Everything about Brother Jonathan totally explained
Brother Jonathan was a
fictional character created to
personify the entire
United States, in the early days of the country's existence.
In
editorial cartoons and
patriotic posters, Brother Jonathan was usually depicted as a typical American
revolutionary, with
tri-cornered hat and long
military jacket. Originally, from
1776 to
1783, "Brother Jonathan" was a mildly derisive term used by the
Loyalists to describe the
Patriots.
A popular folk tale about the origin of the term holds that the character derives from
Jonathan Trumbull (1710-85), Governor of
Connecticut. It is said that
George Washington often uttered the words: "We must consult Brother Jonathan" when faced with a difficult question; however, that origin is doubtful, as neither man made reference to the story during their lifetimes and the first appearance of the story has been traced to the mid 1800s, long after their deaths.
The character was adopted by Americans from
1783 to
1815. During the
War of 1812, the term "
Uncle Sam" appeared.
Uncle Sam appeared in newspapers from
1813 to
1815, and in
1816 it appeared in a book.
Brother Jonathan was replaced by the female personification
Columbia and the increasingly popular
Uncle Sam. Indeed, the character can be seen as an intermediate step between
Yankee Doodle and Uncle Sam as a representation of the everyday American.
However,
Brother Jonathan, and variants of the name Jonathan continued to be used as slang references to Americans through the American Civil War. For example
Johnny Reb meant a Confederate soldier, and a popular song was "
When Johnny Comes Marching Home".
Further Information
Get more info on 'Brother Jonathan'.
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