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The Devil Was The First Scab : Working-Class Spirituality And Union Organization In Marion County, West Virginia 1918-1927, Chelsie C. Fitzwater
The Devil Was The First Scab : Working-Class Spirituality And Union Organization In Marion County, West Virginia 1918-1927, Chelsie C. Fitzwater
Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
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 …