The Devil Is Here in These Hills: West Virginia's Coal Miners and Their Battle for Freedom
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.42 (742 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0802123317 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 448 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-12-04 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Another strength of Green’s book is his ability to put the labor strife in broader contexts, specifically that of Appalachian culture, and the labor strife prominent in much of the U.S. Green gives the troubling era rebirth.”BookreporterGreen does an outstanding job here of bringing this period to life, giving readers a vivid picture of the hardscrabble Appalachian miners’ day-to-day existence and their frequent bloody skirmishes with coal company hired guns A thoroughly documented and masterfully written account of a little-remembered but critical period in U.S. Lewis, Professor of History Emeritus, West Virginia UniversityJames Green’s astonishing book deftly depicts a multinational and interracial group of hard-bitten men, rallied by an Irish-born grandmother, who waged a war for democracy that lasted forty years. Vann Woodward Professor of History, Yale UniversityEngaging and eas
In The Devil is Here in These Hills, celebrated labor historian James Green tells the story of West Virginia and coal like never before.The value of West Virginia’s coalfields had been known for decades, and after rail arrived in the 1870s, industrialists pushed fast into the wilderness, digging mines and building company towns where they wielded nearly complete control over everyday life. On one side were powerful corporations whose millions bought armed guards and political influence. From before the dawn of the 20th century until the arrival of the New Deal, one of the most protracted and deadly labor struggles in American history was waged in West Virginia. The state’s high-quality coal drove American expansion and industrialization, but for tens of thousands of laborers, including boys as young as ten, mining life showed the bitter irony of the state motto, Mountaineers are Always Free.” Attempts to unionize were met with stiff resistance. The fight for unionization and civil rights sparked a political crisis verging on civil war that stretched from the creeks and hollows to the courts and the US Senate. Fundamental rights were bent, then broken, and the violence evolved from bloody skirmishes to open armed conflict, as an army of miners marched to an explosive showdown. Extensively researched and told in vibrant de
Entertaining Account of Little-known Part of American History Mitiman Recently the PBS series "American Experience" featured a documentary based largely on the content of this fine book. As a native West Virginian, I am always interested in the history of my home state, but this part of its history was something of which I had only been vaguely aware, until now. Few people know that America's largest armed insurrection, aside from the Civil War, took place in the southern West Virginia coal fields, in 1921, culminating in the "Battle of Blair Mountain," which pitted nearly 10,000 armed miners against local authorities armed with World War I era. Great Book My Grandfather, Great Grandfather, and most of their brothers all worked the mines in eastern Ohio back in the 20's thru the 60's. My Dad told me stories about the mine owners saying like the said in the book "Make sure that mule don't get killed, a man I can replace but mules cost money". He talked about the company store and how the mine owned all the houses where the men and their families lived. Also he said that my Great Grandfather had 3 pictures hanging on his wall Jesus, FDR, and John L Lewis. I had heard about the Coal Wars from a friend who lived in Mingo County WV . "Rarely told history" according to buskinRarely told history buskin4jesus I've lived in WV for the last ten years but had little awareness of the depth of danger and exploitation involved in earlier days of WV mining. I should have found out sooner,both to appreciate my adopted state's history and to further temper my belief in the merits of capitalism with the witness of the heartlessness that human selfishness and greed can spawn.The story is well drawn, probably a task made more difficult by sparse and scattered original sources.Definitely a worthwhile read for anyone with even the remotest interest in labor history or the earlier days of our gl. jesus. I've lived in WV for the last ten years but had little awareness of the depth of danger and exploitation involved in earlier days of WV mining. I should have found out sooner,both to appreciate my adopted state's history and to further temper my belief in the merits of capitalism with the witness of the heartlessness that human selfishness and greed can spawn.The story is well drawn, probably a task made more difficult by sparse and scattered original sources.Definitely a worthwhile read for anyone with even the remotest interest in labor history or the earlier days of our gl