1891

ANDERSON, Tennessee

tennessee, Convict Labor

  In Tennessee, the abuse of the convict labor system was putting many coal miners out of work in the late 1800’s.  If an employer was unsatisfied with wages or conduct of his workers, he could hire convicts as employees of the state.  Thousands of Tennessee miners rose up against the use of convict labor by the state’s coal companies in 1891.  This involved significant mountain communities...