Her name is
Columbia and she was the literary representation of the US prior to Uncle Sam.
This virtuous goddess in a flowing robe, symbol of liberty and star of political cartoons for a century, disappeared from America's editorial pages in the mid-1950s.
<snip>
Miss Columbia emerged from the imagination of Chief Justice Samuel Sewall of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1697, he wrote a poem suggesting that America's Colonies be called Columbina, a feminization of Christopher Columbus' last name.
<snip>
Miss Columbia is "a literary name for the United States," says Ellen Berg, a historian who researched the symbol's origins and popularity at the Library of Congress during a fellowship last fall with the Swann Foundation.
<snip>
"When we become the toughest guy out there, then we would go with somebody like Uncle Sam," he says. "Uncle Sam is rolling up his sleeves. He's going to go pound on somebody. All of these images only work if they resonate with the audience."
more at linkInteresting to compare the lyrics in
Hail, Columbia (our unofficial national anthem until 1931) to the lyrics in the
The Star Spangled Banner. Let's not forget
Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean as yet another patriotic song.
She pops up on many buildings around DC as well. She's also on occasion known as Justice and Lady Liberty.
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