Summary

In order to explore how Appalachians became synonymous with “other America,” Catte turns to a brief consideration of Appalachian history. The central contributing factor to the idea of Appalachians as “other” has been the tendency of the rich to capitalize on the land of poor Appalachians, an indication of what Catte calls “the most exploitative manifestations of capitalism” (36). More specifically, Appalachians began to be seen as a distinct culture after the Civil War, when industrialists began to move in the region with the intent of accumulating land and acquiring valuable mineral reserves, timberlands, and coal mines –made possible by the expansion of the railway system. Businessmen justified their personal gain from the region by arguing that they were providing employment for local Appalachians; they pushed the idea that they were modernizing Appalachia by engendering the “spirit of industry” into “backward mountaineers” (37). Catte writes...