General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Mining Would Be Exciting For Kids: Trumps Secretary Of Education Wants Legal Child Labor [View all]Mc Mike
(9,107 posts)He'd worked in sulfur mining in Sicily from age 7.
In Yatesboro, he was a spokesperson for the immigrant miners and met with John L. Lewis on their behalf, right before WWI.
There are 2 good mine organizing movies, The Molly Maguires about Irish Miners organizing in Shamokin county, PA in the late 1870's, and Matewan, a John Sayles movie about the war between WV mining townspeople and the Baldwin Phelps agents hired by the coal operators in Mingo County right after WWI.
The Maguires movie shows child laborers acting as breakers, busting up the big lumps of coal to make it more shippable and easier to burn.
The Matewan movie shows how the coal company imported Italian immigrants and Southern Blacks to work in the mines, to try and divide and conquer the workers and prevent union organizing.
Both good movies.