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CULTURAL HISTORY OF CIGAR WORKERS IN LATE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY AMERICAN HISTORY

Reader in a Work Group in a New York Cigar Factory. 1909.
Description: Photograph by Lewis W. Hine.
Location: Unknown.
Source:Harvey J. Graff, ed. Literary and Social Development in the West: A Reader. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981, front cover. Internet address: //sims.berkeley.edu/courses/
is182/paint174.html
GRAMSCI7@prodigy.net

One place that was never short of literary and political discussions was the cigar factory. Known for their literary aptness, cigar workers were accustomed to hiring readers and as such were keenly aware of current philosophical and literary trends. This unique cultural experience amongst cigar workers made them not only a volatile group, prone to discussion, consequently many cigar factories were unionized.

After the Spanish-American War, many Puerto Ricans came to the United States seeking their fortune. Bernardo Vega, a cigar worker and social activist, came from the poor rural town of Cayey, Puerto Rico. Having prior experience as a cigar roller in Puerto Rico, he avidly saught work as a cigar worker in the then industry in New York: a career choice he would continue to undertake for much of his life. Sympathy for the plight of his countryman, as well as working to create a more just society were paramount in the mind of Bernardo Vega. Themes of injustice in Puerto Rico and in New York held many of the older exile community in constant communication with the more recent immigrant arrivals. While many sought different solutions, be it socialism, anarchism or nationalism, the culture surrounding cigar workers was one medium in which discussion groups formed and issues were passionately discussed.

This project was conceived by myself , Hunter Kirkland, while taking the course, History of the Computer, taught by Professor Bill Rednour at the City College of New York. Since this was a class project, no prior permission was sought for this "student project." While exploring this topic during the spring of 2000, very little appeared on the web concerning the culture of cigar workers at the turn of the century. The literary dexterity of cigar workers at the turn of the century forms a unique aspect of American History which travels through cultural, social, political, radical and ethnic historiography, that provides us with a greater understanding of the various contexts in the making and shaping of a people's history. Since cigar worker history is a unique story, I hope to update this site as new sources become available. Please feel free to E-mail me with any comments or suggestions at GRAMSCI7@prodigy.net.

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