The Battle of Blair Mountain
1921 bore witness to the Battle of Blair Mountain, heralded as the largest armed labor uprising since the Civil War. A staggering 10,000 coal miners, unified across racial and immigrant lines, rose against lethal working conditions and the injustice of being paid in company scrip—a currency only valid within the oppressive ecosystem of the mining company.
Their demands were clear: union rights, safer workplaces, and fair compensation. Yet, near Blair Mountain, their march was met with fierce resistance by coal company forces. Over two tumultuous days, the air was thick with gunfire, leading to an estimated sixteen casualties in the struggle for labor rights. The conflict reached its climax when President Harding deployed federal troops, quelling the uprising with a show of national force.