Battle of Blair Mountain (1921)

1840-1945, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Evasion, Occupation, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, The 'Natural World', The Bourgeoisie, The Workplace, Workers

The Battle of Blair Mountain is considered to be one of the largest civil uprisings in American history. Thousands of coal miners in Mingo County, West Virginia received terrible wages and horrendous treatment within the mines themselves. About 10,000 miners congregate at the edge of the country and refuse to budge. After threats of federal troops being sent in, four deputies of the local offices are taken prisoner and presumed to be killed. There’s five days of battling between troops and miners and eventually federal troops did come to intervene. This is considered to be a pivotal moment in the labor organizing history of America.

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