A History of Appalachia
Title | A History of Appalachia PDF eBook |
Author | Richard B. Drake |
Publisher | University Press of Kentucky |
Pages | 304 |
Release | 2003-09-01 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 0813137934 |
Richard 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.
Synopsis of Geologic and Hydrologic Results
Title | Synopsis of Geologic and Hydrologic Results PDF eBook |
Author | |
Publisher | |
Pages | 212 |
Release | 1961 |
Genre | Geology |
ISBN |
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Bottom Sediment and Bioavailability in Streams in the New River Gorge National River and Gauley River National Recreation Area, West Virginia, 2002
Title | Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Bottom Sediment and Bioavailability in Streams in the New River Gorge National River and Gauley River National Recreation Area, West Virginia, 2002 PDF eBook |
Author | Terence Messinger |
Publisher | |
Pages | 56 |
Release | 2004 |
Genre | Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons |
ISBN |
Water Quality in the Kanawha-New River Basin
Title | Water Quality in the Kanawha-New River Basin PDF eBook |
Author | Katherine S. Paybins |
Publisher | |
Pages | 40 |
Release | 2000 |
Genre | Technology & Engineering |
ISBN |
Geologic Names of North America
Title | Geologic Names of North America PDF eBook |
Author | Druid Wilson |
Publisher | |
Pages | 648 |
Release | 1959 |
Genre | Geology |
ISBN |
Geological Survey Research, 1964
Title | Geological Survey Research, 1964 PDF eBook |
Author | Geological Survey (U.S.) |
Publisher | |
Pages | 394 |
Release | 1964 |
Genre | Geology |
ISBN |
What the Coal Commission Found
Title | What the Coal Commission Found PDF eBook |
Author | Edward Eyre Hunt |
Publisher | |
Pages | 480 |
Release | 1925 |
Genre | Coal-miners |
ISBN |