Rendville, Ohio, was an anomaly in time and place. This small Appalachian coal mining town was a model of successful integration during the post-Reconstruction era, a period in which race relations were at their lowest. Located in the majority white northern coalfields,
Rendville's unusual demographic profile, a mixed population of African Americans, native whites, and foreign-born immigrants, was the product of distinctive historical settlement processes. Employing historical records, this thesis argues that Rendville's distinctive character was the result of a variety of factors including the efforts of a progressive coal operator, William P. Rend, whose hiring practices and equal pay policies offered economic security for African Americans.
This thesis argues that African Americans in Rendville were agents of their own social change during the nineteenth century. By utilizing a network of social organizations and an interracial labor union, they established the framework for a successful African-American community.
https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_olink/r/1501/10?clear=10&p10_accession_num=ohiou1307303263
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