[Ads-l] Slight Antedating of "Poor White Trash"

[Baker, John]

Here is slightly earlier for “white trash” without “poor.”  This is from the (Shawnee-town) Illinois Gazette, June 23, 1821, at 1 (Gale Primary Sources: Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers):

“[A]ccompanied by her son, who stopped almost opposite where I stood, to talk with a white boy nearly her own size. She, the mother, on missing him, turned round, and observing how ill he was was [sic] paired, like a fury vociferated, with a curse upon her son, _’why do you lag behind? Come along, and do not stand there spending your precious time, in company too, and conversing with White Trash._

On hearing the phrase _white trash_, as it was altogether new to me when taken in her sense, I seemed as if bitten by a tarantula or stung by a gallinipper. . . . I was in a short time all serenity again, and believe now, that this lady of colour had as good a right and it was as natural for her to say _White Trash_ as it would be for myself or any other of my colour to say _Black Trash._”


John Baker


On May 29, 2024, at 6:55 PM, Bonnie Taylor-Blake <b.taylorblake at gmail.com> wrote:


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A very minor note, one really not much worth sharing.

As Fred's find (
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-gazette-poor-white-trash/148335934/)<https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-gazette-poor-white-trash/148335934/)>
indicates, the anecdote -- with its "poor white trash" -- had originally
appeared in a The Metropolitan, a D.C. newspaper.

Just to flesh things out, here's the publication info for the original
article.

-- Bonnie

A very novel and highly laughable trial came on in our Circuit Court, on
Thursday last -- Nancy Swann, a lady of color whose mighty powers of
witchcraft have made "*de black nigers, and de poor white trash*' tremble,
was indicted for practising in and upon one PETER [BELT?], in the peace of
God and the said United States ...

(Text within asterisks is italicized.)

[The Metropolitan and Georgetown [D.C.] National Messenger, 4 May 1822, p.
2. Via America's Historical Newspapers database.]

On Wed, Dec 27, 2023 at 6:59 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:

poor white trash (OED 1822 [1 Aug.] )
>
> 1822 _Portland Gazette_ 2 July 1
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org<http://www.americandialect.org>
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org<http://www.americandialect.org>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org