Movie: Matewan

Movie: Matewan

1. A ton is 2,000 pounds and coal miners at that time were paid by the ton. How much money do the miners make per ton? Is this fair?
2. Who owns everything in town? What keeps them from raising the costs?

1. Why do the men at the secret union meeting not care for “Few Clothes” Johnson?

1. What’s the Italian’s response to Joe Keneman’s invitation into the Union?

1. The Union members decided to “stop” the scabs by force, if necessary. What happened, instead?

1. Write two examples of prejudice between the people at the miner’s camp.

1. How does the spy, C.E. Lively, get the men to turn on Joe?

1. How does Danny the Preacher tell the Union men that Joe is innocent?

1. Summarize the story Joe tells Few Clothes about the Mennonites (a Christian people) that he met in jail. Why does he say that they were among the bravest people he ever met?

1. Why does Joe believe that violence will not work for the Union cause?

1. Danny asks Joe if he had gone to jail during WWI for not wanting fight. Joe answers him by saying that if his two years prevented him from killing some other poor Joe carrying out a rich man’s war, then it was worth it. Later on , Joe says that the world is one big union. Explain how these two statements are connected.

1. At Hillard’s funeral, Bosephus tells Joe Kenehan that he expects too much from people when he asks them not to be violent. Is this too much to ask of people? What would happen if the Union members were to use violence?

1. What might happen in Matewan after the massacre?

After the Movie…pick two to answer on the back.

1. What is a scab and what kind of problems did they face?
2. Remember this is a small town in West Virginia in the 1920s. What role did race play in the situation?
3. Remember when Too Few Clothes (played by James Earl Jones) told the miners that while the black strike breakers would join the Union, they would not participate in armed actions against the company operatives? What was the reason he gave? Why did the miners finally agree with him?
4. Should the miners have massacred the company thugs or should they have used civil disobedience against the mine owners? Would civil disobedience have worked?
5. In your opinion, who was at fault in this situation? What should have happened?