Yankee Doodle Fun Facts

By Alex in History, Music, Neatorama Exclusives on Jul 4, 2010 at 1:16 am

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Spirit of '76 by A.M. Willard

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

This Fourth of July, amaze your friends with the following Yankee Doodle Fun Facts:

Yankee Doodle, the patriotic song (and state anthem of Connecticut) was originally sung by British military officers to mock the disheveled and disorganized American colonists who fought alongside them during the French and Indian Wars:

Tradition and other more official sources have it that the American version of the song was written, at least in part, by a Dr. Richard Schackburg, a British army surgeon during the French and Indian Wars while at the home of the Van Rensselaer family. Schackburg's lyrics were said to be composed to make fun of the colonials who fought alongside the British troops. (Source)

The Americans took the song (and insult) and turned it around: they were proud to be called Yankees, and Yankee Doodle became a patriotic song.

via neatorama.com