Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 6.06 History
Presentation #1 Title
Bushwhackers, Red Men, Red Necks, Ku Kluxers and Tree Huggers: The Radical Tradition in West Virginia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Despite (or because of) the generally conservative nature of state government, radicalism has been significant aspect of West Virginia state politics from the very beginning. Understanding radicalism broadly as direct action, violent or otherwise, taking place outside the normal channels of political discourse (rather than as an ideological position on the political spectrum), we can see many episodes in West Virginia history. Radical groups that have rejected state and local government as illegitimate and/or immoral, and have taken direct action include the “bushwhackers” of the Civil war, who rejected the Pierpont and Boreman regimes; the Red Men of Marion and Wetzel County, a vigilante group active during the 1880s; the infamous Red Neck coal miners, who fought Don Chafin and opposed the International UMWA during the 1910s and 1920s; Ku Kluxers, vigilantes who fought immorality and unAmericanism during the early-1920s; and currently, Tree-Huggers who have fought against mountain-top removal and coal mining in general. This paper will look at this radical tradition, attempt to describe the personalities and tactics of these groups, and, especially, understand their justifications for violent action and/or civil disobedience. And then it will ask: How does this radical tradition inform the current environmental movement against coal?
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Michael E. Workman is an Assistant Professor in History at West Virginia State University who has written and published on the coal industry, history of the labor movement, and industrial America.
Bushwhackers, Red Men, Red Necks, Ku Kluxers and Tree Huggers: The Radical Tradition in West Virginia
Harris Hall 234
Despite (or because of) the generally conservative nature of state government, radicalism has been significant aspect of West Virginia state politics from the very beginning. Understanding radicalism broadly as direct action, violent or otherwise, taking place outside the normal channels of political discourse (rather than as an ideological position on the political spectrum), we can see many episodes in West Virginia history. Radical groups that have rejected state and local government as illegitimate and/or immoral, and have taken direct action include the “bushwhackers” of the Civil war, who rejected the Pierpont and Boreman regimes; the Red Men of Marion and Wetzel County, a vigilante group active during the 1880s; the infamous Red Neck coal miners, who fought Don Chafin and opposed the International UMWA during the 1910s and 1920s; Ku Kluxers, vigilantes who fought immorality and unAmericanism during the early-1920s; and currently, Tree-Huggers who have fought against mountain-top removal and coal mining in general. This paper will look at this radical tradition, attempt to describe the personalities and tactics of these groups, and, especially, understand their justifications for violent action and/or civil disobedience. And then it will ask: How does this radical tradition inform the current environmental movement against coal?
