Section A This investigation focuses on the United States national personification "Colombia" and its relationship to another national personification, "Uncle Sam." The period of this investigation is between 1776 and 1850, specifically, the American Revolution and the height of Colombia's popularity, and the period of Colombia's gradual fall from the public eye. I will evaluate the use of both symbols in print, as well as the origins of both, including Columbia's original use as a derogatory term for American and Uncle Sam's origin in the War of 1812. Primary sources such as political cartoons will be used, as well as scholarly works by historians, found in online databases and in libraries. This primary research question of the investigation …show more content…
She was the personification of manifest destiny during westward expansion, a period where Uncle Sam was used sparingly. The 1872 painting American Progress clearly shows Columbia as the one in front of the pack, with Uncle Sam nowhere to be seen. Earlier than that, Columbia is used to name the location of the capital - The District of Columbia - but not the capital itself - Washington D.C. (Schlereth 940) - clearly linking the name to geography. In fact, considering the myriad locations named after the North American Columbia - the Columbia River and British Columbia in Canada to name a few - it is evident that this figure is associated with geography. Columbia represents the American people and Manifest …show more content…
Political cartoons and recruitment posters are the two of the most prominent places, and there they are used to evoke feelings of patriotism and national pride in order to entice them to support a political action or directly support the U.S. government. They are both typically clad in patriotic garb, which, again, evokes patriotic feelings. Uncle Sam and Columbia, though their method of national personification is different, both are used to increase nationalistic feelings. Works Cited Tejani, James. "Columbia." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 302. Student Resources in Context. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. Gustainis, J. Justin. "Uncle Sam." Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse University Press, 2005. 1599. Academic OneFile. Web. 2 Apr. 2014./8 Massachusetts Historical Society. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Boston: Society., 1886. Books.google.com. Google, 16 Aug. 2005. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. Steele, Thomas J. "The Figure of Columbia: Phillis Wheatley plus George Washington." The New England Quarterly 54.2 (1981): 264-66. JSTOR. Web. 6 Apr.
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Although Boston was perceived to be a free and racially balanced state, the people of Boston never welcomed diversity. The city of Bos...
In Massachusetts Bay colony, there were social stresses and there was a quarrel over land ownership in the Putnam family, twelve others from Gloucester; thirteen from the port of Salem; and fifty-five from Andover women. Rebellious acts started going on and the desire of power became outrageous as they physically started attacking ...
Henretta, James A and David* Brody. America: A concise History . Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2010. Document.
3. Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, Williams, eds., America Past and Present Volume II: since 1865 sixth edition (New York: Longman 2002).
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There is much controversy surrounding the idea of patriotism and the iconography of the American flag in today’s society. Some believe patriotism is simply the act of supporting the decisions of the leaders of the country. Others say, to be patriotic, people should be outspoken and voice their oppositions to what is going on in the government. Opinions also differ on the idea of what the American flag represents. One opinion of the flags representation is that the flag represents our history, and the formerly mentioned idea of patriotism. Others believe the flag also represents our history as a nation, but these beliefs focus much more heavily on the negative aspects of our history; such as slavery and other injustices carried out by our nation. These people often believe we should find a new iconography for our country’s ideas of patriotism. As Barbara Kingsolver states in “And Our Flag Was Still There,” “Patriotism seems to be falling to whoever claims it loudest, and we’re left struggling to find a definition in a clamor of reaction” (Pg. 1). Therefore, every American’s duty is to define patriotism amongst the clamor of reaction, recapture the American flag’s representation, and create a new icon for the flag.