Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam is a well-known symbol of the United States, often used to represent the federal government or the country itself. This figure has been a fixture in American culture since the early 1800s, serving as a patriotic emblem. He became especially famous through military propaganda, most notably in a 1917 World War I recruiting poster created by James Montgomery Flagg.

The character is said to have originated during the War of 1812, possibly named after a meatpacker called Samuel Wilson, though the true story is unclear. The first time Uncle Sam appeared in a book (rather than just newspapers) was in an 1816 allegorical work titled *The Adventures of Uncle Sam, in Search After His Lost Honor*. While Uncle Sam typically stands for the government, the female figure Columbia represents the United States as a nation. An older male character, Brother Jonathan, once symbolized the American people.

Earlier personifications of the U.S. included Columbia, a woman who first appeared in 1738 (before the country existed), sometimes linked to Lady Liberty. Brother Jonathan emerged during the American Revolutionary War in 1775 and was fully developed as a national character in John Neal's 1825 novel *Brother Jonathan*. Uncle Sam came along after the War of 1812. Columbia was used alongside Brother Jonathan or Uncle Sam, but her popularity faded as Liberty took over, and she was largely dropped after becoming the mascot for Columbia Pictures in the 1920s. A journal entry from March 24, 1810, by Navy midshipman Isaac Mayo mentions "uncle Sam" as a term for the U.S., complaining that a stomach ache made him want to desert.

An 1810 edition of *Niles' Weekly Register* includes a footnote defining "Uncle Sam" as army slang for the United States, likely coming from the abbreviation "U.S." for the United States of America.

The exact origin is murky, but a popular legend says the name came from Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker from Arlington, Massachusetts, who later moved to Troy, New York, and supplied food to soldiers during the War of 1812. Contractors had to stamp their name and origin on rations, so Wilson's packages were marked "E.A.—U.S." When asked what it meant, a coworker joked it stood for "Elbert Anderson and Uncle Sam" (referring to Wilson), though "U.S." actually meant "United States." This story is questionable because it didn't appear in print until 1842, and the earliest known reference to the metaphorical Uncle Sam is from 1810, before Wilson's government contract.

In 1835, Brother Jonathan was used to refer to Uncle Sam, suggesting they had different meanings: Brother Jonathan was the country itself, while Uncle Sam was the government and its power. A clockmaker in an 1849 novel explained that Americans call the public "Uncle Sam," just as the British call theirs "John Bull." By the 1850s, the two names were used almost interchangeably, and images once called "Brother Jonathan" were labeled "Uncle Sam." Their appearances varied widely—for instance, an 1860 depiction of Uncle Sam looked like Benjamin Franklin, while a contemporary Brother Jonathan looked more like the modern Uncle Sam, but without a goatee. An 1893 article in *The Lutheran Witness* claimed Uncle Sam was just another name for Brother Jonathan, saying they were the same figure in different contexts.

Uncle Sam didn't get a standard look until after the Civil War, when Brother Jonathan fell out of use. The iconic image came from James Montgomery Flagg's World War I recruitment poster, inspired by a British poster of Lord Kitchener. This design gave Uncle Sam his modern appearance: an elderly white man with white hair and a goatee, wearing a white top hat with stars on a blue band, a red bowtie, a blue tailcoat, and red-and-white-striped trousers. Flagg's image first appeared publicly on the cover of *Leslie's Weekly* on July 6, 1916, with the caption "What Are You Doing for Preparedness?" Over four million copies were printed between 1917 and 1918. It was also used heavily during World War II, when German intelligence called the U.S. "Samland." The figure was referenced in the song "The Yankee Doodle Boy," featured in the 1942 musical *Yankee Doodle Dandy*.

Two memorials honor Uncle Sam, both tied to Samuel Wilson: a statue in Arlington, Massachusetts, his birthplace, and a memorial near his long-time home in Riverfront Park, Troy, New York. Wilson's childhood home in Mason, New Hampshire, is also open to visitors.