Mark A. Lause

Mark A. Lause is a Professor of History at the University of Cincinnati specializing in 19th-century American social movements, labor history, and the Civil War era. His scholarship examines historical events "from the bottom up," focusing on working-class agency, racial dynamics, and radical political formations.

His research centers on the intersections of labor activism, abolitionism, and republican ideology. Lause explores how marginalized groups—printers, farmers, soldiers, and radicals—shaped national developments through movements like the National Reform Association, Greenback-Labor Party, and trans-Mississippi Union Army units. His work consistently challenges top-down historical narratives, emphasizing grassroots coalition-building across racial and ethnic lines during pivotal moments including the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Gilded Age.

Lause's publications reveal evolving scholarly focus from early labor organization (Some Degree of Power) to Civil War-era radicalism (Race & Radicalism), culminating in synthetic works like Free Labor that connect wartime emancipation to working-class formation. His recurring themes include spiritualism's political role, secret societies' influence, and international dimensions of American radicalism—as seen in forthcoming projects on Garibaldi's Franco-Prussian War brigades.

As an educator, Lause teaches across American history survey courses and specialized seminars including American Labor History I/II, Civil War, and American Radicalism. His conference presentations span international venues in London, Barcelona, and Norwich, addressing topics from cowboy strikes to anarchist historiography.