Brother Jonathan

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For the steamboat that crashed off the coast of Crescent City, California in 1865, see Brother Jonathan (steamer).

Brother Jonathan was a fictional character created to personify the entire United States, in the early days of the country's existence.

Brother Jonathan as drawn by Thomas Nast

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.

It has been suggested that the most plausible explanation for the origin of the term is 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.

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.

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 Rebel meant a Confederate soldier, and a popular song was When Johnny Comes Marching Home. On a related note, the word Yankee may be a derivation of the Dutch nickname for Americans, Jan Kees, meaning "John Cornelius".