[Excerpt] No institution in the nation's history has struggled so long and so valiantly for the democratization of American life as the organized labor movement. Decade after decade, trade unionists have fought for human rights and dignity against almost insuperable forces of wealth, privilege, and partisan government, including the country's courts, soldiery, and police. They have battled against poverty of means, mind, and spirit in the teeth of bayonets, massacre, assault, injunctions, imprisonment, dismissal from jobs, blacklisting, and legislative and judicial defeat of vital measures.