Black patch tobacco wars wikipedia republished wiki 2. Low tobacco prices caused the black patch war, named after the dark leaf grown in west kentucky and tennessee. The armed and hooded vigilantes who participated in these violent acts became known as the tobacco. Here on december 1, 1906, began black patch war, which lasted to the end of 1908. The american tobacco company was paying less for dark tobacco than it cost farmers to grow it.
In the small town of hopkinsville, ky, my home community, a group of farmers started a rebel group called the association, later renamed the night riders. Black patch by allen miner allen miner, george montgomery. Former night rider milton oliver on his tobacco patch. Since 1925, princeton has housed the university of kentucky research and education center, a campus of the university of kentuckys college of agriculture. Understanding the black patch tobacco war of west kentucky and.
Turner in 2012 about the history of the tobacco war and the night rider movement. This covert group used violence and intimidation to raise tobacco prices, initiating a period known as the black patch war. The black patch war was a result of a monopoly of a tobacco rebel coompany in the early 1900s. The black patch tobacco wars was a period of violence in the dark tobacco region of western kentucky and tennessee at the turn of the 20th century circa 19041909 the black patch, as it is called, is made up of about 30 counties in southwestern kentucky and northwestern tennessee and the leading worldwide supplier of dark fired tobacco. Collectively, these acts of violence became known as the black patch war.
Dark tobacco district planters protective association. The farmers fought back by forming the planters protective association, whose members withheld their tobacco from the market. There is much more to this story, and way more than i could ever put into this thread. In 1907 and 1908, a vigilante group known as the night riders terrorized the black patch 30county region of western kentucky and tennessee, where dark fired tobacco was produced. Hubbard with all the recent legislation that aims to prohibit the use of tobacco among adult consumers, we often forget about the people caught in the middle. Prices for tobacco had been down since the late 1890s. Oversimplified, the night riders grew out of the black patch tobacco wars, which took place in the western part of kentucky from 1904 through 1911 or so, and. Black patch war a current events news and politics. History of the night riders in the black patch region the history of the night riders in the black patch region tells of the struggle of small farmers against big business. The planters protective association of kentucky and tennessee had organized to gain more power as growers against the james b.
In 1904, when tobacco farmers of kentucky and tennessee formed an association to unite against the american tobacco company, a vigilante splinter group decided to deliver its own brand of rough justice. Hollowell was wounded when one shot penetrated her cheek bone. At the turn of the 20th century, the american tobacco company, owned by james b. War between tobacco farmers and buyers over price of tobacco. The black patch tobacco wars was a period of violence in the dark tobacco region of the u. Bell witch festival is around the corner 5 exceptional. The black patch war of the early 20th century was instigated by extremely depressed prices for tobacco crops, most notably the dark tobacco area of western kentucky and western tennessee, and was directed by one of the historically largest industrial u. The black patch tobacco war of western kentucky the good lord never got any thousand or so men together for any purpose without a liberal assortment of sons of bitches thrown in. The most thorough treatment ever given to the black patch war, night riders illuminates a moment in history in which the traditional and the modern, the rural and the industrial, fought for the futureand pastof a community. The black patch war the story of the night riders is an important episode in the history of the kentucky black tobacco belt.
Black patch and night rider oral history project project summary by the beginning of the 20th century, tobacco buyers in kentucky and tennessee had formed the american tobacco company, a trust that controlled the tobacco market and forced farmers to sell their crops at extremely low prices. The black patch tobacco wars and the story of the night riders is fascinating, and quite relevant to our times. Farmers in western kentucky and in tennessee fought back against the rule of the company. The black patch war, like much human conflict, was rooted in economics, specifically.
These men became known in the press as the night riders and their campaigns grew in. The black patch tobacco wars were a period of violence in the dark tobacco region of the u. The black patch tobacco war dated from 1904 to 1909. Night riders in the black patch 27 the first bloodshed in the tobacco war occurred may 3, 1907. As a result of dukes actions, the black patch tobacco war began in western kentucky. Night riders tells the story of the in an agricultural region of kentucky and tennessee called the black patch for the dark tobacco grown there, big business arrived with a vengeance, eliminating competition, manipulating prices, and undermining local control. Some of these skirmishes happened in the small town where i was raised in southwestern kentuckyi painted this for a. These stories later inspired his first novel night rider 1939. Night riders fought against noncooperative farmers and businessmen who opposed the dark tobacco pool. Princeton was also at the center of the black patch tobacco wars that occurred after the turn of the 20th century.
But despite this fierce upheaval, the black patch community endured. When the early efforts of the ppa proved ineffective in convincing tobacco companies to buy through the cooperative, some disgruntled growers formed a second organization of night riders. The black patch war constituted one of the most serious domestic threats to civil government in twentiethcentury america. Twentyfive or thirty partly masked men went to the home of r. Yet when world war i commenced and major foreign shipping lanes suddenly closed, the growers of the black patch had no markets left to which to. The black patch tobacco war or the great tobacco strike in southwestern kentucky and northern tennessee extended from 1904 to 1909. In an attempt to protect their most valuable money crop from the exploitation of capitalistic trusts, lawabiding farmers organized and resorted. Hollowell, between hopson and lamasco between one and two o clock in the morning, shots were tired into the home. The black patch tobacco wars were a period of civil unrest and violence in the western counties of the u. By this time, dark tobacco had become primarily an export crop. Adams new events have been incorporated into the bell witch fall festival, but a few standards and old favorites remain the staples. The term black patch referred to the region of the two states noted for the growth of darkfired tobacco.
Black patch and night rider oral history project spokedb. Night riders during the period between 1900 and 1906 trouble began to brew among the tobacco men of the state, especially in the black patch area around hopkinsville. During 1906 trouble was brewing among the tobacco men of the state, especially in the black patch area around hopkinsville christian county. Our group is putting together a fullfledged documentary on the night riders, a violent group in tennessees history. A struggled called the black patch war began and lasted nearly. When interviewed by his friend ralph ellison, warren suggested that the novel preserves perspectives which have long since been forgotten. The remarkable story of the black patch tobacco wars 6 photos. Night riders and the black patch wars, page 1 black patch tobacco wars bloodiest american uprising from the civil war to the civil rights movement as kentucky farmers violently protested dukes tobacco monopoly, princeton. The socalled black patch consists of about 30 counties in southwestern kentucky and northwestern tennessee. During the first part of the 1900s, problems over the price of tobacco turned to violence in the northern part of tennessee. In 1904, tobacco farmers formed the planters protective association ppa to try and raise prices. A group of large tobacco companies that wanted to take control over the tobacco market. As part of it, we interviewed historian and public speaker rick gregory, and. Its a fascinating piece of american history the tobacco farmer versus the american tobacco company, which is becoming a monopoly in the world of tobacco.
Martin, kentucky historical society and kentucky department of. It urged farmers to boycott the american tobacco company and refu. On september 24, 1904, the tobacco planters of western kentucky and the neighboring counties of west tennessee formed the dark fired tobacco district, or black patch district planters protective association of kentucky and tennessee. The silent brigade did not participate in the burley tobacco conflict, but the burley tobacco guerrillas were also known as night riders. The night riders, robert penn warren november 30, 1906. Dukes tobacco company made lives unbearable for the tobacco farmers. The night riders was the name given by the press to the militant faction of tobacco farmers during a popular resistance to the monopolistic practices of the american tobacco company of james b. A ballad of the night riders, a musical about the tobacco wars that took place in robertson county and kentucky, is also in the lineup this year. Gum grove farm destroyed by night riders in black patch. Duke was the main player, or the instigator as some would call it, in the black patch war.
These later became known as the black patch tobacco wars. This is a history of the night rider movement an outgrowth of the black patch tobacco wars in western kentucky from 1905 to 1912 ot so. Back at the turn of the 20th century, tobacco farmers in the black patch area of kentucky and those in middle tennessee struggled against large agriculture companies. Duke tobacco conglomerate american tobacco company. Kate lochte of wkms, a public media service of murray state university, interviewed christian county historian william t. The battle with the common market europe tv eye 1979 duration. Planters protective association in opposition to the night rider movement.
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