I had started to write about the progression of governments from the 1930s, but then I realized that it was probably worthwhile to discuss some of the socio-cultural groups, from a Floridian perspective, to help make sense of the forces at play here.
Before diving right in, I need to discuss the "C-word" (coloured). I have refrained from using it in this thread because I understand that it is considered offensive in the USA, and that most of the audience for this site are American. I don't think that too much in particular is added or lost by its use or non-use, so I felt the safest bet was to not use it.
However. It is
not an offensive word, for example, in South Africa. In South Africa, it specifically refers to mixed-race people (predominately African-European, but DNA studies show that most of the population have some Asian ancestry as well). I bring this up because I believe that the term would be widely used to refer to mixed-race Floridians. I will continue to refrain from using it so as to not cause offense; but if you do see me make reference to the "c-word" from here on out, know that I'm referring to the common Floridian expression for people who aren't quite white and aren't quite black.
Of course, in Florida, as everywhere, money lightens, and therefore the different groups aren't strictly defined by skin colour, although skin colour was of course an important factor. "Breeding", referring to lineage of aristocracy of one's ancestors, Education, wealth, accent, and occupation all helped define the socio-cultural groups.
With that out of the way, we can zoom in on some of these groups in a little more detail, starting with the Floridians of European or predominately European heritage.
There are three commonly used terms to refer to white Floridians, and none of them are clearly defined, and they are often overlapping.
1. Cracker - this term is
also considered non-offensive in Florida, although there is
sometimes a pejorative connotation, usually from wealthier white Floridians.
It originally referred to the Scottish, Irish, and Scots-Irish settlers of North Florida, especially those of the working or lower class. In its initial use, it mostly referred to a social class (the lower-class whites), but over time it became associated more particularly with their culture. As such, in the 19th century, it was common for upwardly-mobile Cracker families to eschew that label once they became wealthy enough, but in the modern era, it is very common to hear people from all parts of Florida and all walks of life describing themselves as being "of Cracker heritage".
Today's remaining "authentic" (working class whites descended from the original Irish and Scottish settlers of North Florida) are concentrated near the American border, and their accent and culture is, out of all Floridian cultures, the most influenced by that of their white Southern (US) neighbours.
See Also:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_cracker
2. Conch/conky - another term for white Floridians, and not particularly associated with any economic class, conch or conky is most commonly used to refer to long-time Floridian families, and/or those who have adopted a certain 'laid-back' Caribbean-associated lifestyle. A conch or conky will likely have a more noticeable West Indian twang to their standard accent.
3. River Royalty - alright I made this term up. It refers to wealthiest Floridians, especially descendants of the plantocracy, and is so named for their propensity to have large estates fronting the St. John's River. The most pejorative of the three terms.
Of course, these days, it is entirely possible to be all three simultaneously - and it may be noted descendants of more recent European immigrants may identify as part of smaller subcultures (Italian-Floridian, Greek-Floridian, Jewish-Floridian, etc.)
In addition, there are two significantly smaller, regional subcultures:
-the Minorcans (descendants of the Greek, Catalan, and Italian New Smyrna settlers, primarily located on the east coast)
-the Saint-Dominicans (descendants of white Haitians who settled primarily in West Florida)
there is also likely to be a small Cajun community in West Florida. (Later immigrants from Louisiana, not directly from Acadia)
(tbc)
