The Hardhat Riot

By David Paul Kuhn,

Book cover of The Hardhat Riot: Nixon, New York City, and the Dawn of the White Working-Class Revolution

Book description

In May 1970, four days after Kent State, construction workers chased students through downtown Manhattan, beating scores of protestors bloody. As hardhats clashed with hippies, it soon became clear that something larger was happening; Democrats were at war with themselves. In The Hardhat Riot, David Paul Kuhn tells the fateful…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Hardhat Riot as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

On May 8, 1970, just days after the killing of four college students at Kent State University, construction workers in New York City violently attacked a group that had gathered to protest the Vietnam War.

Kuhn offers a riveting account of the events (dubbed the “Hardhat Riot” by some and “Workers’ Woodstock” by others), but he also situates them into a broader story of how the war and other developments of the 1960s exacerbated divisions within the Democratic Party between white, heavily unionized blue-collar workers in the urban North and an emerging class of college-educated professionals. 

Nixon successfully courted many…

From Timothy's list on Republicans and Democrats in the 1960s.

If you love The Hardhat Riot...

Ad

Book cover of Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink

Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink By Ethan Chorin,

Benghazi: A New History is a look back at the enigmatic 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, its long-tail causes, and devastating (and largely unexamined) consequences for US domestic politics and foreign policy. It contains information not found elsewhere, and is backed up by 40 pages of…

Want books like The Hardhat Riot?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Hardhat Riot.

Browse books like The Hardhat Riot

Book cover of The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s
Book cover of The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society
Book cover of Republican Character: From Nixon to Reagan

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,588

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Hardhat Riot, you might also like...

Book cover of Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation

Uniting the States of America By Lyle Greenfield,

We’ve all experienced the overwhelming level of political and social divisiveness in our country. This invisible “virus” of negativity is, in part, the result of the name-calling and heated rhetoric that has become commonplace among commentators and elected leaders alike. 

My book provides a clear perspective on the historical and…

Book cover of Secret St. Augustine: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

Secret St. Augustine By Elizabeth Randall, William Randall,

Tourists and local residents of St. Augustine will enjoy reading about the secret wonders of their ancient city that are right under their noses. Of course, that includes a few stray corpses and ghosts!

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in violence, New York State, and social conflict?

Violence 103 books
New York State 563 books
Social Conflict 17 books