Dixie
From Freepedia
- For alternate meanings and references see Dixie (disambiguation).
Dixie is a nickname for the Southern United States. Its origin is uncertain.
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Origin of Dixie
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the origins of the nickname remain obscure. According to A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles (1951), by Mitford M. Mathews, three theories most commonly attempt to explain the term:
- The word preserves the name of a kind slaveowner on Manhattan Island, a Mr. Dixy. (Slavery was legal in New York until 1827.) His rule was so kindly that "Dixy's Land" became famed far and wide as an Elysium abounding in material comforts.
- Ten-dollar notes issued by the Citizens Bank of Louisiana before the Civil War bore the French dix, ten, on the reverse side and were consequently known as "dixes" or "dixies". Hence, Louisiana and eventually the South in general came to be known as the land of "dixies" or "dixies land".
- "Dixie" derives somehow from Jeremiah Dixon of the Mason-Dixon line defining the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania (the northern boundary of Dixie).
The Mason-Dixon theory is the most popularly known, but few lexicographers give it much weight.
"Dixie's Land"
"Dixie's Land" is a popular song about the South. It was written by composer Daniel Emmett and published in 1859. A blackface minstrel-show troupe debuted the song that same year in New York City. As with other minstrel show numbers, the song deals with issues of slavery and was performed in exaggerated Black English Vernacular. The song proved extremely popular and became widely known simply as "Dixie".
The Confederacy adopted the song as its unofficial anthem during the American Civil War. This and the tune's minstrel-show origins have created a strong association of "Dixie" with the Old South. As a result, some today view the song as offensive and racist.
Business
Many businesses in the South contain "Dixie" in their name as an identifier, e.g. "Dixie Produce." One of the more famous is supermarket chain Winn-Dixie.
