The Truth Behind Uncle Sam!

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Uncle Sam is one of the most notorious symbols that represent our country.  Many people believe that Uncle Sam is just a character made up to spark nationalism in hard times. However, there is more to the story.

The truth is that this iconic character is linked to a man named Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from New York who supplied barrels of beef to the American Army during the War of 1812.  Wilson stamped the barrels with “US” for United States, but the soldiers began referring to him as “Uncle Sam.”  

A local newspaper eventually picked up the story and on September 7^th, 1813 the US adopted its nickname “Uncle Sam.” In the Late 1860’s and 1870’s artist Thomas Nast started to popularize the image, and eventually evolved it into what we see today, the white beard and stars, stripes suit and top hat.  Nast is also credited with developing the modern day American image of Santa Claus and making the Donkey the symbol of the Democratic Party.  Artist James Montgomery Flagg used Nast’s original image and developed the most iconic image of Uncle Sam, Him pointing straight forward with the quote “I want you for the U.S. Army.”  

This image was the biggest tool in the recruiting campaign for WWI.  Finally in September 1961, the U.S. Congress recognized Samuel Wilson as "the progenitor of America's national symbol of Uncle Sam."  Wilson died at age 88 in 1854 and was buried in his hometown of Troy, New York, which calls itself “The Home of Uncle Sam.”