Dark as a Dungeon: Coal Mining and Inquiry Tim Little Michigan State University NCSS Regional Conference Bloomington, Minnesota April 20, 2001

One Picture is Worth a Thousand Words -Chinese Proverb  What can you infer about the nature of American coal mining from this photograph circa 1902?

Some Guidelines for Inferential Looking 1. What is your first impression about this photograph? What seems to be happening in the picture? 2. How would you describe the people (their clothing, age, economic status, working conditions0 ? 3. What does this photograph tell me? What idea or thought is suggested by the photograph? 4. Why did the photographer take this picture? - Dr. Joseph Braun

Coal Mining:  A Photo Album  The Working Environment  Children and the Mines  The Living Environment  The Family Community

The Working Environment

Going Down to the Mine: 1902  Ramshackle transport  Entrance structure looks flimsy  Not too safe ??

Cutting Into the Face of the Coal Vein  Cramped  Shaky supports  ?

The Hazards of Mining Up Close and Personal  In from 50 to 70 per cent. of the cases the victims lost their lives by their own carelessness.  Last year there were 411 lives lost and 1,057 persons injured. This loss of life made 230 widows and 525 orphans.  Mine accidents are caused by the explosion or inhalation of gas, by blasting, by fall of roof, or by miscellaneous causes, such as being crushed between cars, falling down shafts, and being kicked by mules. During last year half of the fatal accidents occurred in the "breasts" by the fall of rock or coal. Bureau of Mines of the State of Pennsylvania for the Year 1900

Children and the Coal Mines

Staffing the Mines  “A coal car, drawn by mules, came along. I thought they must be men, who threw..the coal in... and drove the mules;  but on looking closely I found that one of them was a boy about 12 years old. My companion shook his head. "It is only half past seven o'clock in the morning. Boys of his age should be eating breakfast and getting ready for school,"

Sorting the Coal The Building The Labor Force The Task

The Living Environment

Coal Town in a Valley  Ramshackle  Congested  Poor  Orderly & standar- dized housing ??

Coal Train Rumbles Through Town  Noisy  Work and Resi-dence Mixed  No Escape  ?

The Company Store  Economic control of miner families  ?

The Family Community

Burial Service in Coal Town Patriotic Extended Families ?

Summary Generalization  Life in a coal mining community is  about the same?  better than?  worse than?  middle class life in modern suburbia?  Are we comparing apples and oranges? 1902 vs 2001?  Middle class and blue collar?  Regional differences?  How might we improve the generalization?

The Matter of Framing the Issue  If…..one picture is worth a thousand words -Chinese Proverb  Then if you want to win a debate, make certain that you get to choose the pictures - Tim Little Proverb The Labor View The Company View

Steps in the Michigan Systematic Reasoning Model Analyzing Data Making a Decision Framing the Issue Three Interconnected Steps in the Model

The Company Frame

Mining in Frame II  Hi tech  Sturdy shaft support  Clean faced operator  ?

Mining in 1930s- Frame II  A miner's day's work is done when he has cut enough coal to fill the cars assigned him by the mine boss. He may do this in three or four hours, when he goes home to smoke his pipe and talk politics, leaving the laborers to load the cars..  The miner likes his job,—his place is cool in summer and warm in winter, the hours are short, the labor light, and the element of danger is never calculated upon.

A Reformist Public Frame

Reformist Public Frame  Desecration of the environment  ?

Reformist Public Frame  While the public freezes due to coal strike…  The miners and owners struggle for economic advantage  ? The Coal Strike of 1902

Generating Hypotheses About Life in the Coal Fields The Labor Frame The Company Frame A Reformist Frame Synthesized Frame Next Step: Analyzing Data: Historical Statistics of the US Thank you…questions?

Major Sources for this Lesson  state.edu/history/projects/Lessons_US/Gilde d_Age/Coal_Mining/default.htm  Credit: Patrick J. Hall