Executive Summary

This white paper establishes the scope for a comprehensive regional history of Appalachia. Appalachia, stretching across more than a dozen U.S. states, represents one of the nation’s most distinctive cultural and historical regions. Too often framed through external narratives—poverty studies, sensationalized stereotypes, or political exploitation—the region’s history deserves to be told with respect for its people, traditions, and resilience. A comprehensive history must encompass geography, settlement, economy, faith, family, and identity, from pre-Columbian times to today’s post-industrial transitions.

This project proposes an integrated regional history that highlights both continuity and change, recognizing Appalachia’s role not only as a local story but also as a vital thread in the broader American experience.

I. Introduction

Appalachia is often portrayed in terms of deficiencies: poverty, isolation, or backwardness. Such portrayals have dominated since the “discovery” of the region by reformers in the late 19th century and resurfaced during the 1960s War on Poverty. But this lens diminishes the complexity of Appalachian life.

A non-leftist history of Appalachia must look beyond dependency frameworks and external interventions, highlighting instead the values that define the region: faith, independence, local solidarity, stewardship of land, and endurance through hardship. This white paper defines the scope of a comprehensive regional history that acknowledges outside pressures while giving priority to the voices, traditions, and achievements of Appalachian people themselves.

II. Defining Appalachia

Geographic Boundaries

Appalachia follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. The Appalachian Regional Commission defines a formal region of 423 counties, but cultural Appalachia is broader and more flexible, with foothills and valleys deeply integrated into its identity.

Sub-Regions

Northern Appalachia: Industrial borderlands with Pennsylvania and Ohio. Central Appalachia: Coal country, stretching through Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia. Southern Appalachia: The highlands of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia, with strong folk traditions and religious life.

Borderlands Perspective

Appalachia’s story cannot be told in isolation: it connects with the Midwest’s industrial belt, the South’s plantation culture, and the Mid-Atlantic’s trade corridors. This makes Appalachia a crossroads region, balancing independence with constant outside influence.

III. Chronological Scope

Pre-Colonial and Early Contact

Indigenous communities such as the Cherokee and Shawnee shaped the land through hunting, farming, and trade. European settlers arrived seeking freedom and opportunity, valuing land ownership and self-reliance. Conflict with native peoples and distant colonial governments sharpened the region’s identity as a place of independence.

19th Century Transformations

Settlers carved out farms, towns, and churches. The Civil War divided the region, with Unionist pockets in the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky resisting secession. Reconstruction often bypassed Appalachia, leaving communities to rebuild with their own resources.

20th Century

The discovery and exploitation of coal and timber transformed the economy. Outside corporations often profited more than local people, but labor struggles forged solidarity and community pride. Families maintained religious life, music, and storytelling traditions that gave the region stability. Federal interventions—from the TVA to the War on Poverty—brought change but also dependency, reshaping expectations of government’s role in daily life.

21st Century

As coal declined, Appalachia entered a new period of uncertainty. Outmigration, the opioid crisis, and economic restructuring challenged local resilience. Yet new forms of entrepreneurship, tourism, faith-based initiatives, and small-scale agriculture signal that the region is once again adapting on its own terms.

IV. Thematic Dimensions

Environmental History

The mountains and rivers define Appalachian life. While resource extraction scarred the land, stewardship traditions also run deep: hunting, farming, and conservation reflect a balance between use and respect.

Economic History

From subsistence farming to industrial coal towns, the region’s economic story is one of adaptation. While federal programs and outside corporations left lasting imprints, Appalachians repeatedly turned to small business, family farming, and local entrepreneurship when given the chance.

Cultural History

Religion—especially evangelical Protestantism—anchors Appalachian identity. Music (bluegrass, gospel, country), storytelling, and folk crafts reflect creativity rooted in faith and community. Literature from local authors gives voice to themes of honor, hardship, and endurance.

Social History

Family and church are central institutions. Migration, both into and out of the region, has continually reshaped communities. Strong kinship ties have allowed families to endure economic and cultural upheavals.

Political History

Localism dominates Appalachian politics. Suspicion of distant authority, whether colonial governors, federal bureaucrats, or corporate executives, has bred a fierce attachment to local governance and populist movements. Recent decades show the region as a bellwether for national political realignments.

Race, Ethnicity, and Gender

Appalachia is more diverse than stereotypes suggest. African Americans, European immigrants, and Native Americans shaped the culture alongside the Scotch-Irish settlers. Women often sustained households and churches through times of economic disruption, playing quiet but decisive roles in community stability.

V. Methodological Approaches

This history should employ multiple methods:

Archival research to document political and economic shifts. Oral histories to capture family memory and tradition. Comparative regionalism to highlight both uniqueness and commonality with other rural regions. Digital humanities to map migration, cultural networks, and economic flows.

But the guiding principle must be respect for Appalachians as historical actors—not as subjects of pity or reform.

VI. Addressing Stereotypes and Narratives

The region has long been caricatured—whether as a land of hillbillies, moonshiners, or helpless victims. This project resists those distortions. Appalachia has poverty, but it is not defined by poverty. It has endured exploitation, but not without resistance. Its people are not relics of the past but active participants in modern America.

VII. Project Outcomes

Multi-Volume Scholarly History: Documenting Appalachia comprehensively across time. Public-Facing Resources: Educational materials, museum exhibits, digital archives. Policy Relevance: Offering insights into how communities build resilience without undermining independence or faith.

VIII. Timeline and Deliverables

Phase 1: Archival research and oral history collection. Phase 2: Drafting thematic and chronological volumes. Phase 3: Publication, outreach, and community engagement.

IX. Conclusion

A comprehensive regional history of Appalachia must rise above political stereotypes, whether of victimhood or romantic nostalgia. It must present a balanced account of a people who have prized freedom, faith, and family through centuries of challenge. Appalachia’s history is not a tale of dependency but of resilience, sacrifice, and adaptation. This project seeks to restore that perspective to the national conversation.