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Uncle Sam:
Uncle Sam, our greatest patriot, was born as a clown
amidst early America's reaching for its own personal
statement of comedic expression. Most of the Uncle Sam
clowns are on stilts, possibly a patriotic message that
America stands tall. In a world where art imitates life,
one would think that an anonymous clown once decided to
dress like Uncle Sam for his performance. Actually, the
opposite is true. Life imitated art. Dan Rice, an
American circus strongman-turned clown, developed a
novel costume in the 1840s. He used no makeup, but he
wore a unique outfit consisting of striped suit and
beard. With an unusual act, including readings of
Shakespeare in backwoods dialect, he became famous
throughout the country and billed himself as "America's
Favorite Clown". Rice became a sought-after speaker and
even ran for Congress. President Lincoln, needing a
morale-builder during the dark times of the Civil War,
used Rice's image as the basis for Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam
went on to become a lasting statement of American
values. He's promoted drafts, war bonds, and peacetime
projects. His face is the immortal visage of American
democracy calling us all to remember our heritage and
responsibilities as Americans. |
