Columbia
Columbia is a historical female personification of the United States, originating in the 1600s as a symbol of liberty and American ideals. Initially named Columbina in a poem by Samuel Sewall, Columbia gained prominence during the Revolutionary War, representing the struggle for independence and later embodying various national causes, including support for the Civil War and women's suffrage. She is typically depicted as a Caucasian woman in a flowing gown, often adorned with a liberty cap or tiara. Columbia featured prominently in political cartoons and propaganda, especially during the 1800s and early 1900s, where she was portrayed as a nurturing caregiver and advocate for American values.
However, her popularity waned in the early twentieth century as the Statue of Liberty emerged as a more recognized symbol of the nation, particularly for immigrants arriving in the United States. Despite her decline, Columbia was once celebrated in songs like "Hail Columbia," which served as an unofficial national anthem. By the 1950s, her representation in American culture diminished significantly, leading many to forget her once-prominent role alongside other national symbols like the bald eagle. Today, while Columbia is less recognized, her historical significance reflects the evolving narrative of American identity.
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Columbia
During the 1800s and early 1900s, Columbia was a female personification of the United States that was created before the United States was even an independent nation. Columbia was used in artwork and political cartoons to symbolize the United States and the American people. Columbia was an important symbol for colonists during the Revolutionary War, for northerners during the Civil War, and for suffragettes when women were fighting for the right to vote. Columbia was a popular representation for more than a century, but she eventually fell out of favor as other symbols, in particular the Statue of Liberty, became more important in American culture.
Background
Most countries have national symbols that are meant to portray a country's traits or unify its citizens. One popular type of national symbol is a national personification. A personification of a nation is a fictional individual who is created to be a symbol for that country. National personifications have existed for hundreds of years. They are often women wearing long, flowing gowns who act like secular goddesses. For example, France is often personified with Marianne, a woman dressed in a long gown. Great Britain is personified with Britannia, a goddess holding a spear or a trident.
Overview
The symbol of Columbia is a light-skinned woman with brown or blonde hair wearing a long, flowing gown. She sometimes has feathers in her hair or is wearing a tiara. In some images, she is wearing a liberty cap, which is itself a symbol of freedom.
The symbol of Columbia originated in the 1600s, before the United States had become an independent country. Samuel Sewall, the chief justice of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, wrote a poem about the colony. The poem suggested that the land be called Columbina, which was meant to acknowledge Christopher Columbus. In 1775, famous writer Phillis Wheatley wrote a new poem featuring the figure of Columbia. During the Revolutionary War, Columbia became an important symbol of liberty. As Columbia became better known, she symbolized not just liberty but all American ideals.
Columbia began appearing in art in the 1800s. During the War of 1812, the United States was still attempting to build a cohesive identity. The figure of Columbia and other national symbols helped Americans forge a national identity. Since Columbia was a personification of the United States, she became a popular figure in political cartoons. Columbia was occasionally shown as a benevolent caretaker in the cartoons—she welcomed immigrants from other countries and cared for the most mistreated Americans. One illustrator named Thomas Nast was particularly fond of using Columbia in political cartoons. Nast's work was published in Harper's Weekly and is still well known. Nast and other cartoonists had an important influence on how Columbia was pictured and what she symbolized, which was usually the best aspects of America. For that reason, many northerners used Columbia as a symbol for their cause as the Civil War drew closer. Northerners believed that Columbia stood for the freedoms they wanted to fight for during the war.
In the 1910s, women in the United States still did not have the right to vote. The women who fought for the right to vote were called suffragettes, and some suffragettes dressed up as Columbia, often wearing a metal breastplate and a long robe. Columbia also played a role in propaganda posters during World War I. Some of the posters showed her planting seeds to help the war effort and encouraging Americans to enlist in the army.
Columbia's important role in America was honored in the song "Hail Columbia," which people considered the nation's unofficial national anthem for many years. The song was written in the 1700s soon after the nation earned its independence from Great Britain. Philip Phile, an immigrant from Germany, wrote the music for the song. An American named Joseph Hopkinson wrote a poem about Columbia, which became the lyrics of the song. By 1789, the music and poem had been combined to make the song, which was played regularly as the United States' de facto national anthem. However, in 1930, the "Star Spangled Banner" became the national anthem, and "Hail Columbia" fell out of favor. Nevertheless, the song is still used as the vice president's entrance song.
Although Columbia had played an important role in American culture for more than one hundred years, she became less popular during the early 1900s. During the early part of the twentieth century, Columbia was still used as a symbol in advertisements and political cartoons. But, starting mostly at the end of the 1920s, Columbia became less and less popular. One reason for Columbia's decline was that the Statue of Liberty became a famous female symbol of the United States. The statue became famous because it welcomed immigrants coming into the United States through Ellis Island starting in 1892. As the Statue of Liberty became better known, it became a more important female symbol for the country than Columbia. By the 1950s, Columbia was no longer used in advertisements or political cartoons. During the twenty-first century, many Americans did not realize that Columbia had once been a symbol just as popular as the bald eagle or the Statue of Liberty.
Bibliography
Berg, Ellen L. "Hail, Columbia!" New York Times, 2 July 2011, opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/02/hail-columbia/. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
Boyd, Andrew. "Miss Columbia." The Engines of Our Ingenuity, Houston Public Media, 1 Dec. 2011, www.uh.edu/engines/epi2756.htm. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
Franke-Ruta, Garance. "When America Was Female." The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/03/when-america-was-female/273672/. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
Pitz, Marylynne. "Hail, Miss Columbia: Once a U.S. Symbol, She's Lost out to Uncle Sam, Lady Liberty." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 18 Mar. 2008, www.post-gazette.com/ae/2008/03/18/Hail-Miss-Columbia-Once-a-U-S-symbol-she-s-lost-out-to-Uncle-Sam-Lady-Liberty/stories/200803180240. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
Shane, Cari. "Before Lady Liberty, There Was Lady Columbia, America’s First National Mascot." Smithsonian Magazine, Sept./Oct. 2023, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/before-lady-liberty-lady-columbia-180982722/. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
Waldman, Katy. "Sorry Uncle Sam, but Warrior Goddess Columbia Was Our Coolest National Mascot." Slate, 7 Mar. 2013, www.slate.com/blogs/xx‗factor/2013/03/07/united‗states‗mascot‗uncle‗sam‗vs‗warrior‗goddess‗columbia.html. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.