from the nation’s beginnings. The term redneck dates back only to the
late 19*’’ century, and from its inception is steeped in racial and class
associations. As Patrick Huber notes, the term seems to have emerged in
the area of the southern Mississippi Valley (146). According to
Dictionary o f American Regional English, the first recorded use that
clearly evokes its pejorative nature dates to 1893 when Hubert A. Shands
describes it as “A name applied by the better class of people to the poorer
inhabitants of the rural districts” (qtd in Cassidy and Houston 531). For
Shands, “The word explains itself: men who work in the field, as a
matter of course, generally have their skin stained red and burnt by the
sun, and especially is this true of the back of their necks" (qtd. in Cassidy
and Houston 531).
The idea of a “redneck,” however, predates the term itself and
can be traced back into the 18* century. Since then, F