Why is the USA called Uncle Sam? Did Uncle Sam really exist?
Will Gittens
In popular culture the image of Uncle Sam is often used to portray the characteristic elements of American expression. The white-haired patriotic icon is well-known around the world but where does it originate from?
The image of Uncle Sam with a top hat and tail coat is thought to have appeared shortly after the War of 1812, in which the United States and indigenous allies fought against the British. Cartoonists from Punch magazine are thought to have been the first to shape the iconic figure and other artists would build on their work.
Astonishingly, historians have been able to link the moniker ‘Uncle Sam’ to a real person living in the early 19th century. Samuel Wilson, a New York meat packer, supplied beef to the US army during the War of 1812.
The food was typically transported to the soldiers in barrels, with ‘U.S.’ stamped on the side to signify ‘United States’. However soldiers soon came up with a mythical ‘Uncle Sam’ from those initials and began thanking him for the food deliveries.
A local newspaper picked up on the story and use of the term spread, and it became a natural solution when cartoonists were looking for a name for their iconic American hero. In 1961 Congress officially recognised Samuel Wilson as “the progenitor of America’s national symbol of Uncle Sam.” Accordingly the town of Troy, New York, now calls itself ‘The Home of Uncle Sam.’
Use of the term continues to this day and is used more generally to describe the nation and often, more specifically, the federal government.
How has the image of Uncle Sam changed over the years?
Those early images from the Punch magazine cartoonists included the white hair and beard and the top hat and tailcoats which are still instantly recognisable today. However there have been a number of interpretations over the past two decades.
In the late 1860s political cartoonist Thomas Nast was the first to really popularise Uncle Sam in the American consciousness. He added the stars-and-stripes suit that is often used in images of the character to this day. Nast is also credited with creating the symbols of the Democratic Party (donkey) and the Republicans (elephant), and the modern image of Santa Claus.
However the most famous portrayal of Uncle Sam came half a century later in the World War One recruiting poster created by artist James Montgomery Flagg. The iconic image of Uncle Sam declaring “I Want You For The U.S. Army” were printed in their millions during the conflict and reused during the World War Two.