Uncle Sam
A midshipman named Isaac Mayo wrote in his journal on the 24th of March 1810 about a stomach ache that made him wish for Uncle Sam to lose a sailor. This entry from the US Navy predates any known story about Samuel Wilson by decades. The figure appeared in print as early as 1816 within an allegorical book titled The Adventures of Uncle Sam, in Search After His Lost Honor. Before this specific name took hold, the nation was often depicted as Columbia, a female personification who first emerged in 1738. Another male character called Brother Jonathan represented the American populace during the Revolutionary War of 1775. By 1825, John Neal had developed Brother Jonathan into a full literary symbol of national character. These earlier figures laid the groundwork for the man with the goatee and top hat who would eventually emerge after the War of 1812.
Samuel Wilson was a meatpacker from Arlington, Massachusetts who moved to Troy, New York to supply rations for soldiers during the War of 1812. Contractors were required to stamp their names and origins onto food packages sent to troops. Wilson's barrels bore the letters E.A. followed by U.S., which stood for United States. A co-worker allegedly joked that the initials referred to Elbert Anderson and Uncle Sam, referring to Wilson himself. This story did not appear in print until 1842, creating significant doubt about its authenticity. An 1810 edition of Niles' Weekly Register defined Uncle Sam as a cant term in the army for the United States. The earliest known mention definitely referring to the metaphorical Uncle Sam comes from 1810, well before Wilson signed his government contract. Despite these discrepancies, the legend persists as the most popular explanation for the name.
An 1860 political cartoon depicted Uncle Sam looking like Benjamin Franklin with no goatee or striped pants. Another image from Harper's Weekly on the 3rd of June 1865 showed a figure resembling the modern version but lacking facial hair. By 1897, Uncle Sam appeared in cartoons discussing the annexation of Hawaii with a wily Yankee look. An 1893 article in The Lutheran Witness claimed Uncle Sam was simply another name for Brother Jonathan used in politics. Images varied wildly throughout the mid-19th century before James Montgomery Flagg created a standard appearance during World War I. The character eventually adopted the white top hat with stars, blue tail coat, and red-and-white-striped trousers that define him today. This visual identity replaced the earlier interchangeable use of names and styles that had existed since the early 1800s.
James Montgomery Flagg designed an iconic recruitment poster in 1917 based on a British Lord Kitchener image from three years prior. Flagg used a modified version of his own face for Uncle Sam while veteran Walter Botts provided the pose. The image first appeared publicly on the cover of Leslie's Weekly magazine on the 6th of July 1916. More than four million copies of this specific image were printed between 1917 and 1918 to recruit soldiers into the US Army. The poster became so famous that it influenced the modern appearance of Uncle Sam more than any other single work. During World War II, the United States was codenamed Samland by the German intelligence agency Abwehr. The term also appeared in the song The Yankee Doodle Boy featured in the 1942 musical Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Two memorials now exist to honor Samuel Wilson at his birthplace in Arlington, Massachusetts and near his residence in Riverfront Park, Troy, New York. Wilson died on the 31st of July 1854 at age 87 and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Troy. A Congressional joint resolution designated the 13th of September 1989 as Uncle Sam Day to commemorate Wilson's birthday. In 1976 Stanley Meltzoff depicted Uncle Sam on a Bell System telephone book cover for the nation's bicentennial. Family history company MyHeritage claimed in 2015 to have tracked down living relatives of Samuel Wilson. The symbol remains a common national personification of the United States and a manifestation of patriotic emotion in American culture today.
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Common questions
When did the figure of Uncle Sam first appear in print?
The figure appeared in print as early as 1816 within an allegorical book titled The Adventures of Uncle Sam, in Search After His Lost Honor. An 1810 edition of Niles' Weekly Register defined Uncle Sam as a cant term in the army for the United States.
Who was Samuel Wilson and what role did he play in creating the Uncle Sam legend?
Samuel Wilson was a meatpacker from Arlington, Massachusetts who moved to Troy, New York to supply rations for soldiers during the War of 1812. Contractors were required to stamp their names and origins onto food packages sent to troops, and Wilson's barrels bore the letters E.A. followed by U.S., which stood for United States.
How did James Montgomery Flagg change the visual appearance of Uncle Sam?
James Montgomery Flagg created a standard appearance during World War I that eventually adopted the white top hat with stars, blue tail coat, and red-and-white-striped trousers that define him today. This visual identity replaced the earlier interchangeable use of names and styles that had existed since the early 1800s.
When was the iconic Uncle Sam recruitment poster first published and how many copies were printed?
The image first appeared publicly on the cover of Leslie's Weekly magazine on the 6th of July 1916. More than four million copies of this specific image were printed between 1917 and 1918 to recruit soldiers into the US Army.
What date is officially recognized as Uncle Sam Day in the United States?
A Congressional joint resolution designated the 13th of September 1989 as Uncle Sam Day to commemorate Wilson's birthday. Samuel Wilson died on the 31st of July 1854 at age 87 and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Troy.