By the 1760s the ruling classes, both in Britain and in the American colonies, applied the term "Cracker" to Scotch-Irish and English settlers of the remote southern back country, as noted in a passage from a letter to the Earl of Dartmouth: "I should explain to your Lordship what is meant by Crackers; a name they have got from being great boasters; they are a lawless set of rascalls on the frontiers of Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia, who often change their places of abode."
In the 1760s, the ruling classes in Britain and the American colonies used "Cracker" to refer to Scotch-Irish and English settlers living in the remote southern backcountry. This term was applied due to their reputation as boastful individuals who were considered lawless and troublesome on the frontiers of Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia.