Lecture Series
“The American Revolution and the Origins of Hillbilly Stereotypes”
Presented by: Dr. David Hsiung
“Barbarians,” “the dregs of mankind,” and “a set of mongrels.” That is what a British officer called Appalachian Mountain people during the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. Don’t we see similar derogatory terms applied to parts of Appalachia even today? How might such stereotypes have gotten started? This lecture will place the Battle of Kings Mountain within the larger contexts of the War of Independence and of life in southern Appalachia.
