Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2020/Fall/105/Section 061/Bennie Amerson

Overview

Bennie Amerson was a hard-working, poor coal miner living in rural Alabama with a wife and multiple kids. He spent the vast majority of his life living in the mining town where he worked. He was interviewed by Nettie McDonald for the Federal Writer's Project. The official location and date of this interview are unknown

Biography

Early Life

Amerson was born in the early 1900s, and although the official date of birth is unknown, he is estimated to have started working in the coal mines at the age of 17 and lived the rest of his life in a mining town. Not much is known about his early life nor is any explanation offered in his interview.

Later Life

Married, living at the mine, and with multiple kids, but only two living at home, Amerson lived a simple and hard-working life. In the days he would work in the mine as a foreman, having been already promoted by his boss for his dedication and hard work, his job entailed looking out for his miners and making sure that their payrolls were met, and no accidents happened – a stressful job considering gas explosions and mine collapses were considered pedestrian events at the time, as well as worker’s life being considered replaceable. Additionally, although it’s not clear if Amerson himself was a part one, he believed that all his workers should have a right to join a union – the most popular at the time being the United Mine Workers. However, this union truly only benefited those at the top (through monetary means), while those at the bottom were barely given any benefits at all. At night, he would go home and greet his wife, kids, and frequently, his alcohol. Amerson, similar to many people at the time, had a fierce alcohol dependence - going as far as to make it himself because of prohibition, until a close run in with the law and subsequent lecture from his wife, Mary. Although this didn’t change his alcohol addiction, it did force him to buy it through legal means after prohibition was lifted. Amerson’s at-home life was simple, and like many miners he lived right by the mine. His date of death is unknown but is estimated to be in the mid-to-late 1900s.

Coal Mining Conditions were often dark and cramped.

Prohibition agents destroying illegal alcohol barrels in the United States.

Coal Mining

Coal mining in the 1900s was an extremely dangerous job and often times the living conditions in the mining towns were abysmal. The mines were dark, cramped, and had little ventilation. Proper safety practices and attire were foreign in almost all mines until the late 1900s. Furthermore, environmental awareness was at an all-time low and miners often left huge, gaping holes in the mountain side, letting dangerous runoff accumulate. Miner’s workers unions were common at the time, and many members would join, but few would actually be benefited.

Social Issues

Prohibition

Prohibition was introduced in the United States in 1920 and banned production, consumption, importation, and the sale of alcohol. The ban was lifted in 1933 after growing public opposition. Prohibition was rather supported at the start, with many people actually agreeing with the idea of banning alcohol, but the ban was ineffective. By the middle of prohibition, “alcohol consumption increased sharply, to about 60-70 percent of its pre-prohibition level”. This increase of alcohol consumption continued to stay at the same level even after prohibition was lifted (8). The inevitable lift of prohibition came to no one’s surprise as corruption ran rampant throughout political ranks. Many people viewed prohibition as detrimental to the economy and growth of business, especially those that were local.

Early 1900s Gender Roles

The early 1900s saw rapid change in the economy. Once rural areas became increasingly urbanized (urbanization), and the demand for jobs as wat an all-time high. This caused an increasing number of women to leave the home and seek employment, whether for necessity or demand. Either way, the traditional gender roles seen in the 1900s were forever changed. “Despite the socially created boundaries between male and female employment, women’s participation in the labor force increased during the Second World War and ebbed immediately afterward, only to rise again in the 1960s” and eventually all throughout the 1970s and 1980s as well. Furthermore, the realization that women were being able to enter the workforce was a contested idea, however with time, it was normalized and started to become supported throughout the nation.