As early as 1654, English and French explorers in the southern Appalachians reported seeing dark-skinned, brown- and blue-eyed, and European-featured people speaking broken Elizabethan English, living in cabins, tilling the land, smelting silver, practicing Christianity, and, most perplexing of all, claiming to be Portyghee. Declared free persons of color in the late 1700s by the English and Scottish-Irish immigrants, the Melungeons, as they were known, were driven off their lands and denied voting rights, education, and the right to judicial process. The law was enforced mercilessly and sometimes violently in the resoundingly successful effort to totally disenfranchise these earliest American settlers.

Turkic people have been migrating to America for many centuries, but this significant influx has been largely unrecognized. In "From Anatolia to Appalachia, Scolnick and Kennedy initiate a dialogue regarding this neglected area of American history and culture. This volume begins the communication with an essay reviewing existing evidence followed by interviews with knowledgeable persons about selected aspects of the population movements. An introduction and conclusion give focus and unity to the various elements of the dialogue. It is anticipated that this and subsequent volumes will(1) give information regarding studies of the movements of Turkic peoples to America; (2) broaden understanding of American history and society; (3) allow many, especially in the Southeast Atlantic region of the US, to better appreciate their background and place in American society; (4) stimulate interest in the main subject or aspects of it, both in the US and abroad; (5) tie together disparate aspects of the subject as well as the persons studying them; and(6) add to the general knowledge regarding migrations of peoples over many centuries. In sum, this dialogue intends not only to inform and interest others, but also to pull together available research on the subject and stimulate new research in this and related areas of study.

Turkic people have been migrating to America for many centuries, but this significant influx has been largely unrecognized. In "From Anatolia to Appalachia, Scolnick and Kennedy initiate a dialogue regarding this neglected area of American history and culture. This volume begins the communication with an essay reviewing existing evidence followed by interviews with knowledgeable persons about selected aspects of the population movements. An introduction and conclusion give focus and unity to the various elements of the dialogue. It is anticipated that this and subsequent volumes will(1) give information regarding studies of the movements of Turkic peoples to America; (2) broaden understanding of American history and society; (3) allow many, especially in the Southeast Atlantic region of the US, to better appreciate their background and place in American society; (4) stimulate interest in the main subject or aspects of it, both in the US and abroad; (5) tie together disparate aspects of the subject as well as the persons studying them; and(6) add to the general knowledge regarding migrations of peoples over many centuries. In sum, this dialogue intends not only to inform and interest others, but also to pull together available research on the subject and stimulate new research in this and related areas of study.