Today Dad asked me where the name "Yankees" came from. A man from England asked him about it. Here's what I replied with;
From what I've heard, back in the late 1700s, and early 1800s, colonial Americans liked to pick on the Dutch. If food was bad, it was called Dutch food. If a house was bad, it was called a Dutch house. If a man was known to have bad habits or character, he was called "John Keys" - apparently a common Dutch name.
I guess the Dutch decided that enough is enough. They started calling the other colonial Americans the name the colonials had tried to pin on the Dutch; "John Keys." All the early Americans were soon being called "John Keys."
...However, Dutch pronunciation being what it is, we all became "Yan-kees."
Now, is that story correct? What have y'all heard?
Showing posts with label Where did that word come from?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Where did that word come from?. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
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