Working on the Dock of the Bay

An examination of the role and struggles of dockworkers—enslaved and free—in Charleston between the American Revolution and the Civil War Working on the Dock of the Bay explores the history of waterfront labor and laborers—black and white, enslaved and free, native and immigrant—in Charleston, South Carolina, between the American Revolution and Civil War. Michael D. Thompson explains how a predominantly enslaved workforce laid the groundwork for the creation of a robust and effectual association