The Kentucky-based organization engaged political figures in the movement such as Robert Byrd and Mike Huckabee. The Center for Rural Strategies started a nationwide campaign stating the stereotype was 'politically incorrect'. This sparked protests across the country with rural-minded individuals gathering to fight the stereotype. Network television shows such as New Beverly Hillbillies, High Life, and The Simple Life displayed the 'hillbilly' lifestyle for viewers in the United States. 'Hillbillies' were at the center of reality television in the 21st century. In America hillbilly was first attested only in 1898, which suggests a later, independent development.' Michael Montgomery's From Ulster to America: The Scotch-Irish Heritage of American English states, 'In Ulster in recent years it has sometimes been supposed that it was coined to refer to followers of King William III and brought to America by early Ulster emigrants, but this derivation is almost certainly incorrect. However, some scholars disagree with this theory. In 17th century Ireland, during the Williamite War, Protestant supporters of King William III ('King Billy') were often referred to as 'Billy's Boys'. For the people who settle in America in the hills and who were Williamites, the term hillbilly connects both people who live in the hills and who are supporters of king William of Orange's ideologies. 'Billy' is a diminutive of 'William' common across the British isles. There is also the belief that most of the settlers from Scotland and northern Ireland were followers of king William of Orange. It is suggested that 'hill-folk' and 'billie' were combined when the Cameronians fled to the hills of southern Scotland. The term 'hill-folk' referred to people who preferred isolation from the greater society, and 'billy' meant 'comrade' or 'companion'. Scholars argue that the term 'hillbilly' originated from Scottish dialect.
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