monarch or any other kind of ruler, He protected and maintained, but he did not rule or punish, Uncle Sam was not a father or authority figure.
B5 This was a very important distinction to the American populous,
While the figures of Yankee Doodle and Brother Jonathan were also non-authoritative, they were also cast and bestowed by outsiders - specifically Native Americans and Europeans. These symbols did not carry the weight necessary for a young nation trying to make its way in90 the global community, Uncle Sam was the first national symbol which
originated from within and, while European influences such as the British Punch did attempt their own portrayals of his figure, Uncle Sam remained an American product,
Today Uncle Sam has entrenched himself in American symbology. His image is
95 permanently intertwined with the concept of the nation that the American public holds
in its mass consciousness - an image which also rests in the minds of every want-to-be citizen not yet or just recently arrived, Perhaps even more important than the part Sam plays in our own self-identification, is his crucial role in the way the rest of the world relates to us, To all intents and purposes, Uncle Sam is here to stay. |