What do you celebrate or remember when it comes to this very special holiday? Did you go to a parade? Did you sit on a blanket in the park with your family and watch the fireworks? Did you reflect on what this country means to you? All the above would be on my list! Our country was founded on Christian beliefs, courage, and justice for all. I would not trade it for anything. I saw an article and had to share it with you. It was about a song that I sang as a kid but haven’t since then. Here is a little history about it.
The History of the song Yankee Doodle
The most commonly held belief is that the first part of “Yankee Doodle” was written in 1755, during the French and Indian War, by a British military surgeon named Richard Shuckburgh. One day he happened to see some Connecticut militia marching by—not in squeaky-clean uniforms like the British soldiers, but in their ragged, dirty, everyday work clothes. He noticed some of them were sporting turkey feathers in their tri-corner hats, and this struck him as rather amusing.
At the time, in mid-18th century London, there was a fashion trend among the young men of the upper class called the “macaroni” style. It consisted of very fancy, outlandish clothes, topped off by a hat with a brightly colored ostrich plume. “Dandy” was the name given to those who dressed in “macaroni” style. Shuckburgh, being well versed in poetry and literature, decided to compose a merry little ditty that mocked the colonial militia. So he wrote the well-known first verse and chorus. He probably wrote more verses, but the first verse is all that remains. There are said to be 190 verses to this song but here is what you might remember the most:
Yankee Doodle went to town A-riding on a pony
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.
May each of you be blessed and enjoy this special holiday in your own special way!
Tenant Services Team