Scraping By Chapter Summary

Scraping By offers an in-depth narrative and analysis of the experiences and economic disadvantages of the unskilled labor force in Baltimore, focusing on the individual lives of workers who performed the needed, yet often dangerous, jobs that made Baltimore functional. Through the use of comprehensive public documents, such as court proceedings and state records, Rockman effectively questions the capitalistic ideals that characterized the young country.

Scraping By, by Rockman, examines the effect that capitalism had on the lower class of Baltimore in the later 1700s to early 1800s, resulting in the exploitation of marginalized workers who built the foundation that allowed for such a system to exist. Through the analysis of tax documents,

state records, and documents from almshouses, Rockman develops his thesis as the exploration of labor forces and how their experiences in the labor force gives consideration to the popular assumption that Baltimore during this time was a city of prosperity.

“To tell the story of American Opportunity and freedom also requires telling of the story of brute labor, severe material privation, and desperately constrained choices“ (295). Throughout the book, a main point that Rockman continuously reinforces is the lack of freedom that the workers truly had to advance in their career. While elites touted the freedom that a capitalist system granted to workers, that ability to climb the proverbial latter was often withheld from those in the lower class who were forced to make career choices solely to survive, rather than prosper. Lack of job availability created by increasing immigration and the still-present slave labor force resulted in a system of economy with a high turnover rate and an increasing amount of laws that limited the options for those desperate for work, such as the statue that declared those who left their job before their contract was up forfeit to any profit they had already made. While Rockman effectively discusses the impact that capitalism had on lower class wage-earners, he also takes the time to discuss the individuals and groups of people who were involved. The disaggregation of the different social groups

offered a deeper level of understanding of the topic matter, and while there are little documents available to track the movements and actions of some lower-class groups, Rockman did a surprisingly thorough job of presenting a well-rounded analysis. He also notes with consideration that the misconception that slavery only predated the use of cheap labor is entirely false. On page 47, it is noted that, “White skin did not protect some men from backbreaking labor. (47) Cheap labor and slavery didn’t exist independent of each other, but rather the combination of the two proved to be even more advantageous for business owners and elitists who used their symbiotic relationship to build the hierarchical latter of wealth even higher. The structure of the book was expertly organized in a manner that separated the chapters by subject matter, which allowed for each chapter to present a well-detailed argument that wasn’t distracted by the other subsets of the theme. Additionally, the clear separation of supporting information created the ability for Rockman to present what could essentially be considered mini-themes throughout the book, such as women’s slowly growing movement for independence which was implied through their attempts to gain employment and was characterized by men’s steadfast disparagement of their attempts to step outside the home, despite the necessity of working to support a family.

Scraping By closely examines how capitalism built its wealth off the backs of the lower class, who were forced by lack of job availability and the threat of starvation to partake in the pattern of exploitation. While Rockman presents detailed narrative intermixed with stories and depictions of individuals who existed in this system, there is little background information presented. He states that “…the early republic’s economy opened up new possibilities for some Americans precisely because it closed down opportunities for others” (3), however, there is very little elaboration to how that exactly was accomplished. It is clear throughout that his use of documentation during the time period was lacking in some detail, but even more amiss was the lack of consideration taken to discuss how there came to be such a distinguished class of poor labor workers. Despite this, his theme is well expressed and remained unclouded and easily understood. Overall, it offered an insightful narrative of Baltimore during the late early 1800s, and while is wasn’t entirely comprehensive, it was decidedly informative.