| Violence in America is not a new phenomenon. From the early settlement wars between European nations to the struggles for gang territory on twentieth century Miami streets, the fabric of American history is one which is colored with blood. The very establishment of the United States arose following a bloody and vicious fight for independence against the tyrannical and abusive British elite. The American penchant for violence has been clearly established in history. What have remained more illusive, however, are the explanations as to the causes of this violence. As with early American colonists and African-American slaves, historical accounts of American coal miners frequently include references to their supposedly innate violent nature. Historians both past and present have referred to the mountain traditions of the miners as being the causes for the violence exhibited by them during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A report by the United States Coal Commission in 1925 even went so far as to suggest that the racial background of the residents was directly responsible for their tendencies towards violent behavior. According to this source, "Much of the violence had nothing to do with the coal industry but had to do with the nature and racial characteristics of the people." The fact that the majority of persons working in the mines during this time period were actually from other regions and even other countries, and thus of various |