In this episode, we're taking a slight tangent to put a critical eye on a controversial strike/rebellion that you almost certainly know of if you're Australian, but you might not have heard about otherwise! I sure didn't. The Eureka Rebellion saw a group of angry settler gold miners briefly take up arms against the British colonial government in response to increasing taxes, police violence, corruption, and a lack of representation. It's an event with a complex history that often gets simplified and sampled by various groups. To some it's the advent of Australian democracy, to others it's merely an extension of settler colonialism. It doesn't help that the Eureka flag has unfortunately been co-opted by white nationalists in recent years. We're going to examine why (and draw some connections to U.S. mythologizing history and national narratives too - it wouldn't be Boot Biters if we didn't!).

Let's get into it!

Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online:

• Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/
• You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts or anywhere you get your podcasts!

• Instagram and TikTok: @bootbiterspod

• BlueSky: @bootbiterspod.bsky.social

Support the podcast, get access to the Water Cooler bonus episodes, and check out resources used in episodes for further reading (resources are publicly available): patreon.com/BootBiters

Credits: Creator, Host, Social Media, Art, Music, General Chaos Sower: Dakota Saunders

In the 4th (AND FINAL!!!!) part of our West Virginia Mine Wars coverage, we're diving into the most tumultuous period of the mine wars, the absolute batshit crazy summer of 1921, the murder of Sit Hatfield, the armed miner's march, and the Battle of Blair Mountain.

Need I say more?

Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online:

• Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/
• You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts or anywhere you get your podcasts!

• Instagram and TikTok: @bootbiterspod

• BlueSky: @bootbiterspod.bsky.social

Support the podcast, get access to the Water Cooler bonus episodes, and check out resources used in episodes for further reading (resources are publicly available): patreon.com/BootBiters

Credits: Creator, Host, Social Media, Art, Music, General Chaos Sower: Dakota Saunders

In the 3rd part of our West Virginia Mine War coverage, we're diving into the Matewan Massacre, the infamous confrontation when Matewan Chief of Police and unexpected union ally Sid Hatfield and Mayor Testerman confronted prominent Baldwin Felts agents in the middle of an illegal eviction. We also cover the importance of Mingo and Logan counties that found themselves in the middle of a heated tug of war match between the union and operators and we explore the wild, continuous violence that the region saw in the aftermath of the Matewan Massacre as a heavily publicized trial drew national attention to the region, the new strike dragged on, and tensions reached critical mass. Let's get into it!

Find Boot Biters - A Labor History Podcast online:

• Website and Transcripts: https://rss.com/podcasts/boot-biters/
• You can also listen to the pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts or anywhere you get your podcasts!

• Instagram and TikTok: @bootbiterspod

• BlueSky: @bootbiterspod.bsky.social

Support the podcast, get access to the Water Cooler bonus episodes, and check out resources used in episodes for further reading (resources are publicly available): patreon.com/BootBiters

Credits: Creator, Host, Social Media, Art, Music, General Chaos Sower: Dakota Saunders