Unusual use of "Tarheel" (1848, 1852)

[Victor Steinbok]

On 9/21/2013 6:45 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
> ... Fred Douglass Tarheel? He certainly was not a poor white, and for
> the later connotation I read that he was born in Maryland...

IIRC Douglass spent much of his youth in Maryland, where he learned to
read and write. He certainly was not born there.

"Tarheel", much like "Buckeye" and a number of other state resident
denominations originally were derogatory and had a number of different
but related meanings. At this point, I would not venture to guess which
of these is implied here.

     VS-)

PS: There have been a number of discussions regarding these nicknames
here, although never specifically in reference to political figures.

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