of the Clock making industry since its early roots in the mid-18th century. Good example of disruptive innovation. Furthermore, how markets do well for a certain period of time then collapse.
  1. Labor in the Tobacco Industry:
  • Connecticuthistory.org speaks to the history of the Tobacco industry of Connecticut. It talks about how the industry adjusted to the labor shortages during different eras.
  • This article offers great insight into the history of Puerto Rican contribution to Connecticut tobacco farms. It talks about agricultural revolts following the Spanish-American war and the organization of farm workers starting in the 1970s. 
  • This source offers a variety of primary sources talking about the tobacco industry in Connecticut. Many of the news clippings come from the Hartford Courant.
  • McDonald, Adrian Francis, and Tercentenary Commission of the State of Connecticut. Committee on Historical Publications. The History of Tobacco Production in Connecticut. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1936. Book is not available online, but was a reference on the first link to the tobacco Industry section.
  • This document offers great insight into the tobacco industry up to 1940. It tracks the sources of labor and puts into context the influence of the labor within the historical period. It emphasizes the labor recruitment aspect.
  • This book covering the logistics of the Tobacco Industry in Connecticut. It goes on to describe the different type of plants, the best suitable land, and the towns dedicated to the labor.
  • The Connecticut Valley Agricultural Museum offers information regarding the preservation of tobacco farms. They have played a crucial role in the state's economy and this organization is challenged with its protection.
  1. Contemporary Economic Status of Connecticut: