Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Coal Power: A Story of How the Coal Industry Affected Individual Lives in Central Appalachia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Central Appalachia was a place of great wealth for many, but not for those who lived there. For many years, individuals scraped their living out by subsistence farming and hunting. Although poor, they were free and nothing had control over them, except the poverty in which they lived. Nevertheless, a stew brewed deep within the hollows heated by the greatest and worst thing Central Appalachians experienced: coal. Coal production both destroyed and benefited the lives of Central Appalachians and controlled their lives in ways unimaginable. The power of coal was far reaching and had unbelievable control over Central Appalachians. In this paper I analyze the personal stories off four individuals in Central Appalachia to expand and provide insight to this power.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Ricky D. Mullins Jr is a native of central Appalachia and a PhD student at Virginia Tech in History and Social Science Education.
Coal Power: A Story of How the Coal Industry Affected Individual Lives in Central Appalachia
Central Appalachia was a place of great wealth for many, but not for those who lived there. For many years, individuals scraped their living out by subsistence farming and hunting. Although poor, they were free and nothing had control over them, except the poverty in which they lived. Nevertheless, a stew brewed deep within the hollows heated by the greatest and worst thing Central Appalachians experienced: coal. Coal production both destroyed and benefited the lives of Central Appalachians and controlled their lives in ways unimaginable. The power of coal was far reaching and had unbelievable control over Central Appalachians. In this paper I analyze the personal stories off four individuals in Central Appalachia to expand and provide insight to this power.
