New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Whether it be parts, majority, or the whole, all these states are included in what is known as the Appalachian region located on the eastern coast of the United States. Often times when people hear Appalachia mentioned certain words come to mind (i.e. hillbilly, redneck, mountains, uneducated, tobacco, ginseng, and etc.). Some believe that the people of the Appalachian are cut off from the world due to their carefree way of life that they live. Others may say this because of the rural areas that are present in the region not allowing for the industries that have thrived in the northern regions. Although the region is known for its crude stereotypes and insults given to them by society, the Appalachia’s hold a variety of rich traditions and cultures. Food, music, lingo, and many more things have shaped the way this region is today. One thing in particular though this region is known for is moonshine. A majority of people see this as just any other alcoholic drink, but this back-wood distilled drink is responsible for a large part of culture in this region. First making its appearance during the prohibition era when alcohol was illegal, it has/is defined the region from a social, economic, and even musical spectrum. Moonshine can even be seen as a big influencer in today’s society (i.e. music, media, television, and movies).

For those who are not familiar with the concept of moonshine/moonshining and how it got started it is quite simple. The people of this region, usually of the working class, often held jobs that were very labor intensive. Families then lived by the traditional “mother stay at home, father go to work all day” lifestyle. The women were usually the ones that stayed at home cooked, washed, and provided for the children. The men went out very early in the morning to go to their jobs. These men would stay out all day at their jobs and come back in from working 12 to 16 hour shifts. The majority of the men in this day and age had jobs at coal mines. There were many problems that arose from this job. The hours were often times too much for workers, only allowing a limited amount of time to see their families. Jobs like these also came with a huge risk. The tunnels were very tight and claustrophobic-like and ready to collapse at any time. Some did collapse and in result killed many people. Along with the risk of their lives and it consuming most of their day, the mines were also not the most financially supporting form of employment to have. The companies were known to have only paid wages to workers that barely allowed them to stay afloat and provide for their families. As we saw in the last movie that we watched the workers formed unions as an alternative route to fix the fact that they were not payed much. Groups like these fought for rights but most importantly higher pay. Another alternative to this is what is known as moonshining. This was a process where they made their own liquor (moonshine), illegally and sold it. Since this was during the time of prohibition alcohol, especially liquor, was of high demand. Miners that wanted to make more money were usually the ones who ended up making it and distributing it (runners).

From an economic stand point moonshine was very essential to the Appalachian region. Those who sold moonshine were not considered to be rich but instead used this as a way to make a little extra money on the side. Today we recognize and support the ability of one to start up their own business; entrepreneur. We do this because the average American usually works for/under someone else, by choice. The process of starting a business brings great risk to that individual (i.e. selling an unwanted product, losing money, not having enough money for startup). The moonshiners saw a perfect opportunity and jumped on it. Here we can see the start of the modern day self-sufficient business man. The moonshiners were usually located in the coal mine counties/states. The reason why this was so perfect for the people of the Appalachia is because a great majority of them were in poverty. Moonshine only has 4 ingredients; corn meal, yeast, sugar, and water. All of these ingredients are very cheap and are a perfect fit for those who were in poverty. In the article Imaging Post-Coal Appalachia it talks about the closing of the coal mines. It also mentions that because of this people moved out of town to the industrial revolution areas. He says that if you want to build your local economy then you must do so from within (Alana Semuels). Say for example there is a moonshiner who has a wife and 3 kids. This increase in financial stability leads to a happier family being that certain stressors are off their plate (i.e.  Food, shelter, and clothes). This feeling then became contagious.

We spoke many times over the course of the summer about the divide that present, the divide between the Appalachians and the non-Appalachians. We even watched the movie Deliverance that told a story about a group of city men exploring the depths of the secluded, Georgia woods. The locals, who were portrayed in a savagery type of way, were viewed comically by the city folk. The movie explores differences between these groups while stereotyping the locals. In Van Dijk’s article Critical Discourse Analysis he speaks of power being control. He says that “groups have power if they are able to (more or less) control the acts and minds of (members of) other groups” (Van Dijk, pg. 355). We can see in the movie, being told from the city peoples perspective, that they control the power or “social power” (Van Dijk, pg. 354). In my electronic portfolio post number 10 I talked about how me being from Franklin County has led to a lot of assumptions by those outsiders. I have felt that those with the “social power” have tried to categorize me. Things like these are what makes Appalachian region socially strong. When moonshine started to take off in the Appalachia, the region was misconceived by just doing that. This is where the Appalachian region strengthened socially from this. Since a majority of the people from the Appalachian region were victims of this, they could relate to each other most of the time. This has allowed us to connect together during this time and share similar experiences. Also during this time some of the coal mines were not doing so well and the same goes for those who worked in them. During prohibition it was illegal for one to drink and or produce/sell alcohol. They had what they called speakeasies which were bars where people would secretly sell and drink alcohol. One of the major types of alcohol that was sold here was moonshine. Drinking during this era, just like today, allowed people to sit down, bond, and talk about their different problems that were occurring in their life. When they got together and talked about their struggles they developed another medium in which they could express themselves, music.

Just like slaves sang songs/hymns amongst themselves about their work in the fields, songs began to then develop about moonshine that told about the running[1]. Music as we know today is very influential and possesses a great deal of significance. Music is vital to the individual as well as the group. It gives one a chance to express themselves and to tell about their life. Music as we know it today has the power to make people feel all types of ways through certain aspects like its beat, rhythm, lyrics, and how the lyrics are communicated. For example the hip-hop artist J Cole is known for his songs which display true, real stories that people can relate to. The same goes for those who sang songs about moonshine. In the song Kentucky Bootlegger (which was another word for a person who ran moonshine) by New Lost City Ramblers they summarize the whole process. The singer states “made way back in the swamps and the hills, where there’s plenty of the moonshine stills” telling exactly where the moonshine is made. Then he goes on to say “throwback your head and take a little drink and you won’t be able to think for about a week” explaining how strong the moonshine is to those that don’t know. The ones that do know can understand and appreciate this. This song was recorded in the 60’s and it speaks measures that people in this region are still singing songs about the same things. This illustrates just how deep moonshine is in the region.

The traditions of moonshine in the Appalachian region can be seen creeping out of the region and influencing others. The results of these influences can be seen in many ways. Well known actor, Shia LaBeouf, stares in a movie by the name of Lawless. This is a movie that takes you through the journey of bootlegging brothers in Franklin County, Virginia. The fact that the events that occurred here made it to a movie shows the influence. Even television shows are being made about moonshine in the Appalachian Mountains. Moonshiners, which is aired on the discovery channel, is a show that explains all about the process of making moonshine, running it, and even selling it. Some may say that these shows give a bad name to the region but at the end of the day it shows how powerful influence it has on others.

There are certain things in life that connect people. Things can shape and mold who we are as people for the good or for the bad. Moonshine, for the Appalachian region, has been one of those things. It holds a deep culture in the Appalachians because of its time. Economically moonshine has been a benefit during this time due to the low wages in the coal mines and large families. It allowed those who sold it an extra source of money on the side. It was also very business savvy since this was during prohibition when alcohol was illegal. Socially, this was something that brought the Appalachians together. It allowed them to sit down, have a drink, and talk about their problems in the speakeasies. Lastly, from a music standpoint, like socially, they explained their lives as a bootlegger.

 

[1] Running = the process of illegally transporting moonshine for the purpose of selling.