At 1:34 PM -0400 6/19/00, carol kammen wrote: >This definition of Yankee comes from the soon to be published Local >History Encyclopedia (AltaMira Press and AASLH): > > >Yankee: The origin of this word is murky. In 1683, according to the >Oxford English Dictionary, Yankee was in use in England as a surname, >possibly of Dutch origin. British soldiers in the New World colonies >used it as a term of contempt, however, thereafter it came to mean a New >Englander. After the Battle of Lexington, New Englanders began to use the >word themselves, even making up a mythical band of Indians, the Yankos >(meaning Invincibles) from which they claimed the word came. The word >was often used by southerners about those north of the Mason Dixon line, >often with negative overtones. Yankee was often preceded by epithets, >especially "damned." In addition, during the two world wars the term >"Yanks" was used by Europeans to describe all Americans. For a more >detailed discussion of the word, see "Yankee" in Stephen Thernstrom, >editor, *Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups (Cambridge, Mass., >1980). i didnt know the dutch were that dispersed through out New england, i thought they were primarily in NYS. m ------------------------------------------------------------------ Ireland unfree shall never be at peace.'' - Padraig Pearse http://www.panix.com/~cassidy