A History of AppalachiaRichard Drake has skillfully woven together the various strands of the Appalachian experience into a sweeping whole. Touching upon folk traditions, health care, the environment, higher education, the role of blacks and women, and much more, Drake offers a compelling social history of a unique American region. The Appalachian region, extending from Alabama in the South up to the Allegheny highlands of Pennsylvania, has historically been characterized by its largely rural populations, rich natural resources that have fueled industry in other parts of the country, and the strong and wild, undeveloped land. The rugged geography of the region allowed Native American societies, especially the Cherokee, to flourish. Early white settlers tended to favor a self-sufficient approach to farming, contrary to the land grabbing and plantation building going on elsewhere in the South. The growth of a market economy and competition from other agricultural areas of the country sparked an economic decline of the region's rural population at least as early as 1830. The Civil War and the sometimes hostile legislation of Reconstruction made life even more difficult for rural Appalachians. Recent history of the region is marked by the corporate exploitation of resources. Regional oil, gas, and coal had attracted some industry even before the Civil War, but the postwar years saw an immense expansion of American industry, nearly all of which relied heavily on Appalachian fossil fuels, particularly coal. What was initially a boon to the region eventually brought financial disaster to many mountain people as unsafe working conditions and strip mining ravaged the land and its inhabitants. A History of Appalachia also examines pockets of urbanization in Appalachia. Chemical, textile, and other industries have encouraged the development of urban areas. At the same time, radio, television, and the internet provide residents direct links to cultures from all over the world. The author looks at the process of urbanization as it belies commonly held notions about the region's rural character. |
From inside the book
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... farming as a largely self-sustaining activity. In this view, land was seen as a resource that provided for the family; it was not a commodity to be bought or sold. Such an approach to farming can provide for family sustenance in a ...
... farming. As time went on, this wilderness receded, so that today there are many who fear that civilization may have already gone too far in replacing this matchless Appalachian wilderness. Air and water pollution are already well ...
... farming was the responsibility of the women, while the men hunted and fought the wars of vengeance. Among the tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, the military and diplomatic functions were so timeconsuming that the men were constantly ...
... farms, they sought to make a profit by growing crops for a market. On the continent, the old nobility pretty much retained their ownership of the land, though a new group appeared here, too, as German areas in particular recovered from ...
... farm products developed. While some successful yeomen rose to the class of gentleman farmer, others often fell into a status of landlessness. As the forces of the Commercial Revolution disrupted the medieval economy, the structures of ...