Although scholars don't know the exact origin of the word ‘doodle’ as used in the context of the tune Yankee Doodle, you can be sure it's not a term of endearment. Even the word ‘Yankee’ was originally a disparaging one, though it later came into everyday use by both the British and the Americans. In true, thick-skinned (or is that thick-headed?) American spirit, the Colonists not only assimilated the term ‘Yankee’ into their vernacular, but also the song Yankee Doodle, and made it their own. Here's an excerpt that illustrates this transition from the military journal of British officer Thomas Anburey, dated “Cambridge, in New England, Nov. 27, 1777”:

…the name [of Yankee] has been more prevalent since the commencement of hostilities. The soldiers at Boston used it as a term of reproach, but after the affair at Bunker Hill, the Americans gloried in it. Yankee Doodle is now their paean…After our rapid successes, we held the Yankees in great contempt, but it was not a little mortifying to hear them play this tune, when their army marched down to our surrender.

Above: The foppish French fashion that was the Macaroni inspiration (1).

With the culmination of the American and French Revolutions, the era of the Macaroni came to a close, and the Romantic movement was in full swing. In step with the climate of cultural and political reform, clothing and hair styles became simpler and more natural, and the aristocratic excesses of the past were denounced. The nineteenth century would bring the birth of the modern man's suit, which has changed little since the middle of that century. Indeed, it's hard to imagine today's American male adorned like Yankee Doodle; many of whom are even cautious about wearing pastels, let alone tassels. Perhaps contemporary American men could learn something from the Macaronis, not about flamboyance, but about style.

Yankee Doodle, keep it up,
Yankee Doodle dandy,
Mind the music and the step,
And with the girls be handy.

Bibliography:

-Breward, Christopher, The Culture of Fashion, Manchester University Press, Manchester and New York, 1995.
-Lurie, Alison, The Language of Clothes, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1981.
-Nunn, Joan, Fashion In Costume 1200-1980, New Amsterdam Books, Franklin NY, 1990. -Sonneck, Oscar, Report on “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “Hail Columbia”, “America”, “Yankee Doodle”, Dover Publications Inc., New York, 1972.

Photo Credits:

(1) Rhead, G. Woolliscroft. "An Exquisite. From Jacquemin," Chats on Costume. London: T. Fisher Unwin, Ltd., 1919, p. 129.