| Matewan Before the Massacre: Politics, Coal and the Roots of Conflict in a West Virginia Mining Community Contributor(s): Bailey, Rebecca J. (Author) |
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ISBN: 1933202289 ISBN-13: 9781933202280 Publisher: West Virginia University Press OUR PRICE: $26.55 Product Type: Paperback Published: September 2008 Annotation: On May 19, 1920, gunshots rang through the streets of Matewan, West Virginia, in an event soon known as the "Matewan Massacre." Most historians of West Virginia and Appalachia see this event as the beginning of a long series of events known as the second mine wars. But was it instead the culmination of an even longer series of events that unfolded in Mingo County, dating back at least to the Civil War? |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - State & Local - South (al,ar,fl,ga,ky,la,ms,nc,sc,tn,va,wv) |
| Dewey: 331.892 |
| LCCN: 2008936435 |
| Series: West Virginia and Appalachia |
| Physical Information: 1" H x 5.9" W x 9" (1.10 lbs) 224 pages |
| Themes: - Geographic Orientation - West Virginia - Chronological Period - 18th Century - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Chronological Period - 1900-1919 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: On May 19, 1920, gunshots rang through the streets of Matewan, West Virginia, in an event soon known as the "Matewan Massacre." Most historians of West Virginia and Appalachia see this event as the beginning of a long series of events known as the second mine wars. But was it instead the culmination of an even longer series of events that unfolded in Mingo County, dating back at least to the Civil War? The conflicts in Mingo County that crystallized around the massacre continued to resonate throughout the twentieth century while local residents worked to balance their lives against the public's knowledge of the best-known events of their history, including the massacre and the earlier Hatfield-McCoy feud. Matewan Before the Massacre provides the first comprehensive history of the area, beginning in the late eighteenth century and continuing up to the massacre. It covers the relevant economic history, including the development of coal mining and struggles over land ownership; labor history, including early efforts at unionization; transportation history, including the role of the N&W Railroad; political history, including the role of political factions in the county's two major communities--Matewan and Williamson; and the impact of the state's governors and legislatures on Mingo County. |