The study of American folklore and folklife during the past seventy years has been limited almost exclusively to rural traditions. The folksongs and tales of backwoods America, crafts of mountain folk, the history, lifestyles, and beliefs of country people have been collected, cataloged, studied, and published, and information concerning them has been taught in colleges and universities across America. More recently, with the destruction of the myth of the "melting pot," the folkways of Afro-Americans, Spanish-speaking Americans, Amerindians, and of immigrant groups across our nation have been spotlighted for study along with the traditions of White, rural Americans of Anglo-Scots-Irish stock. This cultural pluralism is now recognized as one of the great strengths of the American fabric.

But while cultural minorities, in the course of fighting for their share of the American dream, have asserted their rights to an historical past, one of the largest segments of our population has been left out in the cold when it comes to receiving recognition for historical and cultural contributions. This is the American worker.