Brother Jonathan’s Ghost
A journal of the Early American frontier
along the old Natchez Trace.
Ghost, noun, \`gōst\: a mere shadow or semblance; a faint trace: as in “a former ghost of himself.”
From the days of
the American Revolution English parody settled on the fictional character of
Brother Jonathan to represent their rebellious kinsmen taking up arms against
their king. Simplistic in style and
humble in appearance, Brother Jonathan was intended to lampoon the upstart
American military. However, by the War
of 1812, Americans had embraced Brother Jonathan as a national symbol
interpreting his simple humble appearance as exhibiting moral superiority
echoing America’s Puritan heritage. Sometime in the middle to latter half of the 19th century, Brother Jonathan slowly vanished from the American stage as he was replaced by the iconic figure of Uncle Sam.
Like Brother Jonathan, the memory of those times in which he "lived" also slowly vanished. Still, if one looks in the right place, pauses long enough, he can still see the image of those gone before. People leave impressions on the world through which they travel. These impressions, while they may not be spectral apparitions of the supernatural type, are haunting nevertheless. Any worthy pedagogue of Brother Jonathan’s day would most certainly agree that all academic disciplines are beneficial. Still, the most rigid of school masters in the early 19th century would confess that it is a man’s history that bonds his soul and bridles his conscious. As the Puritan influence was still prevalent in his day, scripture was a daily diet and spiritual admonitions were not taken lightly. Jeremiah’s instruction would be taken to heart…
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| Brother Jonathan wrestles with his British adversary John Bull. |
Like Brother Jonathan, the memory of those times in which he "lived" also slowly vanished. Still, if one looks in the right place, pauses long enough, he can still see the image of those gone before. People leave impressions on the world through which they travel. These impressions, while they may not be spectral apparitions of the supernatural type, are haunting nevertheless. Any worthy pedagogue of Brother Jonathan’s day would most certainly agree that all academic disciplines are beneficial. Still, the most rigid of school masters in the early 19th century would confess that it is a man’s history that bonds his soul and bridles his conscious. As the Puritan influence was still prevalent in his day, scripture was a daily diet and spiritual admonitions were not taken lightly. Jeremiah’s instruction would be taken to heart…
Stand ye in
the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths... Jeremiah 6:16
So our journey of peering into the past along the old road to Natchez will seek to find the remains of a time long forgotten. Beginning in New England, Brother Jonathan soon spread down the east coast and became the symbol of the unique America spirit. After the Revolution, he eventually migrated westward into the old territories. To the Old Northwest he settled the Ohio Valley. To the Old Southwest, he settled a vast interior that would become Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Brother Jonathan was here.
Brother Jonathan’s Ghost is an Investigative journal chronicling the effort
to rediscover the people, places, and events that shaped the history of the Old
Natchez Trace.So our journey of peering into the past along the old road to Natchez will seek to find the remains of a time long forgotten. Beginning in New England, Brother Jonathan soon spread down the east coast and became the symbol of the unique America spirit. After the Revolution, he eventually migrated westward into the old territories. To the Old Northwest he settled the Ohio Valley. To the Old Southwest, he settled a vast interior that would become Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Brother Jonathan was here.
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