An Appalachian Reawakening: West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972
As the long boom of post-World War II economic expansion spread across the globe, dreams of white picket fences, democratic ideals, and endless opportunities flourished within the United States. Middle America experienced a period of affluent stability built upon a modern age of industrialization. Yet for the people of Appalachia, this new era brought economic, social, and environmental devastation, preventing many from realizing the American Dream. Some families suffered in silence; some joined a mass exodus from the mountains; while others, trapped by unemployment, poverty, illness, and injury became dependent upon welfare. As the one state most completely Appalachian, West Virginia symbolized the region's dilemma, even as it provided much of the labor and natural resources that fueled the nation's prosperity.

An Appalachian Reawakening: West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972 recounts the difficulties the state of West Virginia faced during the post-World War II period. While documenting this turmoil, this valuable analysis also traces the efforts of the New Frontier and Great Society programs, which stimulated maximum feasible participation and lead to the ultimate rise of grass roots activities and organizations that improved life and labor in the region and undermined the notion of Appalachian fatalism.

1102008252
An Appalachian Reawakening: West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972
As the long boom of post-World War II economic expansion spread across the globe, dreams of white picket fences, democratic ideals, and endless opportunities flourished within the United States. Middle America experienced a period of affluent stability built upon a modern age of industrialization. Yet for the people of Appalachia, this new era brought economic, social, and environmental devastation, preventing many from realizing the American Dream. Some families suffered in silence; some joined a mass exodus from the mountains; while others, trapped by unemployment, poverty, illness, and injury became dependent upon welfare. As the one state most completely Appalachian, West Virginia symbolized the region's dilemma, even as it provided much of the labor and natural resources that fueled the nation's prosperity.

An Appalachian Reawakening: West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972 recounts the difficulties the state of West Virginia faced during the post-World War II period. While documenting this turmoil, this valuable analysis also traces the efforts of the New Frontier and Great Society programs, which stimulated maximum feasible participation and lead to the ultimate rise of grass roots activities and organizations that improved life and labor in the region and undermined the notion of Appalachian fatalism.

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An Appalachian Reawakening: West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972

An Appalachian Reawakening: West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972

by JERRY B. THOMAS
An Appalachian Reawakening: West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972
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An Appalachian Reawakening: West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972

An Appalachian Reawakening: West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972

by JERRY B. THOMAS

Overview

As the long boom of post-World War II economic expansion spread across the globe, dreams of white picket fences, democratic ideals, and endless opportunities flourished within the United States. Middle America experienced a period of affluent stability built upon a modern age of industrialization. Yet for the people of Appalachia, this new era brought economic, social, and environmental devastation, preventing many from realizing the American Dream. Some families suffered in silence; some joined a mass exodus from the mountains; while others, trapped by unemployment, poverty, illness, and injury became dependent upon welfare. As the one state most completely Appalachian, West Virginia symbolized the region's dilemma, even as it provided much of the labor and natural resources that fueled the nation's prosperity.

An Appalachian Reawakening: West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972 recounts the difficulties the state of West Virginia faced during the post-World War II period. While documenting this turmoil, this valuable analysis also traces the efforts of the New Frontier and Great Society programs, which stimulated maximum feasible participation and lead to the ultimate rise of grass roots activities and organizations that improved life and labor in the region and undermined the notion of Appalachian fatalism.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781933202587
Publisher: West Virginia University Press
Publication date: 11/01/2010
Series: WEST VIRGINIA & APPALACHIA , #12
Edition description: 1st Edition
Pages: 352
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jerry Bruce Thomas is Professor Emeritus of History at Shepherd University. He earned a BA in political science at West Virginia University and, after Peace Corps service in the Dominican Republic, an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also the author of An Appalachian New Deal: West Virginia in the Great Depression, published in paperback March 2010 by WVU Press.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

1 A New Machine Age in the Hills 9

2 American Paradox, Appalachian Stereotype 40

3 Civil Rights in the New Machine Age 85

4 Good Intentions: The New Frontier and the War on Poverty 126

5 Raising Hell in the Hills and Hollows: AVs, VISTAs, and Community Action 170

6 From the Silver Bridge to Farmington and Rumblings at the Grassroots 216

7 The Black Lung Association, Miners for Democracy, and the New Feminism 258

8 The Strip Mining Dilemma and a Climactic Debate 286

9 Buffalo Creek: Appalachian Apotheosis 315

Epilogue: Another Reawakening? 336

Notes 344

Bibliography 422

Index 443

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