The Founding Fathers (which a few people have pointed to) are a pretty good answer. But I think you're right about the classic American tall tale. For one thing, many of the stories about Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, etc. are the same stories just adapted to whichever regional hero you're talking about.
Team-ups between folks like Bunyan and Ben Franklin and Pecos Bill are like cross-over comic books: the heroes pound the crap out of each other for a while when they first meet, then team up to defeat a genuine foe.
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Date: 2006-03-17 06:14 pm (UTC)Team-ups between folks like Bunyan and Ben Franklin and Pecos Bill are like cross-over comic books: the heroes pound the crap out of each other for a while when they first meet, then team up to defeat a genuine foe.