Brother Jonathan was a fictional character created to personify the entire United States, in the early days of the country's existence.
In editorial cartoons and patriotic posters, Brother Jonathan was usually depicted as a typical American revolutionary, with tri-cornered hat and long military jacket. Originally, from 1776 to 1783, "Brother Jonathan" was a mildly derisive term used by the Loyalists to describe the Patriots.
Famous quotes containing the words brother and/or jonathan:
“I against my brother
I and my brother against our cousin
I, my brother and our cousin against the neighbors
All of us against the foreigner.”
—Bedouin Proverb. Quoted by Bruce Chatwin in “From the Notebooks,” ch. 30, The Songlines (1987)
“He won’t come after me. He won’t. I can’t explain it. He’d consider that rude.”
—Ted Tally, U.S. screenwriter, and Jonathan Demme. Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster)