Led by: Prof. Jefferson Cowie (Vanderbilt University)
Course Number: AMHI 628
Semesters: Spring 2026
Image: Thomas J. O’Halloran photograph of a worker inside a steel factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1959 (Library of Congress)
The History of Capital, Labor, and Democracy, 1877 to Present
The History of Capital, Labor, and Democracy, 1877 to Present
New Course
Course Description
This course concentrates on the histories of capital, labor, and democracy: a combination of themes that force us to confront the inequalities in both economic and political power in US history. We will develop a historical understanding of the phenomenal rise of the modern American economy, the problems and opportunities it presents for democratic practice, and how both relate to the aspirations and power of the working-class majority. This is a course in critical thinking about the American experience. If successful, it will place you in your own struggle over the meaning of the past and help prepare your mind for a life of engaged citizenship.
Please note that the required books listed under course readings are finalized, but other aspects of the course syllabus are subject to change. We receive an affiliate commission from every purchase made through the Bookshop.org links provided. Thank you for supporting our programs!
Meet Jefferson Cowie
Jefferson Cowie introduces his new course
About the Scholar
Jefferson Cowie, John L. Seigenthaler Chair Professor of History, Vanderbilt University
Jefferson Cowie’s work in social and political history focuses on how class, race, and labor shape American politics and culture. His latest book, Freedom’s Dominion, won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2023. He is the author of three other books. In addition to his scholarship, Cowie’s essays and opinion pieces have appeared in The New York Times, TIME magazine, NPR Music, Foreign Affairs, The Chronicle of Higher Education, American Prospect, Politico, Democracy, The New Republic, Inside Higher Ed, Dissent, and other popular outlets. The recipient of several fellowships, including from the Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, the American Council of Learned Societies and Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Society for the Humanities at Cornell, and the Center for US-Mexican Studies at UC San Diego, he has also appeared in a variety of media outlets including CNN’s The Seventies, C‐SPAN’s Booknotes, and NPR’s Weekend Edition, as well as documentaries, podcasts, and radio broadcasts.
The views expressed in the course descriptions and lectures are those of the lead scholars.