I do not have access to an OED. Searching on the internet has produced nothing. I am trying to find the etymolgy of the term "redneck." I have heard everything from its origin being wearing red neckerchiefs in the Revolutionary War to farmer's necks being red from plowing in the sun.

Welcome, I have always assumed the latter - poorer people not wearing collars to protect the neck - but never checked it out. I'm sure someone here will be able to provide more help than that.

podictionary

OED (online etymology dictionary)

funnily, OED2 does not give an etymology, but reading the various and varied senses it seems to have different sources (the sun, red kerchiefs, anger, pellagra, religion, etc.)

BTW, you can find lots of stuff online by googling in this manner:
redneck etymology [in general, (word) etymology]

I've never read a convincing etymology, but there are many as tsuwm says.

Welcome, Meliora. On either the History Channel or Discovery, they have run a show called something like The Truth about Hillbillies; and on that show, they say say that when coal miners first started unionizing, they wore red bandannas/neckerchiefs as a symbol of involvement (unionizing was fairly dangerous), and they were the first people called rednecks.
[not swearing as to veracity emoticon]

That's the same story I'd heard but it would seem to be disproved by the Etymonline date of 1830. I don't think the miners started organizing till the early 20th century.

fwiw, Etymonline seems to use OED2 data where available.

Is that how they get off using the initialism OED?

No matter what you find, I'll stick with the sunburn story. Works for me, and it's what I always thought, as even to this day there are real life examples. :0)

>Is that how they get off using the initialism OED?

well, that and Online Etymology Dictionary.
-ron o.

Uh-huh. I don't see that stopping a bunch of money-hungry lawyers from suing their young behinds.

if they'd styled themselves the Oxford Etymology Dictionary, then they'd have more of a problem. (cf. the erstwhile Oxford English Dictionary in Limerick Form, latterly Omnificent, after a good scolding by those same lawyers. link )