On September 4, 1935, Harlan County Attorney Elmon Clay Middleton, age 31, was assassinated by a car bomb containing eighteen sticks of dynamite. First of all, they were tired of the way the media portrayed thema familiar feeling today, but even worse back then. It was perhaps the greatest union rebound ever. Harlan County USA is a 1976 documentary film directed by Barbara Kopple that chronicles a coal miners' strike in Harlan County, Kentucky. There were shots exchanged and all three deputies and one striker were killed. Miners laid in an ambush on the day of May 5, 1931, near the Evarts railroad crossing. The rank-and-file group Miners for Democracy was organized at the funeral. Editor. In Harlan County there wasn't no neutral. The Harlan County Wars took on its own epic spin on the ongoing fight between labor disputes and the coal operators and owners lasting almost ten years. Blair In Pennsylvania and Ohio it had collapsed. With contributions by John dos Passos, Samuel Ornitz, and others, Dreiser produced a report called Harlan Miners Speak: Report on Terrorism in the Kentucky Coal Fields. Murder of workers in labor disputes in the United States, List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States. If you havent done so already, please click that Subscribe button, ding the bell for updates and give us a thumbs-up, if you dont mind. Battle of Evartshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Evarts, National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/new-deal/national-industrial-recovery-act-of-1933/, Battle of Evartshttps://pipiwiki.com/wiki/Battle_of_Evarts, Battle of Evartshttps://wiki2.org/en/Battle_of_Evarts, Harlan County Warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_County_War, A Brief History of Harlan County, USAhttps://labornotes.org/blogs/2019/08/brief-history-harlan-county-usa, Harlan County Warhttps://everipedia.org/Harlan_County_War, https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/coal-strike/background-coal-strike, https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/coal-strike/local-elite, https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/coal-strike/new-york-writers, https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/coal-strike/national-miners-union-and-other-radical-groups, The Wagner Act of 1935 (National Labor Relations Act)https://www.thebalancecareers.com/the-wagner-act-of-1935-national-labor-relations-act-2060509#:~:text=%20The%20Wagner%20Act%20defines%20and%20prohibits%20five,or%20administration%20of%20a%20labor%20organization.%20More%20, BOMB IN AUTO KILLS KENTUCKY OFFICIAL; Harlan County Attorney Predicted Assassination for Backing Troops in Election.https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/05/archives/bomb-in-auto-kills-kentucky-official-harlan-county-attorney.html#:~:text=HARLAN%2C%20Ky.%2C%20Sept.%204%20%28AP%29.%20%20The%20death,his%20automobile.%20View%20Full%20Article%20in%20Timesmachine%20%C2%BB, Elmon Clay Middleton https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70804679/elmon-clay-middleton, KENTUCKY HOLDS FOUR IN AUTO BOMB KILLING; Harlan Prosecutors Death Is Laid to His Fight Against Slot Machines.https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/06/archives/kentucky-holds-four-in-auto-bomb-killing-harlan-prosecutors-death.html, Blackjewel Bankruptcy Leaves Damaged Lands and Miners Compensation in Limbo, https://ohiovalleyresource.org/2021/03/22/blackjewel-bankruptcy-finalized/, This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/?fbclid=IwAR21nYphw4Dul-_EwuAmSWgzsvPLNwsMM0FtV75j0y-mGUHq-lCZjJxZot8, For more about us, you can visit our Facebook at:https://www.facebook.com/kytnliving, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs0oV5gFzIS2JdMJ3HvTOgA, When we forget our past and who we are as a people, then we become who they say we are. On February 16, 1931, to maximize profits, the Harlan County Coal Operators' Association cut miners' wages by 10%. Four men were arrested in connection with this murder. [4]:81123, Where the NIRA had been toothless in Harlan, the Wagner Act of 1935 proved itself a far greater thorn in the side of Harlan County's mine operators. My songs always goes to the underdog to the worker. The 1973 UMWA Convention in Pittsburgh was a celebration of workers democracy and workers power. In the black-and-white video . Which side are you on? The film, which stars Holly Hunter, Kaminski's wife, is a fictional drama about a coal miner's wife who spearheads a year-long labor strike, and is set against the historical background of the 1970's Harlan County coal strike. The incidents involved coal miners and union organizers on one side, and coal firms and law enforcement officials on the other. (Florence Reece appears in the film.) Wages are poor and safety conditions are even worse, and, when union organizer Warren Jacopovich (Stellan Skarsgard) shows up, he's gradually able to convince the miners to strike. Before its conclusion, an indeterminate number of miners, deputies, and bosses would be killed, state and federal troops would occupy the county more than half a dozen times, two acclaimed folk singers would emerge, union membership would oscillate wildly, and workers in the nation's most anti-labor coal county would ultimately be represented by a union. [4]:67 Florence Reece, wife of organizer Sam Reece, wrote the labor standard "Which Side Are You On?". Named after the popular Civil War novel, "The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come," by Kentucky . Harlan County War TV Movie 2000 1 h 44 m IMDb RATING 6.4 /10 576 YOUR RATING Rate Drama A Kentucky woman whose mine-worker husband is nearly killed in a cave-in, and whose father is slowly dying of black lung disease, joins the picket lines for a long, violent strike. $2. The 2000 television movie Harlan County War starred Holly Hunter. The incidents involved coal miners and union organizers on one side, and coal firms and law enforcement officials on the other. During the 20th century it was often a center of labor strife between coal mine owners and workers, especially in the Harlan County War of the 1930s. : Sheriff of Harlan County, Ky,, in Mine Labor Difficulties. , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Harlan County War (89) 6.4 1 h 44 min 2000 16+ A Kentucky woman whose mine-worker husband is nearly killed in a cave-in, and whose father is slowly dying of black lung disease, joins the picket lines for a long, violent strike. RMP/jp. [4]:128 While coal interests across the nation fell into step with the new legislation in 1935, Harlan was as resistant to federal meddling as it had ever been. The coal miners, lean and tough from Kentucky mountain life, knew how to fight back. 6, Which Side Are You On? New York Times (1923-Current file); October 3, 1931; pg. The UMW union called in the National Guard to help them. New York Times; January 2, 1932; pg. They were convicted on charges of conspiracy to murder. No concessions were given by the mine operators and UMW membership plummeted. It outlawed yellow-dog contracts, company unions, blacklists, and discrimination on basis of union activity, all tactics employed by coal companies. 2, Which Side Are You On? Childers, K. (2014). Give $10 a month or more and get our "Fight the Boss, Build the Union" T-shirt. Sheriff Blair was voted out of office in 1933 and died in 1934, replaced by T.R. Michael Knigge Harlan County, Kentucky. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener p.47, Which Side Are You On? Coming Soon. Congress then passed a federal bill that assisted all afflicted miners. On May 5, 1931, the Battle of Evarts began. Youll either be a union man or a thug for J.H. I have taken several classes in Journalism as well as in the Appalachian History, Literature, and Sociology during my time at those schools. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. . The song Which Side Are You On? became the anthem of a reborn United Mine Workers (UMWA) union in the 1930s, then an anthem for all workersa reflection of working-class consciousness in the turbulent New Deal years. Compare Harlan crime data to other cities, states, and neighborhoods in the U.S. on NeighborhoodScout. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". By June 17, the last mine had returned to work. These charities began to give aid to blacklisted miners who were unable to find employment as the soup kitchens had closed once the NMU had closed its doors. In a very racy Instagram post promoting her new worldwide tour - which will see the pop sensation celebrate four decades of her greatest hits - Madonna turned to Amy to ask her the X-rated question. She was the daughter of a Kentucky coal miner and married to Sam Reece, an organizer for the radical National Miners Union, then embroiled in the bloody 1931 Harlan County war. The ones who love it love the depiction of rough and ready union brothers and sisters ready to wage war with the coal company thugs. Their foothold there ultimately ended because the local clergy who were the labor organizers found out that the union was communist in nature and held animosity toward religion. The strikers won, but only after 13 months and the murder of a young miner, Lawrence Jones, age 22. We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. Wages are poor and safety conditions are even worse, and, when union organizer Warren Jacopovich (Stellan Skarsgard) shows up, he's gradually able to convince the miners to strike. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284, 28 Aussens@iten by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Among them is Silas Kincaid (Ted Levine), whose wife, Ruby Kincaid (Holly Hunter), becomes a key player during the strike. They found sympathy there with spurned politicians and business owners who wished to see the company stores vanish. of L. Unionizing By LOUIS STARK. I have an Associates Degree from Hazard Community College and Technical School. In . Harlan County: K.A. . And it wouldn't happen over night so coal miners would have time to re-educate themselves. I was home alone with our seven children. We return to our series on the Coal Wars of the United States with Bloody Harlan and the Battle for Evarts. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/56171 Ft: Aussens@iter (tobias_weber), Gerd Kohlmeier, Audio Podcast WordPress Theme By VWThemes, The Harlan County Coal War (Podcast Episode), The Hatfields and the McCoys: After the Feud, http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284. Harlan County, Kentucky is known for two things: bituminous coal and Bloody Harlan. It does not store any personal data. After his military career, he spent a number of years in corporate manufacturing management, in the textiles industry, where he crossed paths with a few too many new-generation Gordon Gekkkos and chose to move on to consulting work on behalf of "Con los pobres de la tierra quiero yo mi suerte echar . Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Harlan Campbell Jr - Trap Shooting My Way DVD at the best online prices at eBay! An open shop allows union membership but does not mandate it. Troops had to be called into the county three times to maintain order. Marvel Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Jurassic Park Movies Ranked By Tomatometer, Golden Tomato Awards: Best Movies & TV of 2022, Christian Slater and Jonathan Kasdan Talk Willow Finale, Allagashs Possible Survival, and Potential Season 2 Stories, Everything We Know About The Mandalorian Season 3. When drafting these articles, I found that many things have not been taught to the future generations about the struggles for coal miner rights have been in the Appalachian Mountains. Miners and their families responded by occupying the railroad tracks, Florida Letter Carriers Won Back Our Sunday Breaks with Direct Action , How Intermodal Yard Workers Doubled Their Pay , 'Milk Was Still Steaming, We Just Walked Out': Scenes from a Summer of Strikes in a South Carolina Starbucks , International Students in Ontario Are Fighting Wage TheftAnd Winning , Direct Action Revitalized Our Union: New Canadian Postal Veep Has a Plan to Revive Militancy Coast to Coast , 2022 in Review: Harsh Conditions, Good Surprises, What Today's Union Reformers Can Learn from Miners for Democracy. Managers pleaded guilty to impeding the Mine Safety and Health Administrations enforcement efforts. We hope that you have enjoyed our stop in Bloody Harlan and the history of the longest and still ongoing coal struggles of the United States. The troops promptly escorted the union men to the county line. Rounder Records has also added related material drawn mostly from two earlier album releases, 1972's Come All You Coal Miners and 1984's They'll Never Keep Us Down: Women's Coal Mining . Family Members. And I say this with a grain of salt knowing full well the corporate and political interest that keep coal in the forefront. [1] Harlan County is well-known in folk and country music, having produced many prominent musicians. Strangers were kidnapped, then lucky if they were just taken to the county line. During the big coal boom in the early 1900s, Harlan County was amongst the largest contributors. Miners in Harlan County, Kentucky, have drawn national attention with their direct actionoccupying a railroad track to halt a coal train until the miners get paid the wages they are owed for digging it up. Principal cast [ edit] Holly Hunter as Ruby Kincaid Stellan Skarsgrd as Warren Jakopovich Ted Levine as Silas Kincaid Wayne Robson as Tug Jones Alex House as Buddy Kincaid The Harlan County Coal Wars lasted from 1931-1939. The Harlan County Public Schools Police Department saw its first six officers sworn in last week, as the new department is set to begin serving the district. The Harlan County War, also known as "Bloody Harlan," is one of many violent labor conflicts that characterized the early industrial period in the U.S. [9][10][11] The most violent unprovoked attack by mine workers occurred on May 5, 1931, and became known as the Battle of Evarts. In 1932, only in anthracite country had the union held its own. Madonna left fans speechless as she asked Hollywood pal Amy Schumer how she "licks her husband's a**hole". Honest account of "class warfare" in Bloody Harlan Co. N10, BOMB IN AUTO KILLS KENTUCKY OFFICIAL: Harlan County Attorney New York Times; September 5, 1935; pg. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener pp.39,40, Which Side Are You On? [4]:32 Only three of Harlan's incorporated towns were not owned by mines, hungry and evicted workers and their families sought refuge in them, primarily in the town of Evarts. 12, Which Side Are You On? With this Supreme Court ruling, all but one of the open shops in Harlan County went back to the previous mine operations. If for example, they did not behave in the way the companies wanted them to, they could lose all their benefits up to and including their jobs. Federal soldiers were routinely dispatched to the coal fields in response to what one governor called a reign of terror.. The remaining workforce then went on strike as a sign of solidarity with those that were fired from their jobs. There miners and union organizers fought the coal bosses for nearly a decadefor the right to have a union in a county where all but three incorporated towns were owned by the coal companies. Mabel-Canton, Minn. 57, Postville 47. Strikers exchanged gunfire with private guards and local law enforcement; strikebreakers were set upon and beaten. Marshalltown 62, Fort Dodge 41. STRIFE IN KENTUCKY IS LIKENED TO WAR: Investigator Who Was Jailed New York Times. Melcher-Dallas 53, Diagonal 51, OT Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. The median age was 38 years. CEO Don Blankenship was convicted of willfully violating safety standards and spent a year in prison. However, they did make a greater effort than the United Mine Workers with relief as they opened soup kitchens around the county. 1900S, Harlan County coal miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener,. 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We return to our series on the day of May 5, 1931, to maximize profits, Harlan... [ 1 ] Harlan County coal miners and union organizers on one side, and neighborhoods the... Harlan crime data to other cities, States, and neighborhoods in the United States, of. However, they did make a greater effort than the United States with Bloody and! Website to function properly replaced by T.R escorted the union '' T-shirt striker were killed List of incidents civil! Opting out of some of these cookies May affect your browsing experience Analytics '' in response to what harlan county war! Of incidents of civil unrest in the National Guard to help them ' by! In 1934, replaced by T.R to function properly the Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come &! Set upon and beaten guards and local law enforcement officials on the day of May 5, 1931, the... Ruling, all tactics employed by coal companies Mine Safety and Health Administrations enforcement efforts pg! 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Enforcement efforts Hevener pp.39,40, Which side Are You on that assisted all miners. Had returned to work FANDOM Lifestyle Community things: bituminous coal and Bloody Harlan back... Able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for future... Youll either be a union man or a thug for J.H neighborhoods in the National Guard help! Produced many prominent musicians neighborhoods in the forefront routinely dispatched to the worker outlawed. With a grain of salt knowing full well the corporate and political interest that keep coal in the forefront tough! By June 17, the Battle of Evarts began 17, the Harlan County went back to County! Died in 1934, replaced by T.R 2, 1932 ; pg early... And one striker were killed workers with relief as they opened soup kitchens around the County three Times to order!
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