Black Patch Tobacco Wars
Encyclopedia
The "Black Patch
" or "dark fired" tobacco area included counties in southwestern Kentucky
and adjoining districts in Tennessee
. On September 24, 1904, American tobacco
planters formed the protectionist Dark Tobacco District Planters' Protective Association of Kentucky and Tennessee (usually called the Association or PPA) to oppose the corporate monopoly
of the American Tobacco Company
(ATC) (or "Trust") owned and operated by James B. Duke. What followed was the most violent civil uprising since the American Civil War
. The New York Times declared, “There now exists in the State of Kentucky a condition of affairs without parallel in the history of the world.”
s of tobacco sales, more militant farmers formed the Silent Brigade. Led by Dr. David A. Amoss, it tried to terrorize farmers into joining the Association and supporting its boycott by not raising tobacco or selling it to the Trust. In 1906, the Silent Brigade burned ATC barns in Trenton, Kentucky
and dynamited the ATC warehouses in Elkton, Kentucky
.
) raided Princeton, Kentucky
and burned the largest tobacco factories in the world. On December 7, 1907 the Night Riders seized control of Hopkinsville, Kentucky
, and burned the Latham warehouse and the Tandy & Fairleigh tobacco warehouse. Reported the New York Times, “Whole towns were mob governed; others besieged. Terror reigned, and from one end of the State to another the night riders were busy.”
and was in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890. Dr. Amoss then accompanied his son, also a physician, to New York City, where he was practiced until his death in 1915.
Black Patch
Black Patch may refer to:*Black Patch Park, Smethwick, England*Black Patch Tobacco Wars*Black Patch, 1957 film...
" or "dark fired" tobacco area included counties in southwestern Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and adjoining districts in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. On September 24, 1904, American tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
planters formed the protectionist Dark Tobacco District Planters' Protective Association of Kentucky and Tennessee (usually called the Association or PPA) to oppose the corporate monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
of the American Tobacco Company
American Tobacco Company
The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company...
(ATC) (or "Trust") owned and operated by James B. Duke. What followed was the most violent civil uprising since the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The New York Times declared, “There now exists in the State of Kentucky a condition of affairs without parallel in the history of the world.”
Formation of the Silent Brigade
The ATC was formed by the amalgamation of many smaller tobacco companies and produced a single market that purchased all tobacco at a fixed price. No competitive bargaining was allowed. Many farmers found they could no longer sell tobacco profitably at the prices the ATC was offering. Despite the establishment of the protective association, which fought the monopoly by practicing boycottBoycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
s of tobacco sales, more militant farmers formed the Silent Brigade. Led by Dr. David A. Amoss, it tried to terrorize farmers into joining the Association and supporting its boycott by not raising tobacco or selling it to the Trust. In 1906, the Silent Brigade burned ATC barns in Trenton, Kentucky
Trenton, Kentucky
Trenton is a city in Todd County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 419 at the 2000 census. Settled as Lewisburg in 1796, the city was renamed after Trenton, New Jersey in 1819.-Geography:Trenton is located at ....
and dynamited the ATC warehouses in Elkton, Kentucky
Elkton, Kentucky
Elkton is a city in and the county seat of Todd County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,984 at the 2000 census. The city was founded by Major John Gray...
.
The Night Riders
On December 1, 1906 the Silent Brigade (now known in the press as The Night RidersThe Night Riders
The Night Riders were a vigilante group operating from about 1906 to 1908 in southwestern Kentucky and northwestern Tennessee that used fear and intimidation against the Duke tobacco monopoly in the area. The Night Riders were led by Dr. David Amoss, a medical doctor from the Cobb community in...
) raided Princeton, Kentucky
Princeton, Kentucky
Princeton is a city in Caldwell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,329 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Caldwell County.-History:...
and burned the largest tobacco factories in the world. On December 7, 1907 the Night Riders seized control of Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
, and burned the Latham warehouse and the Tandy & Fairleigh tobacco warehouse. Reported the New York Times, “Whole towns were mob governed; others besieged. Terror reigned, and from one end of the State to another the night riders were busy.”
The Wars Come to an End
In April, 1908 a Kentucky National Guard detachment commanded by Captain Newton Jasper Wilburn (then a lieutenant) led a series of raids against the Night Rider's leaders. Even though most eventually escaped justice, Capt. Wilburn's actions helped bring law and order to the region.Resolution
On May 9, 1911, the United States Supreme Court ruled the Duke trust, ATC, was indeed a monopolyMonopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
and was in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890. Dr. Amoss then accompanied his son, also a physician, to New York City, where he was practiced until his death in 1915.
Cultural references
- Night Rider (novel)Night Rider (novel)Night Rider is the first novel by American author Robert Penn Warren. It was published in the United States in 1939.The book's main character, Percy Munn, is a young lawyer involved in a fictionalized version of the Black Patch Tobacco Wars, which took place in Kentucky and Tennessee in the early...
, by twentieth century American novelist Robert Penn WarrenRobert Penn WarrenRobert Penn Warren was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the influential literary journal The Southern Review with Cleanth Brooks in 1935...
, is a fictionalized account of the Black Patch Tobacco Wars. - Seattle hip-hop group Common MarketCommon Market (band)Common Market is a hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington with members RA Scion and DJ/Producer Sabzi. The two members were individually active hip hop artists in the Pacific Northwest since 2002, but collectively combined their talents in 2005 to form Common Market.Sabzi started his career as...
released their 'Black Patch War EPBlack Patch War (album)Black Patch War is an EP from Seattle-based hip-hop duo, Common Market. It is the group's second release. The title is a reference to the American Black Patch Tobacco Wars of the early 20th century, a continuation of the title of the group's forthcoming full-length album, Tobacco Road which takes...
' May 2008 as a prelude to their second full length 'Tobacco RoadTobacco Road (album)Tobacco Road is the second album from Seattle-based hip-hop duo Common Market. It was released on September 9, 2008 via Massline Media. The album's title is a reference to the tobacco-producing region of North Carolina....
', released September 9th, 2008.
Works consulted
- Adams, James TruslowJames Truslow AdamsJames Truslow Adams was an American writer and historian. He was not related to the famous Adams family...
. Dictionary of American History. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1940. - Cunningham, William. "On Bended Knees." 1983.
- “Secretary's Books to be Turned over by Night Rider Leader,” Hopkinsville Kentuceian, 18 APR 1908
- Vivian, H.A. “How Crime Is Breeding Crime in Kentucky.” New York Times, 26 JUL 1908
External links
- http://www.thinkwestkentucky.com/community/info_counties/princeton.html
- http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/htallant/border/bs9/gregory.htm
- http://www.nkyviews.com/Other/text_night_rider%20movement.htm
- http://www.kyseeker.com/christian/night.html
- http://www.westernkyhistory.org/christian/night.html
- http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=D005