Date of Award

8-1-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Anthropology

First Advisor

Bonnie Clark, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Dean Saitta, Ph.D.

Keywords

Childhood, Colorado, Immigration, Labor laws, Ludlow, Mining

Abstract

During the early 20th century coal miners' lives in Southern Colorado were fraught with violence and hardships. Many immigrant men brought their families to remote areas to live in company towns and work in coal mines. The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) attempted to assimilate these ethnically diverse immigrants into American society. One method was to impart American values onto the children living in these company towns. CF&I purchased American toys for the children during Christmas and created kindergartens for the children to attend with the intent of imparting American values. In contrast, the parents of these children reinforced their immigrant traditions. These children received two contrasting messages; one at home and one at school. Using the archaeological and historical record at both the company town of Berwind and the striker community of Ludlow, this thesis explores how the children engaged with both American and immigrant culture.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

Rights holder

Jamie Devine

File size

145 p.

File format

application/pdf

Language

en

Discipline

Archaeology, Educational psychology, Economics, Labor

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