An Appalachian New Deal: West Virginia in the Great Depression

by JERRY B. THOMAS

Overview

In this paperback edition of An Appalachian New Deal: West Virginia in the Great Depression, Jerry Bruce Thomas examines the economic and social conditions of the state of West Virginia before, during, and after the Great Depression. Thomas’s exploration of personal papers by leading political and social figures, newspapers, and the published and unpublished records of federal, state, local, and private agencies, traces a region’s response to an economic depression and a presidential stimulus program. This dissection of federal and state policies implemented under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program reveals the impact of poverty upon political, gender, race, and familial relations within the Mountain State—and the entire country. Through An Appalachian New Deal, Thomas documents the stories of ordinary citizens who survived a period of economic crisis and echoes a message from our nation’s past to a new generation enduring financial hardship and uncertainty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781933202518
Publisher:	West Virginia University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2010
Series:	WEST VIRGINIA & APPALACHIA , #11
Edition description:	1st Edition
Pages:	366
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jerry Bruce Thomas is Professor Emeritus of History at Shepherd University. He earned a BA in political science at West Virginia University and, after Peace Corps service in the Dominican Republic, an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to An Appalachian New Deal, he is also the author of An Appalachian Reawakening: West Virginia and the Perils of the New Machine Age, 1945-1972, soon to be published by West Virginia University Press.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition viii

Acknowledgments xii

Introduction 1

1 On the Eve 6

2 Drought and Depression 27

3 A Search for Order 42

4 A "Jump in the Dark" 70

5 The Blue Eagle 91

6 A Failed Experiment in Federal Relief 112

7 Reshaping the Welfare System 136

8 The New Deal and Mountain Agriculture 160

9 The New Deal and Families in Distress 189

10 Reluctant New Dealers 211

Epilogue: From Nearly Perfect to Almost Heaven 234

Notes 241

Bibliography 285

Index 300

Editorial Reviews

. . .Thomas’ account of the Great Depression in West Virginia is a welcome edition to the historiography both of the New Deal and of Appalachia.” Thomas Kiffmeyer, Associate Professor of History, Morehead State University

“This book is well-researched, well-written, and gives readers unparalleled insight into the New Deal in West Virginia from the perspectives of state leaders, federal officials, and the state’s poor.” Richard D. Starnes, Creighton Sossomon Associate Professor and Department Chair, Western Carolina University

“Thomas makes a persuasive case that West Virginia, with its chronic poverty, is an important laboratory for examining state and national efforts to end the Great Depression.” Douglas Carl Abrams, Professor of History and Chair of the Department of Social Studies Education, Bob Jones University

 “Amazing as it may seem, there is no history of the New Deal in West Virginia. With its excellent research and clear narration, this book will stand as the major work on the New Deal in West Virginia for a long time to come. . . .A mature work of scholarship.” Ronald L. Lewis, Professor Emeritus of History, West Virginia University

“An important book that anyone interested in Appalachia’s twentieth-century history will want to read. Thomas provides a gracefully written account of a crucial decade in West Virginia history.” John Alexander Williams, Professor Emeritus of Appalachian History, Appalachian State University

From the Publisher