"Anderson and Greene's collection offers a compelling case for the broader national significance of Milwaukee as a site of historical research. This book not only sheds light on Milwaukee's history from its pre-industrial origins through the era of deindustrialization, but also surveys shifting historiographical trends in the scholarly and popular treatment of the city's history."--Joe William Trotter Jr., author of <i>Black Milwaukee: The Making of an Industrial Proletariat, 1915-45</i> "Examining diverse aspects of Milwaukee's history, the contributors to this wide-ranging collection offer a rich portrait of the city's past. Anderson and Greene have assembled a stimulating volume that contributes significantly to cultural and social history and to the study of urbanism, planning, and public policy."--Nora Faires, author of <i>Permeable Border: The Great Lakes Basin as Transnational Region, 1650-1990</i>
In this volume, a diverse group of scholars explores key themes in the distinctive history of Milwaukee, from settlement to the present, both in terms of the area's internal development and its comparative standing with other Great Lakes cities. Contributors discuss the importance of socialism and labor in local politics; Milwaukee's ethnic diversity, including long-standing African American, Latino, and Asian communities as well as an unusually large and significant German American population; the function and origins of the city's residential architecture; and the role of religious and ethnic culture in forming the city's identity. Rich in detail, the essays also challenge readers and researchers to pursue additional research on the city and the region by identifying critical areas and methods for future investigations into Milwaukee's past.
Contributors are Margo Anderson, Steven M. Avella, John D. Buenker, Jack Dougherty, Eric Fure-Slocum, Victor Greene, Thomas C. Hubka, Judith T. Kenny, Genevieve G. McBride, Aims McGuinness, Anke Ortlepp, Joseph A. Rodriguez, and N. Mark Shelley.
Introduction: Milwaukee in Perspective 1 Margo Anderson and Victor Greene
SECTION 1: POLITICS AND WORK
1. Cream City Electoral Politics: A Play in Four Acts 17 John Buenker 2. Milwaukee Labor and Urban Democracy 48 Eric Fure-Slocum 3. The Revolution Begins Here: Milwaukee and the History of Socialism 79 Aims McGuinness
SECTION 2: THE PEOPLES OF MILWAUKEE
4. Deutsch-Athen Revisited: Writing the History of Germans in Milwaukee 109 Anke Ortlepp 5. African Americans, Civil Rights, and Race-Making in Milwaukee 131 Jack Dougherty 6. Latinos and Asians in Milwaukee 162 Joseph A. Rodriguez and Mark Shelley 7. Helpmeets, Hausfrauen, Hellions, and the Missing Majority in Milwaukee History 192 Genevieve G. McBride
SECTION 3: INSTITUTIONS AND CULTURE
8. Surveying Milwaukee's Residential Landscapes: Prospects for Research 223 Judith T. Kenny and Thomas C. Hubka 9. Religion and the Shaping of Milwaukee 256 Steven M. Avella 10. Dealing with Diversity: Milwaukee's Multiethnic Festivals and Urban Identity, 1840-1940 285 Victor Greene Epilogue: Milwaukee's Usable Past 317 Margo Anderson
Appendix: Milwaukee Population 331
Contributors 333
Index 337