Michael C. Smith II
12/8/15
Rachel Sparkman

Power and Powerlessness
John Gaventa in Power and Powerlessness explores the life of coal miners of
Middlesboro in the Clear Fork Valley in Central Appalachia. The miners endured many hardships mainly caused by the British run firm, American Association Ltd. This company exploited the miners economically as well as politically, causing a quiescence within the region; which discouraged a sense of acceptance of hardships as well as the inability to unite to remove the hardships.
Majority of land within Middlesboro is owned by American Association Ltd, where they sought to capitalize in coal extraction. They developed the entire city as well as owned many of the resources that many of the residents depended on, such as housing. Power distribution within
Middlesboro favored the elite over the laborers where the middle class maintained the interest of the elites while at the same time ignoring, or “turning a blind eye”. The distribution of power ranged from business owners at the top, to small business owners and professionals in the middle, and of course laborers at the bottom. Gaventa chose this region because of the fact that this region’s main natural resource is coal and also it is, “the most highly concentrated rural nonfarm population in the United States (Gaventa, 1980).” Coal is considered a natural capital because of its use for the generation of energy, where it provides the ability to power homes, buildings, factories, etc. “Coal-fired power plants currently fuel 41% of global electricity and, in some countries, coal fuels a higher percentage of electricity (World Coal Association, 2015).”
Much of the quiescence stems from the uneven power distribution between the elites and the middle and lower classes. Based on the approaches of the three dimensions of power, he believes that people recognize their shortcomings and would more than likely take part in open political system to address their issues. However this not the case with the miners because of the

power the company (elites) holds over them. Factors contributing to political quiescence within the laboring community consists of the fact that the miners and other laborers are of low socioeconomic status, and fear situations of being reprimanded, and or fired. As time progressed this has led laborers to believe that they are powerless to stop their grievances to the point where actions to be taken are not even thought about. No matter the grievance, the middle and elite classes would simply ignore them and only worry about things of their interest. Protests of the laborers were attempted, however they were not successful. The miners rebellion of 1931 highlighted that many endured hardships brought on by the American Association, dealing with harassment, dismissal from the workplace to even being forced out of their homes; physical violence later followed. Much of the worker’s failure was attributed to the lack of resources on their end. Local elites were the “gatekeepers” of information where their control over communication allowed information about the rebellion to be skewed, providing less favorable information that would alter the perception of support for the miners.
Social Change
Social change can either benefit a region for the better or worse. There constantly needs to be change to better accommodate those residing within the region. The region of choice is the
Midwestern region of the United States. The Midwest is largely rural consisting of 12 states with land that is mostly flat with plains and hills; heading further west consists of a more rural region with farmland. When it comes to the Capitals for adequate sustainability in the Midwest, agriculture plays a key role in its role in natural capital. With the quality of the land in the region, it offers opportunity for production of large harvests consisting of corn, wheat, barley, and oats.
This natural capital accounts for majority of agricultural goods produced in the Unites States

generating billions in revenue. Agriculture within this region is also not possible without human capital. “Human capital includes those attributes that contribute to their ability to earn a living, strengthen community, and otherwise contribute to community organizations, their families, and self-improvement (Butler & Flora, 2013).” Farming is done by the people residing on the land in addition to teaching and learning new skills to improve on farming techniques. Built capital in this region consists of roads, and streets to transport agriculture in and out of the area. In addition there are over 50 colleges to educate the public in either a formal or trade education. Cultural capital of this region consists of people that are mostly Christian, most of which are of German descent. Financial capital in this region is attributed to the farming and agriculture, which provide most of the revenue to this region.
The National Farmers Alliance was a major social movement and one of the largest and powerful unions in this area around the late 1800’s, carried out by farmers to form an agrarian economic movement. The Farmer’s Alliance in this region (aka The Northern Alliance) fought to obtain a fair tax system on property, pass income tax laws, regulate interstate commerce, and to eliminate free travel passes to public officials (Boundless, 2015). The Alliance was one of three that had shown up in the U.S. with its counterparts being: The Southern Alliance, consisting of majority of southern states and the Colored Alliance, which consisted of African American farmers. Unfortunately the alliance was unsuccessful as an economic movement being that majority of people protesting were among the poor and lacked adequate resources to properly negotiate a fair economic policy that would better align with the Alliance’s vision. “T his failure prompted an evolution of the Alliance into a political movement to field its own candidates in national elections (Boundless, 2015) .” It was successful however in eliminating national banks to

allow the establishment of local banks. The southern regions were successful in eliminating the corporate monopolies on transportation and communication.

Boundless. (2015, December 8). The Farmer's Alliance. Retrieved from boundless.com: https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/the-gildedage-1870-1900-20/the-agrarian-and-populist-movements-155/the-farmer-s-alliance-834-8272/
Butler, C., & Flora, J. L. (2013). Rural Communities. Boulder: Westview Press.
Gaventa, J. (1980). Power and Powerlessness: Quiesence and Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley. London:
Oxford University Press.
World Coal Association. (2015, December 16). Coal & Electricity. Retrieved from worldcoal.org: http://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-coal/coal-electricity