Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2021/Spring/105i/Section 24/Archie George

Overview
Archie George was an African American born on a farm in Lithonia, Georgia. George was a coal miner and a soldier. He lost both of his legs in a coal mining accident. George was interviewed by the Federal Writers' Project on November 17, 1939.

Early Life
George's birth date is unknown. He had four sisters. George's mother died when he was a child. During his childhood, George's sisters went to school while he worked on the farm in a sharecropping system. George both watched and gambled in his youth. In the interview, George said that this often got him in trouble.

Working Life
At 24 years old, George worked in Big Rock Quarry making $5.20 a day drilling rock. He learned to drill rock in Lithonia but was paid $1.50 and only $1.25 when driving teams in Atlanta. George stayed in North Carolina for six months and then moved to West Virginia to work in coal mines. He got $8.01 for driving mules in mines and $10 to $12 loading coal in cars that could hold four or five tons. More work resulted in more pay, and according to the George's interview, the work was continuous.

George was drafted into the Army in 1918, towards the end of World War I. He was sent to Camp Lee and didn’t fight, but said in his interview that he wanted to. George was in a segregated unit.

After the War, George went to Tom Creek, Virginia and loaded coal at the V.I.C. mine. He worked for four years until his legs were cut off. One morning, he saw that there were no cars to load with coal and swung to ride where the loading cars were. George slipped and fell under the car, both of his legs getting cut off above the knees. George was not paid for the injury. He got artificial legs and crutches, but he says he didn’t use them because it was nearly impossible to walk with them.

Life After Injury
There was little government support until the American Legion got the government to pay injured workers $40 a month. This allowed George to pay for room and board. President Roosevelt's action to cut down federal funding decreased George's check by $10. George wanted Republicans back in office to get his stipend back.

George stayed with his cousin Ethel for two to three years. He then went to Lynch, Kentucky and lived with his cousin Doll Hawk for two years. Later on, George went back to West Virginia to live with his cousin Willie Hawk. George could only afford to pay Will four dollars a week. At one point, George sold produce from the bed of a truck he bought, driven by a teenage boy. He made five to six dollars a day. Eventually, he could no longer afford to pay the boy driving the truck and could no longer work. George's death date is unknown.

Working Conditions and Safety in Early 20th Century Coal Mining
In the 20th century, coal mining was a common occupation and source of income for families. Many immigrants and former slaves were recruited to work in mines in order to survive. West Virginia was the heart of the coal mining industry. It was an important job because coal was used to create energy and run railroads. Lorraine Boissoneault says in the Smithsonian Magazine that the rest of city life from "homes, general stores, schools, churches and recreational facilities surrounded the mines." Living and working conditions were dangerous and unsanitary, and they were paid low wages. Politicians supported wealthy corporation owners more than the working miners.

Injuries and deaths by explosions and small-scale accidents in the coal mining industry were common. These mishaps were difficult to prevent because safety equipment was costly and would have resulted in more workers and wages. Individual workers were worked intensely, causing them to value efficiency and speed over safety. Taking extra safety precautions meant lost time doing work they would not be paid for. High work intensity resulted in hurried work, meaning less time for miners to enforce their own safety precautions.

The unsafe working conditions led to strikes and the creation of labor unions for coal miners. In 1890, the United Mine Workers of America union was created. The union advocated for an increase in pay and safer working conditions. In 1890, the UMWA combined with two other coal mining unions, becoming the largest American labor union before World War I. The UMWA won many major strikes and reduced fatalities by 54 percent through 1913. Instead of reducing work intensity, unions reduced output of coal mines by 5 to 10 percent after 1913.

Role of Sharecropping in Racial Division and Economy
After the Civil War ended slavery, farmers lost workers and former slaves no longer had jobs. As defined by History.com, sharecropping was the "type of farming in which families rent small plots of land from a landowner in return for a portion of their crop, to be given to the landowner at the end of each year." White landowners gave the workers the land, seeds, animals, and equipment, and African American workers used the resources to work. Because White farmers did not have to pay their slaves, they did not have the means to pay their workers. Instead of money, they loaned places to live, food, medicine and would "split the harvest and profits" at the end of the season."

Sharecropping allowed for white plantation owners to continue to exercise ownership over former slaves. Workers could no longer be punished corporately, contracts were written, and workers were paid, but wages were low and poor living and working conditions continued. With the continuation of low wages, it was difficult for former slaves to improve their living situations. Black Americans still could not own land, resulting in White Americans maintaining their economic dominance. Black Americans who tried to form sharecropper unions were "attacked and murdered." A lack of unions and the ban from voting meant a lack of advocacy in government, no one voicing the needs of the Black population.