Conflicting Images

"To be sure, gawky, volatile Uncle Sam and serenely regal Columbia appear both aligned and mismatched."

Groseclose, The Early Nineteenth Century: Democratic Models. p. 61

America is complex. The American Dream cannot be pinned to one specific thing. For example, our readings for Monday's class depict the fact that the Pueblo's dream was to be connected to nature in their own way, and the Puritan's dream was for order. Almost all visions, however, generally included peace between the citizens of America.

I think the two symbols of Uncle Sam and Columbia are perfect for America precisely because they conflict with each other.  
The reading asks on page 62, "Why these particular symbols?" It then goes on to mention two versions of one particular symbol: the princess. The original image was of a "hefty Indian Queen" (63), but then evolved into a "slender white princess" (63).
I think these two, in particular, show the conflict of different societies within their own vision of the American Dream. This is why peace between societies is never entirely possible. This society thinks their better than another because they're orderly, that society thinks it's better because of their connection with nature. No two dreams are ever alike. These symbols embody this fact.