Appalachia

Uneven Ground: Appalachia Since 1945, by Ronald Eller explores the devastation of traditional culture and land use in the Appalachian region at the hands of the coal industry and local, state, and federal leaders and policy makers. His perspective comes from one that separates growth from development and is highly critical of efforts to force Appalachia into a national economic model that is not aligned with the regions unique historical situations. After briefly setting the stage in the Civil War and the immediate years following, Eller focuses on modernization efforts preceding the 1930s depression and revitalization efforts that began during World War II. Eller makes the argument that industrialization and an expanding market economy altered Appalachian land use and social relations as early as the Civil War. During the years leading up to the Great Depression residents attempted to return to an earlier way of life that involved farming and strong family ties. This led to former residents of Appalachia who had left the mountains for jobs that had fallen victim to the Depression returning home and increasing the population. Eller estimates a 30% population increase in Knox County, Kentucky in the 1930s. Many Appalachians who returned to the mountains found closed mines and mills and turned to government work programs and public assistance.…

Throughout this course we’ve examined Appalachia as a separate and distinct region within the United States. The question of whether it’s a subculture or a colony is rather muddy at best. The Oxford Dictionary defines subculture as: “A cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger culture”. While this is true of Appalachia to some degree, the problem lies within its geographical area and the large number of subcultures that live in…

about the run addressed relationship with the classrooms, spots to vote, work places, welfare working situations which condition the show of those depicted as penniless people in the mountains. I likewise don 't know much about the social event with whom they have the most direct contact with but the mountain working class is ordinarily seen as a social extension between the country group and mass society. The guardian of the last past years took as much time as is required and put in the work…

The Appalachian English (AE) dialect has changed over time. AE developed in the 1700s when Scottish-Irish immigrants settled in the cheap, mountainous territory that makes up the Appalachian Mountains. Isolated from the outside world for centuries, the Appalachian people spoke a distinct dialect that became known as AE. Unique features characterize the speech in Appalachia; the use of these features is fading as the area becomes less isolated. Migration and advances in technology have played…

lived in places like the Appalachia. Folklore Medicine is a tradition that shares ideas and common…

traditional public health and health services variables including smoking, obesity, binge drinking, and health insurance (Muennig, Fiscella, Tancredi, & Franks, 2009). Heavily strip-mined communities in Appalachia are among the…

had one speaker named Shane come in and talk to us about how his family has seen the horrors of working in the mines. He saw family members die because of working in the mines. He then talked about the miners fighting for their rights to safety and life insurance while working in the mines and the right to be paid in actual U.S. currency, they eventually earned them. To me this is what is means do a good act of citizenship within the Appalachian region because it was a group of people coming…

From the businessmen of New York to the moonshiners of Virginia, Appalachia, through Jeff Biggers book The United States of Appalachia, and a personal interview with Steven Ridley, proves to be a diverse region that is littered with stereotypes, both good and bad. One of the best ways to understand the stereotypes of Appalachia is by looking at a primary source, such as The United States of Appalachia by Jeff Biggers. The book provides an in-depth look at a variety of topics involving…

When I moved to North Carolina nearly two years ago, I had an awakening. This was not a feeling I could simply ignore; the awakening came from the spirits of these mountains. Some people have strong connections to the earth beneath our toes, particularly to the spirit that rests here in Appalachia. Living at the beach, with a coastal vegetation, there was not an astonishing amount of biodiversity like we see here in Appalachia. These mountains provide a welcoming landscape for nearly one hundred…

indicates that the drug is more addictive than everyone thought it would ever be. Hydrocodone is only one of the many prescription drugs that are being abused in the Appalachian region. The prescription drug alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax also is abused in Appalachia. Alprazolam is an anti- anxiety medication that belongs to a group of drugs called Benzodiazepines, which is best known for acting on the brain and central nerve system to create…