CLARKSVILLE, TN – Dr. Adam Attwood, associate professor in the Eriksson College of Education at Austin Peay State University, has published a new edited volume, Teaching Labor History in the United States, 1850-2020, released this month by Peter Lang as Volume 9 in the Teaching Critical Themes in American History Series.
The 268-page book brings together scholars and educators to address what Attwood identifies as a significant gap in secondary education: the marginalization of labor history in standard social studies curricula for grades 6-12.
“My idea for this book is to bring different perspectives from scholars … and K-12 teachers together to create a research-informed, practitioner way of teaching labor history in middle school and high school social studies classes,” Attwood said. “That was my idea, making something that was academically rigorous and accessible for a teacher to plug into their social studies curriculum.”
The volume spans 170 years of American labor history, examining topics such as the Pullman Strike, the Haymarket Affair, the Women’s Bureau, labor movements in the coal industry, Chicano labor narratives, and LGBTQ+ labor history. Each chapter pairs a scholarly analysis with detailed lesson plans aligned with middle and high school educational standards.
The book also explores the rise of generative artificial intelligence, which Attwood views as another iteration of the Industrial Revolution. The emergence of AI adds another layer to the labor movement that has not been fully explored.
“The book was written to address a gap in not every state, but many states’ social studies curriculum,” Attwood said. “It either doesn’t directly address labor history or only very briefly just touches the surface of it.”
The volume introduces what Attwood calls a “social algorithm” framework for teaching industrialization — a conceptual tool built on Dr. Jan de Vries’ work that helps students understand the interconnected cause-and-effect relationships among urbanization, labor efficiency, market dynamics, and technological change. The framework aims to make complex economic and social processes accessible to secondary students while maintaining scholarly rigor.
Attwood earned his Ph.D. in education with a specialization in cultural studies and social thought from Washington State University and brings extensive experience in K-12 and higher education.
Austin Peay State University’s strategic plan emphasizes developing programs and curricula that reflect best practices in preparing students for professional and civic contributions — a goal directly served by equipping future teachers with resources to bring labor history into their classrooms. Many chapters focus on underrepresented groups, which sets this volume apart from similar works.
“The brief parts of labor history that are currently covered in a lot of state social studies curricula focus on a narrow set of factory labor unionization,” Attwood said. “But there are lots of different facets to labor history in the United States. The intention is for students to be able to see how labor history is interconnected and affects them now, both individually and across their local communities.”
The book is available in hardcover, softcover, PDF, and ePUB formats through Peter Lang Publishing. To connect with Attwood, email attwooda@apsu.edu.