Hiscock ARCA1000 Wk 2 I Am a Destroyer of the Past Practicing Archaeology(1)
Wk 15 nov 26 coal and archaeology
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Transcript of Wk 15 nov 26 coal and archaeology
November 26
Coalfield controversies:Conflicting values of the Past
Slack Farm,Union County,
Kentucky
James Chatters
Douglas Minthorn
ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTROVERSIES2) Looting1) Fakes
3) Archaeology and Native Americans
Archaeology is controversial because the past has value
Value is not just money
The past has value in defining who people are
The past has value because it is different from the present and can form a critique of the present
The past has value as a scientific record of humanity
As long as the past has different kinds of value to different people, archaeology is political
1. Recognizing multiple dimensions to a good question
3. Evaluating evidence
2. Recognizing multiple answers to a question or a problem
5. Exploring the ethical implications of differing approaches, methods or conclusions
4. Developing potential solutions to problems based on sound evidence and reasoning
Aspects of Intellectual Inquiry in the Social Sciences
There are multiple answers and ethical considerations in the social sciences becausesocial scientists study people, and people have different opinion and ethical rights
1) Colorado Coalfield War (1913-1914)
2) Battle of Blair Mountain, West Virginia (1921)
Two examples of controversies over the value of the past
Striking Coalminers,southern Colorado
The history of the Colorado Coalfield war has value for--contemporary laborers--Americans at large
--A 10 percent increase in how much they get paid per ton.--The right to elect the people who weighed the coal carts. The people who weighed the coal carts often shorted the workers.--Miners want to be paid for the work they do to keep the mines safe --An eight hour work day, --The right to buy, seek medicine or live anywhere they wanted (not just company towns)--Get rid of the mine guards
guard station
Demands of striking coalworkers
Remains of Berwind, a company town in southern Colorado
Ludlow striker’s tent camp(1200 people)1913 to 1914
Ludlow massacre: April 20th, 1914Colorado National Guard opens fire onthe Ludlow tent camp.
Colorado National Guard sets fire to camp,killing 12 children and 2 women
Ludlow Memorial
“What good is archaeology? All you need to know is they got f**ked”
Randall McGuire
DeanSaitta
1997: Archaeologists begin to study the Colorado coalfield war.
Contemporary union member’s challenge to McGuire and Saitta
Archaeological finds from Ludlow camp…
1) Pins from the Knights of Pithias Fraternal Order (an interethnic social club for men)
2) Canning jars (canning fruit requires access to special ovens not found in the tent camp)
3) Baseball equipment
The CFI (Colorado Fuel and Iron Company) attempted to weaken the strikeby playing ethnic groups off one another. The presence of these pins suggeststhat there was not much cross-ethnic conflict.
The CFI attempted to depict the strikers as a kind of criminal outcast. The evidencefor canning reveals strong social ties with people not on strike and a degree ofsympathy for the strikers.
Popular literature about labor movements (Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, for example),portrays strikers as leading bleak lives. The baseball equipment suggests that strikerswere able to stay in good spirits and continue dignified hobbies.
The history of the Colorado Coalfield war has value for--contemporary laborers--Americans at large
Memorial to the Ludlow Massacre
Why is the archaeology of the Coloradocoal field war a controversy?
Many people do not value thehistory of the labor movement
Blair Mountain
Kenny King and Robert Ayers
Remains of Battle of Blair Mountain
Archaeologist Brandon Nida
Second Battle of Blair Mountain
Archaeology of Blair Mountain has shown:
--That the 10,000 mine workers marching to Logan were not an unruly mob
--Remains of the battle are spectacularly well preserved
distribution of bullets shows well coordinated offensive actions
--The mine workers were winning the battle
--Even current mine employees poised to destroy Blair Mountain are interested
Archaeology of Blair Mountain has shown:
--That the 10,000 mine workers marching to Logan were not an unruly mob
--Remains of the battle are spectacularly well preserved
distribution of bullets shows well coordinated offensive actions
--The mine workers were winning the battle
Broader Message: Rights were not given to workers Workers fought for their rights and died for them
--Even current mine employees poised to destroy Blair Mountain are interested