Covering the period from the abolition of slavery through the events that preceded and affected the adoption of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Black Labor and the American Legal System examines the major legislative and legal developments relating to the employment discrimination. The historical consequences of the racial practices of employers and organized labor, as well as of the federal government, are analyzed within the context of law and social change. The evolution of federal labor policy is traced through key decisions of the National Labor Relations Board and the courts as they have interpreted the application of labor law to racial discrimination.