Brother Jonathan

The name "Brother Jonathan" likely derives from Biblical phrasing (the phrase from 2 Samuel 1:26 is cited in sources) and dates back at least to the 17th century. It was used by Royalists and British officers as a term for Puritans/roundheads during the English Civil War and later applied to colonial New Englanders. Over the late 18th and 19th centuries the figure was reworked in American print culture as an archetypal Yankee and regional emblem; by the late 19th century Uncle Sam had largely supplanted Brother Jonathan as the dominant national personification.

In editorial cartoons and patriotic posters Brother Jonathan is shown as an archetypal New Englander whose clothing signals thrift and Yankee character: versions include striped trousers, a somber black coat, and a stove‑pipe hat, or a portrayal with "too‑short pants, too‑tight waistcoat and old‑fashioned style" emphasizing thrift and economy of means. Outside New England he is lampooned as a comic, long‑winded figure; inside New England he can appear as an enterprising businessman. These appearances are theatrical and emblematic, deployed by illustrators and writers to communicate regional traits.

As a personification and stock character Brother Jonathan's 'abilities' are rhetorical and social: he can be mobilized in newspapers, novels, cartoons, and political discourse to embody and critique New England manners (thrift, acquisitiveness, enterprise), to serve as a regional self‑identifier for Yankees and sailors, and to stand in for national or economic commentary. Sources treat these functions as emblematic and discursive rather than supernatural action.