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       Yankee Doodle Dandy, Not a Patriotic Song

2/4/2017

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                                                                   Yankee Doodle
The song, Yankee Doodle Dandy, was an English song.  The British Army sang this song in the presence of the Colonial Militia, to chide, deride, denigrate or, look down on their English cousins.  The roots of this attitude went back to the French and Indian War of 1754 to 1763.  Initially, we fought alone against the French intruders and Indian mercenaries. After two years England joined us and was instrumental in successfully winning the war.  In the end, we got peace and the British got all of Canada and parts of our mid-west.   While we fought on the same side with similar objectives the eventual success of the nine years of war, taught us that we had grown far apart.

The irritants between allies centered on such silly things as uniforms, marching style, and discipline.  On the critical level, rank and leadership issues were totally opposite.  We elected our regimental leaders.   Battle plans were to be understood at all levels.  Unfortunately, the British officers were of a certain class and wealth, that seemed to breed arrogance.  They expected their decisions to be followed not revised or questioned.  “Therein lies the rub”[i]. We would arrive late to the battle, have no idea of the strategy of the moment and fight more like Indians than Europeans.
 
Back to the song!

                                       Yankee Doodle went to town
                                       A-riding on a pony
                                       He stuck a feather in his hat
                                       And called it macaroni

            Chorus:
                                       Yankee Doodle, keep it up
                                        Yankee Doodle dandy
                                        Mind the music and the step
                                        and with the girls be handy!
                                        Father and I went down to camp
                                       Along with Captain Gooding
                                       And there we saw the men and boys
                                       As thick as hasty pudding.

            Chorus
                                      And there was Captain Washington
                                      And gentle folks about him
                                      They say he's grown so tarnal proud
                                      He will not ride without them.

A more mature version can be found online.

By the way, if you read 18th Century documents macaroni would be spelled with a y instead of i. In either case, it was a reference to young dainty upper-class English men with European ties that behaved and dressed somewhat effeminate. 

The British Army came to town  (Boston) on October 1, 1768, landing at Long Wharf, Boston.   They were sent to put down a revolution and help customs officials collect taxes. As they disembarked they launched into the many verses of Yankee Doodle Dandy.  The song had lost its sting as the Colonial militias from the French and Indian War adopted this tune as their marching song to throw it back in their cousin’s face. The local citizens, especially young adolescents, found it all very peculiar.

In elementary school we learned this giddy song but never quite understood the patriotic fervor entwined in its verse.

 
 


[i] Hamlet by William Shakespeare
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  • Freedom Trail Tour
    • The Boston Massacre Tour
    • Boston Civil War Tour
    • The Kennedy Tour
    • The Boston Massacre Lesson Plan
    • Paul Revere's Row to Charlestown 4/18/1775
    • Virtual Tour of the Massachusetts State House
    • The Boston Massacre per the Pennsylvania Gazette
    • Paul Revere Lesson Plan
  • Revere Bells Index
    • The Stickney Revere Bell Listings of 1976
    • Paul Revere Bell of Beverly
    • Revere Bells in Boston >
      • Paul Revere Bell Old South Meeting House
    • California's 2 Paul Revere Bells
    • Paul Revere & Son's Bell Westborough Massachusetts
    • Falmouth, Massachusetts
    • Revere Bell Fredericksburg VA
    • Revere Bell Hampton NH
    • First Parish Church of Kennebunk
    • Revere Bells in Maine
    • Revere Bell in Mansfield
    • Revere Bell of Michigan
    • Revere Salem Mass Bell
    • Roxbury First Unitariarn Universalist Church and their Revere Bell
    • Revere & Son Bell, Savannah Georgia
    • Singapore Revere Bell
    • Tuscaloosa Bell >
      • History of the St John and Leavens Patriarchs
      • Samuel St John Jr Estate Genealogy
      • Authenticating the Revere Tuscaloosa Bell
      • Joshua B Leavens Last Will and Testament
      • 20th Century Tuscaloosa bell
    • Revere Bells Lost in Time
    • Revere Bells Washington DC
    • Revere Bell in Wakefield, Mass
    • Revere Bells Woodstock VT
  • Bostonians
    • Edward F Alexander of The Harvard 20th Civil War Regiment
    • Polly Baker
    • John Wilkes Booth
    • The Mad Hatter, Thomas, Boston Corbett who Killed John Wilkes Booth
    • Richard-Henry-Dana-Jr
    • James Franklin
    • Benjamin Harris of Publick Occurrences
    • Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
    • William Lloyd Garrison
    • USS Thomas Hudner DDG116
    • Edward Hutchinson Robbins Revere
    • Amos Lincoln
    • King Philip
    • Mayor's of Boston
    • Mum Bett & Theodore Sedgwick
    • James Otis
    • Paul Joseph Revere
    • John Rowe >
      • John Rowe's Diary Entries
      • John Rowe's Dinner Party
      • John Rowe and the Jail Fire
      • Hang John Rowe?????
      • John Rowe the Fisherman
      • Joh Rowe's Tea Ship
    • Be Proud to be Called a Lucy Stoner
    • Rachel Wall , Pirate
    • Paul Revere the Coroner of Boston
    • Deborah Sampson
    • Who was Mrs. Silence Dogood?
    • Dr. Joseph Warren's Dedication
  • History Blog
  • Lilja's of Natick
    • Lilja Brothers Military History
    • Lilja's Family Album
    • Memorials and Tributes to the Five Lilja Brothers
    • Lilja Family Tree
    • Lilja Historical Family Tree Documents
    • Lilja References
  • Collage of Boston
    • 4th of July Parade, Bristol RI
    • Boston Harbor
    • The Customs House
    • Forest Hills Cemetery
    • Georges Island
    • Nonviolent Monument to Peace - Sherborn
    • The Battle Road
    • Skate bike and scooter park
    • Cassin Young & USS Cassin Young
    • MIT
    • Historic Charles River
    • The Roxbury Standpipe on Fort Hill
    • John & Abigail Adams National Park