A "redneck" is a disparaging term used in the US to describe a rural white person from the South, who typically has a working-class job, and reactionary political views.
The first use of “redneck” appears to refer to the Scottish Covenanters of the 17th century, who were a Scottish Presbyterian movement. In 1637 King Charles I of England demanded that his Scottish subjects abandon their Presbyterian church in favor of the Church of England. The Covenanters responded with the National Covenant, in which they declared their allegiance to their religion over the King of England. They signed the oath in blood, and to symbolize their pledge, wore blood-red bandannas around their necks.
These dissenters, as they were perceived by the overruling English, eventually migrated to Ireland, and from there to the American colonies, where they made their way south in search of open land.
Many Southerners today trace their ancestry back to these migrants who brought not only their culture of rough and ready individualism, but also the term "redneck."
Originally written for Songfacts
The first use of “redneck” appears to refer to the Scottish Covenanters of the 17th century, who were a Scottish Presbyterian movement. In 1637 King Charles I of England demanded that his Scottish subjects abandon their Presbyterian church in favor of the Church of England. The Covenanters responded with the National Covenant, in which they declared their allegiance to their religion over the King of England. They signed the oath in blood, and to symbolize their pledge, wore blood-red bandannas around their necks.
These dissenters, as they were perceived by the overruling English, eventually migrated to Ireland, and from there to the American colonies, where they made their way south in search of open land.
Many Southerners today trace their ancestry back to these migrants who brought not only their culture of rough and ready individualism, but also the term "redneck."
Originally written for Songfacts
No comments:
Post a Comment