subs. (American).—A severe castigation; a flogging. As verb. = to thrash; to intimidate by violent and unlawful means; to bully. [Of Southern political origin: originally the method of an association of negroes formed to insure, by violent and unlawful means, the success of an election; the derivation is almost literal—a BULLDOSE, a flogging with a strip of hide.] Hence BULLDOSER (q.v.).
1859. BARTLETT, Dictionary of Americanisms, s.v. BULLDOZE. The origin of this term has been furnished me by Dr. J. Dickson Burns, of New Orleans. BULLDOSE originated in Louisiana with the ‘Union Rights Stop’ Leagues (Negro), whose enthusiasm on the suffrage question led them to form oath-bound societies, which scrutinized closely the politics of disaffected brethren; and if any Negro were found voting, or was suspected of an intention to vote the Democratic ticket, he was first warned, then flogged, and, if these milder measures failed to convert him to the true faith, shot.
1876. New York Tribune, Dec. There was a bad case of BULLDOZING in Cincinnati on Monday night. A handful of bold Democrats had gathered to let out their pent-up desire for Tilden or blood…. Mr. C—— was in the chair, and was warming up the faithful with an address, when the Republicans crowded around him in so threatening a manner that he mounted the table, shook his address in their faces, and declared, like a true hero, that he was not to be ‘intimidated.’ Ibid., 23 Dec. ‘Not to be BULLDOZED’ [TITLE].
1877. Providence Press.
| Louisiana, too, was mixed, | |
| And ere they got the matter fixed, | |
| BULLDOZING had been introduced, | |
| And many from their homes vamoosed. |
1880. Illustrated London News, LXXVII., 587, 1. The Americans have lately been using a strange word, BULL-DOSING, which signifies, I believe, political intimidation, but not personal molestation.
1881. The Saturday Review, July 9, 40, 2. To BULL-DOSE a negro in the Southern States means to flog him to death or nearly to death. Ibid. A BULL-DOSE means a large efficient dose of any sort of medicine or punishment.
1887. Cassell’s Magazine (Art. on ‘Americanisms’), June, 412. To BULL-DOZE is to intimidate, and the word was originally used respecting the alleged interference with negro voters in Louisiana.
1888. Detroit Evening Journal, 20 Feb. The Democrats complain of the amounts of money they had to face, but that was not such a source of trouble as the BULLDOZING of voters by the mining bosses. They were driven to the polls, and compelled to vote for Seymour.
