Date of Award
2011
Degree Name
History
College
College of Liberal Arts
Type of Degree
M.A.
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Kevin Barksdale
Second Advisor
Dan Holbrook
Third Advisor
Greta Rensenbrink
Abstract
A community-focused study of Marion County, West Virginia provides a unique opportunity to explore unionization efforts in central Appalachia. This thesis examines the interplay between working-class spirituality, unionism, and capitalism at the height of organized labor campaigns in the Fairmont Field between 1918 and 1927. The region reflects national and local trends in trade unionism as well as shifts in religious attitudes between conservative Fundamentalist evangelists and progressive Social Gospel ministers. Marion County differs from other Appalachian coalfields because local industrialists rather than absentee developers spearheaded the region’s economic development while labor leaders from outside of the state led unionization drives. Religion became one way both coal operators and union organizers communicated their political, economic, and social beliefs. This thesis examines mine workers in Marion County to understand the distinctive ways industrialists, trade unionists, and religious leaders adapted to the effects of rapid industrialization on the region.
Subject
Labor unions - Organizing - Appalachian Region
Subject
Appalachian Region - History
Subject
Marion County (W. Va.) - History
Recommended Citation
Fitzwater, Chelsie C., "The Devil Was the First Scab : Working-Class Spirituality and Union Organization in Marion County, West Virginia 1918-1927" (2011). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 45.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/45
