 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Florida | |
| Languages | |
| Southern American English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Georgia crackers,White Southerners,Old Stock Americans |
Florida crackers are the descendants ofcolonial-eraBritish American pioneersettlers in what is now theU.S. state ofFlorida, and a subculture ofWhite Southerners. The first crackers arrived in 1763 after Spaintraded Florida to Great Britain following Britain's victory over France in theSeven Years' War,[1] though much of traditional Florida cracker folk culture dates to the 19th century.
The termcracker was in use during theElizabethan era to describe braggarts and blowhards. The original root of this is theMiddle English wordcrack, meaning "entertaining conversation" (which survives as a verb, as in "to crack a joke"); the noun in theGaelicized spellingcraic also retains currency inIreland and to some extent inScotland andNorthern England, in a sense of 'fun' or 'entertainment' especially in a group setting.Cracker is documented inWilliam Shakespeare'sKing John, Act II, Scene I (1595): "What cracker is this same that deafs our ears / With this abundance of superfluous breath?"
By the 1760s, the ruling classes in Britain and theAmerican colonies applied the termcracker toScots-Irish,Scottish, andEnglish American settlers of the remote southern back country, as noted in a letter to theEarl 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."[2]
The word was later associated with the cattlemen of Georgia and Florida,[3] many of them descendants of those early colonists who had migrated south. Afolk etymology suggests that the name instead derives from the cracking of cattle-drovers' whips.[4]
In Florida, those who own or work cattle traditionally have been calledcowmen. In the late 19th century they were often calledcowhunters, a reference to seeking out cattle scattered over the wooded rangelands during roundups. At times, the termscowman andcracker have been used interchangeably because of similarities in their folk culture. However, thewestern termcowboy which is often used for those who work cattle is not the common Florida vernacular as iscowman orcowhunter.[5]
The Florida "cowhunter" or "cracker cowman" of the 19th and early 20th centuries was distinct from the Spanishvaquero and the cowboy. Florida cattlemen's primary tools were dogs and cow whips to herd or capture cattle while also utilizinglassos. Florida cattle andhorses were smaller than the western breeds. TheFlorida Cracker cattle, also known as the "native" or "scrub" cow, averaged about 600 pounds (270 kg) and had large horns and large feet.[6]
Among some Floridians, the term is used as a proud or jocular self-description. Since the huge influx of new residents into Florida in the late 20th and early 21st centuries from the northern United States and fromLatin America, the termFlorida cracker is used informally by some Floridians to indicate that their families have lived in the state for many generations. It is considered a source of pride to be descended from "frontier people who did not just live but flourished in a time before air conditioning, mosquito repellent, and screens" according to Florida history writer Dana Ste. Claire.[7]
Since the late 20th century, the Cracker Storytelling Festival has been held annually in the fall at Homeland Heritage Park inHomeland, Florida. 2013 marked the 25th anniversary of the festival, which includes storytellers from around Florida who come to share their stories with visitors. The majority of visitors who attend this event are students,[8] because storytelling is part of the Florida educational curriculum. The festival also incorporates local crafts and artwork, food vendors, a whip-cracking contest,[9] andliving-history re-enactment of 19th-century homestead life.[8]
