Saturday, September 03, 2005

Yankee

The term Yankee has a variety of meanings. Residents of the United States of America use it to refer to the New York Yankees baseball team, a resident of New England or the North, or more often, in the context of the American Civil War, the soldiers and residents of the northern United States including the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England states, as well as other border-state and African-American troops. Regionally, today Yankee most often refers to a New Englander (in which case it may denote New England puritan and thrifty values) or, in the American South, to anyone from the Northern states. The principal use of the term in the U.S. is a means of distinguishing Yankees from those from the South (i.e., the southeastern states). See also Yankee ingenuity.

The term probably originated in old New Amsterdam, New Holland and New York, in the Mid-Atlantic. It then was adopted by the British to describe (Northern) colonists. In the Civil War, the phrase referred to all residents and soldiers of northern or free states, usually used derisively by rebel troops and secession sympathizers.

The New York Yankees baseball team refocused attention on New York, and the need to describe the rural, New Englander of puritan stock probably caused reporters and authors to bring back the slang shorthand term Yankee. Finally, citizens of other countries, including the British during the World Wars, referred to all Americans as Yanks. This is not to be confused with the British slang wank, which is something else entirely.

The term Yankee is still used in South as a derisive term for persons from any state north of the Mason-Dixon Line. See also carpetbagger.

Others—that is, speakers from outside of the USA—often use it to refer to any resident of the USA (as opposed to American in general), especially in the form Yank. The words are sometimes spelt with a lowercase initial, yankee and yank. In some parts of the world, particularly in Latin America and East Asia, yankee or yanqui is meant as an insult and is politically associated with anti-imperialism and used in expressions such as "Yankee go home".

Hence, the term has had different positive, negative, contextual and regional associations over the years, as books, media, troops, teams, and peoples have used it differently for different purposes.

    To foreigners, a Yankee is an American.
    To Americans, a Yankee is an Easterner.
    To Easterners, a Yankee is a New Englander.
    To New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter.
    And in Vermont, a Yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast.
    —(an old definition)

  • New York Yankees by AllSports - Articles written by "fan reporters." News, results, schedules, draft information, team information, message board, links, and resources.
    -- http://www.allsports.com/mlb/yankees   Sports: Baseball: Major League: Teams: New York Yankees   (18)

  • Greatest Films - Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) - Detailed review, synopsis and discussion of the film
    -- http://www.filmsite.org/yank.html   Arts: Movies: Titles: Y: Yankee Doodle Dandy   (9)

  • Yankee Tradition - Tribute to Yankees Heroes of past, present, and future.
    -- http://www.yankeetradition.com   Sports: Baseball: Major League: Teams: New York Yankees   (18)

  • TV Guide Online: Yankee Doodle Dandy - Review and credits.
    -- http://www.tvguide.com/movies/database/ShowMovie.asp?MI=26980   Arts: Movies: Titles: Y: Yankee Doodle Dandy   (9)

  • TV Guide Online: Yankee Zulu - Review and credits.
    -- http://www.tvguide.com/movies/database/ShowMovie.asp?MI=38047   Arts: Movies: Titles: Y: Yankee Zulu   (2)

  • New Yankee Workshop - Official site for the show, with schedule, project plans, and image gallery.
    -- http://www.newyankee.com/   Arts: Television: Programs: Home and Garden: New Yankee Workshop, The   (2)

  • IMDB : Yankee Fakir, The (1947) - Full cast and crew for the film, and other information from the Internet Movie Database.
    -- http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0040008/   Arts: Movies: Titles: Y: Yankee Fakir, The   (1)

  • IMDB : Yankee Pasha (1954) - Full cast and crew for the film, and other information from the Internet Movie Database.
    -- http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0047684/   Arts: Movies: Titles: Y: Yankee Pasha   (1)

  • IMDB : Yankee Seduction (1984) - Full cast and crew for the film, and other information from the Internet Movie Database.
    -- http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0153975/   Arts: Movies: Titles: Y: Yankee Seduction   (1)

  • IMDB : Yankee Buccaneer (1952) - Full cast and crew for the film, and other information from the Internet Movie Database.
    -- http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0045343/   Arts: Movies: Titles: Y: Yankee Buccaneer   (1)

  • Michael Cartellone - Fan site for the Damn Yankees drummer includes history, discography, photographs, schedule of appearances, and updates from Michael.
    -- http://members.aol.com/jenlauren1/michael.html   Arts: Music: Bands and Artists: D: Damn Yankees   (2)

  • Sonynashville.com: Yankee Grey - Record label site includes tour information, audio and video clips, biography, photos, press releases, and screen saver.
    -- http://www.sonynashville.com/YankeeGrey/index.html   Arts: Music: Styles: Country: Bands and Artists: Y: Yankee Grey   (4)

  • A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - Etext and study resources at the University of Virginia.
    -- http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/yankee/cyhompg.html   Arts: Literature: World Literature: American: 19th Century: Twain, Mark: Works: Novels: Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, A   (7)

  • Yankee Hill Fire Safe Council - Contact information.
    -- http://www.firesafecouncil.org/councils/view_council.cfm?c=84   Regional: North America: United States: California: Localities: Y: Yankee Hill   (1)

  • A Caribbean Party Cruise Aboard Yankee Clipper - A weeklong adventure sailing through the Caribbean Windward Islands with a group of fun-seeking singles aboard the sailing vessel, Yankee Clipper.
    -- http://www.fortogden.com/mattbaird.html   Recreation: Travel: Travelogues: Caribbean   (3)

  • Connecticut Yankee - Connecticut's first commercial nuclear power plant, it was shut down in 1996 and is now undergoing decomissioning.
    -- http://www.yankee.com/   Science: Technology: Energy: Nuclear: Power Plants   (3)

  • Yankees Newswire - For people who love to hate the Yankees.
    -- http://www.yankeesnewswire.com   Recreation: Humor: Sports   (2)

  • Red Sox vs Yankees Site - Follow the long, storied rivalry between these two teams.
    -- http://adamwlad.tripod.com/redsox_yankees/home.htm   Sports: Baseball: Major League: Fan Pages   (3)

  • The Yankee Collector - Offers Civil War and early American historic antiques and collectibles including photographs, letters, documents, and weapons.
    -- http://yankeecollector.com   Shopping: Antiques and Collectibles: Militaria: US Civil War   (2)

  • Yankee United SoccerEditor's Choice   - Young Women's Premier Soccer Club. Information on the club's teams, coaches and players.
    -- http://www.yankeeunited.com   Sports: Soccer: CONCACAF: United States: Youth: Clubs and Teams: Connecticut   (2)
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