In 1878, Randall accused one of Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield’s relatives of stealing one of the McCoys’ hogs. Randall took the more affluent Hatfields to court in Kentucky but lost. A vicious, decades-long family feud ensued.
The most famous family conflict in American history, the Hatfield-McCoy feud evolved into a mythic American tale of jealousy, rage and revenge – and one which helped create the negative “hillbilly” stereotype that has shaped attitudes towards Appalachia for more than a century. Much more than a tale of two warring families, The Feud is the story of a region and its people forced into sudden change by Eastern capitalists, who transformed Appalachia from an agrarian mountain community into a coal and timber producing workplace owned and run primarily by outside interests.
Learn more about THE FEUD, including where to watch the documentary: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/feud/
