October 29th, 2016

Sarge Dreams #12

by Mort Walker

Beetle Bailey Sunday page color proof, July 9, 1967.

This patriotic episode ran shortly after Independence Day in 1967. Sarge falls asleep after reading a biography of George Washington and dreams he is one of the founding fathers trying to come up with a name for the new republic.

On September 9, 1776, the Continental Congress formerly declared the “United States of America” as the official name, replacing the “United Colonies” which had been in general use up to that point. The “America” came from Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci who first proposed that the lands Christopher Columbus discovered in 1492 were actually a separate continent.

In the middle panels above, there is some nice background scenery of colonial Philadelphia, which is where the Continental Congress met. Mort Walker and Jerry Dumas, who were producing the artwork at this time, must have done research into the buildings and costumes to give the page historical accuracy.

The next “Sarge Dreams” has a sporting theme, so check back for more installments in this series.

– Brian Walker