The Story of "Yankee Doodle"

 

One foppish high fashion style of dress that made its way from England to Virginia was the so called“Macaroni”.  One contemporary observer wrote:

 “They indeed make a ridiculous figure, with hats an inch in the brim, that do not cover, but lie upon the head, with about two pounds of fictitious hair, formed into what is called a club, hanging down their shoulders…. Their legs are at times covered with all colours of the rainbow; even flesh-coloured and green silk stockings are not excluded….Such a figure, essenced and perfumed, with a bunch of lace sticking out under (the) chin, puzzles the common passenger….”

In 1774, Virginian James Mercer claimed that items had been stolen from him by a “profound knave” named William Foster Crosby, whom he described as “(dressed) like a Macaroni”

During the Revolution British soldiers sang the ditty “Yankee Doodle” mocking Americans as simpletons who thought if you stuck a feather in your cap you were the embodiment of high fashion.  Americans adopted the song as a song of defiance.  By 1781, “Yankee Doodle” had become a song of national pride.

 

Yankee Doodle went to town
A-riding on a pony
Stuck a feather in his cap
And called it macaroni.

Yankee Doodle keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy,
Mind the music and the step,
And with the girls be handy.

How Martha Washington Lived: 18th Century Customs

Who Were the Slaves of the Founding Fathers?

The Continental Soldier (American Revolution)

 

The average age of the Continental soldier was 22, although soldiers varied in age from 15 to 70.

Continental soldiers came from many different backgrounds and included African Americans and Native Americans.  By 1780 persons of color made up as much as fifteen percent of the Continental Army.  Some estimate range as high as twenty five percent.

To fill the ranks, Congress assigned yearly quotas to each state, which offered recruiting inducements such as bounties and land grants.  States that were unable to fill positions with volunteers resorted to sending members of the state militia, originally only mustered to serve within the boundaries of the state, to serve with the Continental Army.

In 1779, the Continental Congress established the blue uniform coat as the color for the Army, but shortages of dye meant that many regiments wore brown or green coats until the end of the war.

     Who Were the Slaves of the Founding Fathers?