This paper identifies the origins of the International Workingmen’s Association in the United States with two groups, the Society of the Universal Republic and the International Association. These organizations were composed primarily of European radicals who moved to the United States to escape repression following the 1848 uprisings. I argue that the deepening political crisis over slavery moved them from radical republicanism to labor internationalism. This paper identifies key episodes that defined this political transition, including the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act, the debate over the acquisition of Cuba, and the 1857 financial crisis.
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