Appalachia; A History of Planned Poverty

"Tell It to the Banjo" is a backwoods bluegrass banjo hymn composed by Angel Jose Ruiz Perez, which provides the soundscape for this video about rural poverty in Appalachia.

The chronic poverty of Appalachia is the outcome of economic domination and racism. In the 1930s, southern politicians prevented farm workers and domestic servants from qualifying for Social Security because they knew that the small Social Security check would support families and would change the labor market in the South. In the early days of coal mining, coal operators prevented workers from unionizing and demanding fair wages. In the face of bitter competition among the coal companies, operators controlled everything about workers' lives to keep their labor costs down. By preventing education and community participation the operators forced workers into submission. President Lyndon B. Johnsons War on Poverty instituted national legislation, but the dynamics of exploitation in Appalachia prevented distribution of its opportunities and benefits. To this day, impoverishment in Appalachia persists.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Poverty
• Appalachia
• Rural
• Chronic
• Exploitation
• Racism
• Coal
• Mining
• President
• Lyndon
• B.
• Johnson
• Spadecaller

[505197]

We owe much of our freedom to the folks like those pictured here. The miners fought a battle with owners, men died for the right to dig themselves out of poverty. We tend to focus on the military, but much of the fight for freedom happened within our own country, fought by nobodys with no monument over their graves, gone and forgotten. God bless the brothers and sisters who fought the good fight over oppression by coporations. Let's not forget them, they are heros too.

[ourearthhome]

Coal companies pay virtually nothing into the public coffer as compared with Sarah Palin's Alaska where natural resource extraction, oil in that case, pays a royalty into the public coffers that is then used not only to fund public infrastrucure expenditures but also a guaranteed yearly income to each citizen of Alaska. Last year it was over $3200 for man, woman and child. For a family of four that amounted to $12,800. Do you hear the sound of economic justice calling?

[VibrationsfromMirror]

long time gf :) Yes the poverty WAS PLANNED to some extent! The famiklies were either kicked off property or given so little compensation for their lands that many died through displacemment.. especially the elderly. President Roosevelt left many legacies still ongoing today. Would it NOT BE A SIN to stand against agenda 21's planned sustainable living.. (see official handbook) letting the history and heritage of these parks go back to nature and all memories erased? God Bless ALL!

[grandkadolz]

well done, well made. Thank you for sharing this!

[myfletcher]

My family is from SE Kentucky. I still visit often. I totally disagree with the intro. The poverity was not "planned" by anyone. It was not "racism" either. Industry started in the north and remained there. Farming is done in the south because of longer growing seasons. The mountains are simply hard to build roads through. Much easier to build on flat land. Those are a few of the actual reasons.

[carogee]

@GeorgeBonez "I hate people that rewrite history just to push their lib-agendas." But who wrote the history? Probably people with money and power, and that's going to effect what's included and what's left out. All history is constructed. It is not pure truth or fact, that cannot be contested. It's a narrative created by people, and their perspective WILL show, liberal or not. Looking at marginalized histories is important. I don't know much about this situation but I wanted to make that point.

[lucy9359]

@505197 they have never won corporations are still causing poverty all over the world and bank dependency all over the world today!

[GeorgeBonez]

@77777zula Amen to you. I live in NC and Im sorry but this whole history lesson is a bunch of Liberal vomit! You should go see our mountains today. Rich liberal Yuppies have run most of the real mountain folks down off their mountains so that they can build a mantion and live in a dream world. I hate people that rewrite history just to push their lib-agendas. BTW I loved your comment and I totally agree with you. This nation IS a Christian nation weather people want to admit it or not.

[johndoeiamable]

New standards for ALL!! Now....who wants to start???? Any takers???

[johndoeiamable]

Since it worked for you guys in the south for so fucking long the assholes with business degrees decided it would work for the rest of us. Now I think its time we ALL change

[ForgotteMemories101]

@77777zula in a country that has a number of religions, I believe that politicians shouldn't be able to speak out about their religious stance. i'm not truly christian but I do believe that Jesus and all that was real. However, in govt, religion can be deadly. Look at Oliver Cromwell's govt back in England, look at the Middle East. People often use their religion as an excuse or "claim to fame", I would like to avoid that. I do realize a true Christian would do neither but human nature is deadly

[77777zula]

I was poor but we had pride in trying to make do with what we had.I am glad I that I never a lover of money..my mom and dad worked 2 jobs about all my life..but we were happy and that's some thing that money can't buy.I miss the good old days.

We need a Christian president in the white house..not a Muslim.What we all need is turn to the Lord in prayer.

Chron.7:14