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. On one side were powerful
corporations whose millions bought armed guards and political influence.
On the other side were 50,000 mine workers, the nation's largest labor
union, and the legendary "miners' angel," Mother Jones. 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. 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. The state's high-quality
coal drove American expansion and industrialization. But for tens of
thousands of laborers, including boys as young as 10, mining life showed
the bitter irony of the state motto: "mountaineers are always free."
Attempts to unionize were met with stiff resistance. 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 detail, The Devil
Is Here in These Hills is the definitive book on an essential chapter
in the history of American freedom.
