Colonial American Terms and other Vocabulary
Colonial American terms and
song lyrics, regularly taken for granted by history students, often paint a
deeper and richer picture, adding to the frequently colorful meanings attached.
Students taught about the House of Burgesses in
The House of Burgesses in
Begun in 1619, the House of
Burgesses was a representative body composed of propertied white men that were
elected to serve in the assembly. A representative was called a “burgess” and
came from the planter social class. The term burgess, however, was of French
and Germanic origins. The French word “burgeis” literally meant a “citizen of a
borough.” The same root word is connected to the word borjois, meaning “town
dweller,” and gave rise to the more popular Bourgeois.
The Germanic connection is
traced to the Old English which had great affinity with Germanic terms. The
“borough” was derived from the German burg. German “burghers” were considered
“free men of the burgh,” usually a fortified enclosed, citadel, or fortress –
relating to the formation of early medieval towns surrounded by walls and
protected by a castle. Thus, in the 16th Century, the Reformer
Martin Luther began his most famous hymn with the line, “Eine Feste Burg ist
unser Gott:” Our God is a strong fortress.
Yankee Doodle Dandy
The lyrics of this
Revolutionary War tune changed many times from when it was first written, most
probably during the French and Indian War. Many scholars agree that the song
was composed to ridicule the colonial militia, deemed insolent and provincial
by professional British soldiers and their officers. There is no solid evidence
that Dr. Richard Schuckburgh actually wrote the piece, although it is often
attributed to him.
One of the original verses
begins, “Yankee Doodle went to town/riding on a pony; he stuck a feather in his
cap/and called it macaroni.” The term “Yankee” is first traced to the New York
Dutch who used it as an insult to describe English settlers in
The word “macaroni” is often
confusing to students familiar with this version of the song. Although some
scholars state that the term was synonymous with fop or dandy that usage
occurred after 1764. If the verses
were penned before the end of the French and Indian war in 1763, macaroni could
have referred directly to the Macaroni Club of London.
Dr. Rictor Norton, a social
historian specializing in gay studies, suggests that the term macaroni may have
been associated with the homosexual practices of young men associated with the
Macaroni Club. Although there is circumstantial evidence that the club never
actually existed, the term “maccaronies,” at least according to Norton,
referred to “practitioners of sodomy.” Later editions of the song, traced to
Other Historically Based
Terms
Until the 20th
Century, Americans used the term “rich as Croesus” to refer to someone very
wealthy. The phrase refers to the ancient king of
Many original colonists
arrived as indentured servants. The term “indenture” began in the high middle
ages and referred to a contract associated with the early Guild system. Of
French origin, the term implied an agreement between an apprentice and a master.
The origins of early American
terms help to better understand the conventional meanings, providing intent,
obligation, and social constructions.
References:
Walter Blair and others, The Literature of the United States,
Vol. I, (Chicago: Scott, Foresman, and Company, 1953)
Richard M. Lederer, Jr., Colonial American English (Verbatim
Books, 1985)
Rictor Norton, Homosexuality in Eighteenth Century
Etymology Dictionary: on-line
edition
Published in Suite101 February 19, 2010 M.Streich copyright
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