Chapter 17 Quiz: Blood on the Coal — Labor Wars in the Mountains
Multiple Choice
1. The Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency primarily served as:
a) A federal law enforcement agency investigating labor violations b) A private security force hired by coal operators to suppress union organizing c) A neutral mediation service between miners and operators d) A charitable organization providing relief to miners' families
2. The "Bull Moose Special" was:
a) A UMWA organizing campaign named after Theodore Roosevelt b) An armored train that fired machine guns into a miners' tent colony at Paint Creek c) A nickname for Mother Jones's speaking tour of the coalfields d) A company train that transported strikebreakers to replacement mines
3. What was the immediate catalyst for the march on Blair Mountain in 1921?
a) The passage of anti-union legislation by the West Virginia legislature b) The assassination of Sid Hatfield on the McDowell County courthouse steps c) The expiration of a UMWA contract with the coal operators d) A mine explosion that killed dozens of miners
4. Approximately how many armed miners participated in the march on Blair Mountain?
a) 500 to 1,000 b) 2,000 to 5,000 c) 10,000 to 15,000 d) 50,000 to 100,000
5. The Battle of Blair Mountain ended when:
a) The miners defeated the defensive forces and marched into Mingo County b) A ceasefire was negotiated by Mother Jones c) Federal troops arrived and the miners laid down their weapons d) The West Virginia Supreme Court ordered both sides to stop fighting
6. Who wrote the labor anthem "Which Side Are You On?"
a) Mother Jones b) Florence Reece c) Sid Hatfield d) Frank Keeney
7. The term "redneck" in the context of the West Virginia mine wars referred to:
a) Miners whose necks were sunburned from outdoor labor b) Union miners who wore red bandanas as solidarity identifiers c) Company guards who wore red uniforms d) Miners from the Red Creek district of Pocahontas County
8. Don Chafin, the sheriff of Logan County who organized the defense of Blair Mountain, was notable because:
a) He was a former UMWA organizer who had switched sides b) He was openly on the payroll of the coal operators, receiving over $30,000 per year c) He was appointed by the federal government to maintain order d) He was the only law enforcement official to side with the miners
9. After the Battle of Blair Mountain, miners were charged with:
a) Trespassing and vandalism b) Murder, conspiracy, and treason against the state of West Virginia c) Violations of federal immigration law d) Misdemeanor disturbing the peace
10. Harlan County, Kentucky earned the nickname "Bloody Harlan" primarily because of:
a) A single large-scale battle comparable to Blair Mountain b) Widespread casualties from mine explosions and cave-ins c) Years of sustained violence between union organizers and company-hired gun thugs d) A cholera epidemic that devastated the mining camps
Short Answer
11. Explain why Mother Jones was called "the most dangerous woman in America." What made her effective as a labor organizer, and why did the coal operators consider her such a threat?
12. The chapter identifies five structural reasons why coalfield labor conflicts were so violent. List and briefly explain at least three of these structural factors.
13. Describe the role of interracial solidarity in the mine wars. In what ways was the UMWA's interracial organizing remarkable for its era, and what were its limitations?
14. The chapter argues that the mine wars were "suppressed" from American historical memory. Identify at least two factors that contributed to this suppression and explain how each factor operated.
Essay Question
15. The mine wars involved armed insurrection, the deployment of private armies and the U.S. military, aerial bombardment of American citizens, and treason charges against workers who demanded the right to organize. Yet these events are largely absent from most American history education. Write an essay (500-750 words) analyzing why the mine wars have been excluded from the mainstream narrative of American history and what their inclusion would change about how Americans understand the relationship between labor, capital, and the state.
Your essay should address at least three of the following: the role of corporate power in shaping historical narratives, the function of Appalachian stereotypes in marginalizing the mine wars' significance, the Cold War's impact on how labor history was taught, the challenge the mine wars pose to the myth of a classless America, and the ongoing struggle over Blair Mountain as a reflection of the conflict between extraction and memory.