Brother Jonathan

For the paddle steamer, see Brother Jonathan (steamer).

Brother Jonathan as drawn by Thomas Nast

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.

History

"Mrs. Britannia" and her daughter "Miss Canada" discussing "Cousin Jonathan" in an 1886 political cartoon

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^{[weasel words]} 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-19th century, 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 he 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".

Legacy

The phrase "We must consult Brother Jonathan" appears on the graduation certificates of Yale University's Trumbull College, also named for Trumbull.^[1]

See also

• When Johnny Comes Marching Home
• Columbia
• Uncle Sam

References

1. ^ "Trumbull College History".

External links

• 1862 Harper's Weekly Brother Jonathan Cartoon
• The Diverting History of John Bull and Brother Jonathan - complete 1827 text w. illustrations

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This culture-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: National personifications American folklore United States history stubs Culture stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат? Sheol Adult education Look at other dictionaries: Brother Jonathan — est une figure allégorique conçue pour personnifier les États Unis dans leur ensemble aux premiers temps de l existence de la nation américaine. Dans les dessins politiques et les affiches patriotiques, Brother Jonathan était habituellement… …   Wikipédia en Français Brother Jonathan — Brother Broth er (br[u^][th] [ e]r), n.; pl. {Brothers} (br[u^][th] [ e]rz) or {Brethren} (br[e^][th] r[e^]n). See {Brethren}. [OE. brother, AS. br[=o][eth]or; akin to OS. brothar, D. broeder, OHG. pruodar, G. bruder, Icel. br[=o][eth]ir, Sw. &… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Brother Jonathan — bezeichnet: Brother Jonathan (Schiff), einen 1851 in Dienst gestellten Raddampfer Brother Jonathan (Symbolfigur), eine amerikanische Symbolfigur Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort bezeic …   Deutsch Wikipedia Brother Jonathan — sobriquet for United States, 1816, often connected with Jonathan Trumbull (1740 1809) of Connecticut, called Brother Jonathan by George Washington, who often sought his advice, somehow in ref. to 2 Sam i:26 …   Etymology dictionary Brother Jonathan — n. [apparently first applied to New England militia besieging Boston by Brit soldiers evacuating the city (March, 1776)] Historical the United States or its people: predecessor of Uncle Sam …   English World dictionary brother jonathan — ˌbrəthə(r)ˈjänəthən noun Usage: usually capitalized B&J Etymology: brother (I) + Jonathan (the name); probably from the frequent use of Old Testament given names among the English colonists in America chiefly Britain : a male native or resident… …   Useful english dictionary Brother Jonathan (Schiff) — Brother Jonathan Die Brother Jonathan nach ihrem Umbau 1861 p1 …   Deutsch Wikipedia Brother Jonathan (steamer) — Infobox nrhp name =BROTHER JONATHAN (Shipwreck Site) nrhp type = caption = The Brother Jonathan as she was built in 1851 location = About 4.5 mi. SW of Pt. St. George nearest city = Crescent City, California lat degrees = lat minutes = lat… …   Wikipedia Brother Jonathan — Brit. Archaic. a male native or resident of the United States. * * * …   Universalium Brother Jonathan — British nickname for the United States and its citizens …   Eponyms, nicknames, and geographical games 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”