The gripping story of the 1894 Alabama coal miners strike
The Alabama coal miners' strike of 1894 to gain improved working
conditions and to protect themselves from wage reductions. The authors
recount the depression of the early 1890s, which set the stage for the
strike, and the subsequent use of convict labor, which became a
catalyst. The gripping story of the strike includes the dramatic
decision to strike and corporate attempts to break the strike by the use
of company guards and "scab" labor. In Alabama corporate bosses inflamed
passions further by deploying African American "black leg" workers,
ultimately requiring the deployment of the state militia to restore
peace.