Folklore of the United States
The
folklore of the United States, or
American folklore, is the folk tradition which has evolved on the
North American continent since
Europeans arrived in the
16th century. While it contains much in the way of
Native American tradition, it should not be confused with the actual tribal beliefs of any real band, nation or community of native people. American folklore is essentially about immigrants and their misunderstanding of each other, and of the new landscape they found themselves conquering, and of the people that had already been there when the first European colonists arrived.
The founding of the
United States is often surrounded by legends and tall tales. Many stories have developed since the founding long ago to become apart of America's folklore and cultural awareness, and non-native American folklore especially includes any narrative which has contributed to the shaping of
American values and belief systems. These narratives may be true and may be false; the veracity of the stories is not a determining factor. Three so-called "
founding myths" include: Christopher Columbus, the Pilgrims, and George Washington.
Christopher Columbus
Though
Christopher Columbus did not participate in the founding of the American government, he has been interpreted as a "founder" of the American nation, in that it is descended from the
European immigrants who would not have moved to the New World if Columbus had not found where it was. Indeed, one particularly pervasive story is that Columbus discovered America, as it is far easier to elevate a man to heroic status than to reflect the reality among complex series of waves of immigrants from multiple conditions and walks of life. According to some stories, Columbus sailed across the
Atlantic Ocean in order to prove that the world was round, because he expected to reach the Far East by sailing west. Like most legendary "founders" Columbus' mission is then rendered entirely noble, intellectual and rational. He helped dispel the inaccurate beliefs of his time, and, so, it is concluded, the nation he founded must be a nation of intellect and logic.
Washington Irving is the first citation for this belief. The 20th century, however, saw a decrease in the prestige of Columbus' legend as skepticism about Europeans' activities in the New World and elsewhere has become more prevalent.
Pilgrims
The holiday of
Thanksgiving is said to have begun with the
Pilgrims in
1621. They had come to America to escape religious persecution, but then nearly starved to death due to the unfamiliar land. Some friendly
Native Americans (including
Squanto) helped the Pilgrims survive through the first winter. The perseverance of the Pilgrims is celebrated during the annual Thanksgiving festival. As a legend, this story relates to the founding of the culture. The Pilgrims' dedication to their cause in spite of the hardships renders the foundation of the country, and therefore the country itself, seem stronger and more resilient. It is also a fertility festival, similar in some ways to other harvest-time celebrations in other cultures, celebrating the nourishment that comes from the earth. It was also said that the Pilgrims were the first colony in the New World, but before that, there were some
French and
Spanish colonies, as well as other
English colonies. Some English colonies in America that predated Plymouth Rock include
Roanoke settlement, which was later overtaken by or integrated with
Native American tribes, and the
Jamestown Settlement, which was successful and predated the Pilgrims' settlement by 20 years.
George Washington
George Washington, the country's first president, is often said to be the founder of the United States. Since his death, Washington has been "mythologized", with many anecdotes and stories about his life told, in general, to present the founder of the modern American nation as a just and wise
cultural hero. For example, it is said that Washington, as a young child, chopped down his father's cherry tree. His angry father confronted the young Washington, who proclaimed "I can not tell a lie" and admitted to the transgression, thus illuminating his honesty. Parson
Mason Locke Weems is the first citation of the legend, in his
1850 book,
The Life of George Washington: With Curious Anecdotes, Equally Honorable to Himself and Exemplary to His Young Countrymen.
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) is also known to have spread the story while lecturing, personalizing it by adding "I have a higher and greater standard of principle. Washington could not lie. I can lie but I won't." Stories of national value often have similar themes â€" that the founder of the nation,
Deucalion, George Washington,
Abraham â€" was a wise, virtuous and brave man.
Apocryphal people
*
Paul Bunyan*
Iron John *
John the Conqueror *
John Henry*
Molly Pitcher *
Pecos Bill*
Stagger LeeHistorical men
*
"Johnny Appleseed" Chapman*
The Leatherman*
Davy Crockett*
Daniel Boone*
Wyatt Earp*
Doc Holliday*
Wild Bill Hickok*
Kit Carson*
Joaquin Murrieta*
Jesse James*
Billy the Kid*
Pancho Villa*
Casey Jones*
Buffalo Bill*
Mike Fink*
Robert Johnson*
Joe Hill*
Jonathan Moulton*
Martin Luther King, Jr.Historical women
*
Boxcar Betty*
Calamity Jane*
Harriet Tubman*
La Llorona*
Lizzie Borden*
Mary Mallon ("Typhoid Mary")*
Marie Laveau*
Maria Monk*
Mother Jones*
Annie Oakley*
Bonnie Parker*
Betsy RossNative Americans
*
Hiawatha*
Pocahontas*
Squanto*
Geronimo*
Sacagawea*
Sitting BullLegendary and folkloric creatures
*
Bigfoot*
Chupacabra*
La Llorona*
Skunk Ape*
Mothman*
Fur-bearing trout*
Greys*
Rabbit's foot*
Jackalope*
Babe the Blue Ox*
Columbia*
Cowboys
*
Entrepreneurs &
Robber barons*
Gangsters and
gangs
*
Hackers
*
Hillbillies*
Juvenile delinquents*
Motorcycle gangs like the
Hell's Angels*
Pioneers*
Prospectors
*
Quarterbacks
*
Rednecks
*
Statue of Liberty*
Uncle Sam*
Horatio Alger, Jr. Little House on the Prairie *
Stephen Vincent Benét *
Washington Irving *
Robert Johnson *
Edgar Allan Poe *
Norman Rockwell *
Mark Twain *
Parson Weems *
Uncle Remus *
James Fenimore Cooper*
Scalping*
California Gold Rush*
Cowboys and
Indians*
Ellis Island*
Hatfields and McCoys*
Indian captivity narratives*
Noble savage*
Norumbega*
Pony Express*
Paul Revere*
Salem witch trials*
Wagon train*
Conspiracy theory*
Faxlore*
"Legend tripping"*
List of character-based movie franchises*
Skull and Bones*
SuperheroStar Trek*
jump rope rhymes
*
stickball or
sandlot ball*
counting-out game*"
Oh My Darling, Clementine"
*
American Dream*The
Frontier*
American Folklore Society
