Georgia crackers refer to the original American pioneer

settler A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settl ...

s of the Province of Georgia (later, the State of Georgia), and their descendants. In the late 19th century and the early part of the 20th century, Georgia ranchers came to be known as "Georgia Crackers" by Floridians when they drove their cattle down into the grassy flatlands of Central Florida to graze in the winter, stopping where the citrus groves began. In order to get the cattle's attention they became very adept at cracking a bullwhip. The term "cracker" was in use during Elizabethan times to describe braggarts. The original root of this is the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...

word crack meaning "entertaining conversation" (One may be said to "crack" a joke; a witty remark is a "wisecrack"). This term and the Gaelic spelling "

craic ''Craic'' ( ) or ''crack'' is a term for news, gossip, fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland. It is often used with the definite article – ''the'' craic – as in the expression "What's the craic ...

" are still in use in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. It is documented in Shakespeare's '' King John'' (1595): "What cracker is this... that deafes our eares / With this abundance of superfluous breath?" By the 1760s the ruling classes, both in Britain and in the American colonies, applied the term "Cracker" to Scotch-Irish and English settlers of the remote southern back country, as noted in a passage from a letter to the Earl of Dartmouth: "I should explain to your Lordship what is meant by Crackers; a name they have got from being great boasters; they are a lawless set of rascalls on the frontiers of Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia, who often change their places of abode." The word was later associated with the cowboys of Georgia and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, many of them descendants of those early frontiersmen.

Usage

Among some Georgians, the term is used as a proud or jocular self-description. Since the huge influx of new residents into Georgia from the northern parts of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the late 20th century, "Georgia cracker" has become used informally by some white residents of Georgia of Scots-Irish and English stock, to indicate that their family has lived there for many generations. However, other Georgians find the term highly offensive and insulting: "'Cracker' has a murky history but generally describes

poor white Poor White is a sociocultural classification used to describe economically disadvantaged Whites in the English-speaking world, especially White Americans with low incomes. In the United States, Poor White (or Poor Whites of the South for ...

s. The slur is widely considered an insult among white southerners. . . . . for plenty of rural, white southerners, "cracker" is a demeaning, bigoted term . . . the equivalent of

redneck ''Redneck'' is a derogatory term chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, ' ...

." The "Cracker Party" was a Democratic Party political machine that dominated city politics in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Georgi ...

, for over 25 years, and exerted considerable political influence for roughly four decades after its 1946 defeat.Staff Reports. "Newspapers helped end long rule of corrupt Cracker Party," The Augusta Chronicle web site, 29 August 2010
/ref>
For several years before baseball's "Braves" National League franchise moved to Atlanta from Milwaukee, that city was home to an International League team called "the Atlanta Crackers".

Notable Georgia Crackers

* Bill Arp, Georgia's foremost 19th-century humorist * Roy V. Harris, a "Cracker Party" boss * Lauretta Hannon, Georgia's 'Cracker Queen' humorist * John B. "Big John" Kennedy, Augusta, Georgia Public Safety Commissioner (1942–1946) and another "Cracker Party" bossObituary. "Wounds Fatal to Politician Shot by Wife," The Chicago Tribune web archives from 8 July 1951
/ref> *

Doyle Lawson Doyle Lawson (born April 20, 1944) is an American traditional bluegrass and Southern gospel musician. He is best known as a mandolin player, vocalist, producer, and leader of the 6-man group Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Lawson was inducted in ...

, Musician known for his mandolin piece "Georgia Cracker"

Musical groups

The Georgia Crackers (released on Okeh records #45111, 1927 the record label says "OKEH 45111 Atlanta, GA Monday, March 21, 1927...Paul Cofer, f/v; Leon Cofer, bj/v; Ben Evans, g/poss. v. Also they recorded as Cofer Brothers) and then refers to another different country band that recorded "A Broken Doll " on RCA Victor #0033, vocal by Hank Newman, in 1947, and thirdly, a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

band that has covered W. C. Handy's famous "Atlanta Blues" amongst other tracks, as well. (All are available on YouTube to see).

References

Notes Further reading
Georgia Backroads

External links

The Georgia Encyclopedia

{{DEFAULTSORT:Georgia Cracker Georgia (U.S. state) culture Culture of the Southern United States American regional nicknames History of Georgia (U.S. state) British-American culture in Georgia (U.S. state) English-American culture in Georgia (U.S. state) Scotch-Irish American culture in Georgia (U.S. state) Cowboys

Usage

Notable Georgia Crackers

Musical groups

See also

References

External links