A New Deal for All?

"Andor Skotnes' argument—that the labor and freedom movements in Baltimore were connected in interesting and complex ways during the critical period under discussion—is intellectually sound and quite innovative. Well researched and cogently argued, A New Deal for All? details and analyzes the political relationships between these two movements with enormous skill. Skotnes demonstrates that it was the most radical elements of the workers' movement who pressed a principled antiracist agenda, thereby creating a wedge into the pervasive racism of the time." - Linda Shopes, coeditor of The Baltimore Book: New Views of Local History

"In this creative account, Andor Skotnes convincingly places Baltimore in the 'long civil rights movement' as he deftly unravels the complex connections between race and class in an urban setting. His original use of oral history enriches his narrative and enhances our understanding of the compelling struggles for freedom and justice in the 1930s." - Jo Ann E. Argersinger, author of Making the Amalgamated: Gender, Ethnicity, and Class in the Baltimore Clothing Industry, 1899–1939

“A New Deal for All? is an insightful…study of obscure but influential activism in the Depression…. Skotnes reminds us that scarcity can produce vibrant activism and a new sense of the possible.” - Will Cooley, History: Reviews of New Books

"The arguments persuasively advanced in A New Deal for All? will be of particular interest to historians of the 'long civil rights movement,' trade union development, and radical politics." - Roger Biles, Journal of American History

“[T]his book… contributes to the body of scholarship illuminating the early years of the “long civil rights movement”…. Among the book’s distinctions is its use of oral history, and the interviews Andor Skotnes conducted especially enliven descriptions of the people and events that comprised the Baltimore freedom movement.” - Eben Miller, American Historical Review

“Academics and advanced students will benefit from the detailed approach based on extensive newspaper, oral history, and archival research…Recommended.” - C.K. Piehl, Choice

" . . . A New Deal for All provides an important contribution to the study of race and labour during the Depression." - Christopher Powell, Labour/Le Travail

"Through effective uses of sources, especially oral histories, Skotnes interweaves fascinating individual and organizational historical narratives . . . what is most useful is Skotnes's ability to make visible the multiple lines connecting these campaigns and organizations." - Keona Ervin, Journal of Southern History

“There is no doubt that the Red Scare dealt a severe blow to social justice struggles in the United States. Skotnes’s discussion of Baltimore’s freedom movement, however, encourages us to think carefully about historical actors and the trajectories of their beliefs.” - Jane Berger, Journal of American Ethnic History

“The most significant contribution of A New Deal for All? is its detailed accounting of the groups that engendered early 1930s activism…. The book is well written and keeps the reader's interest with its arresting accounts of local activists.”

"A New Deal for All? is a valuable and important study of race, labor, and social activism that fills a significant gap by meticulous­ly charting the critically important, but previously overlooked, history of Baltimore's freedom struggle. Well written and provocative."  - David Goldberg, Journal of African American History