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HISTORY OF THE “UNCLE SAM” NICKNAME

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HISTORY OF THE “UNCLE SAM” NICKNAME

HISTORY OF THE “UNCLE SAM” NICKNAME

How did Uncle Sam come about?  It goes back to the year 1813.  During the war of 1812, a meat packer from Troy, New York, by the name of Samuel Wilson, would supply barrels of beef to the United States Army.  On these barrels, Mr. Wilson would stamp the initials “U.S.” meaning the United States.  However, the soldiers began referring to the meat as “Uncle Sam’s.”  As you can imagine, a local newspaper ran the story and thus began the nickname of the U.S. federal government.

In the late 1860’s, a political cartoonist, Thomas Nast, came up with the image of Uncle Sam.  This image eventually grew into giving Uncle Sam the white beard and stars-and-stripes suit that we see today.

However, the more famous image of Uncle Sam with the tall hat and blue jacket was created by artist, James Montgomery Flagg.  This is the image showing Uncle Sam pointing directly at us, which was used during World War I, with the caption, “I Want You For The U.S. Army.”  As of today, this poster is still used with various captions.

Samual Wilson died in 1854 and was buried in his hometown of Troy, New York.  In 1961, the U.S. Congress recognized Samuel Wilson as “The progenitor of America’s national symbol of Uncle Sam.”  Fittingly, the town of Troy, New York, calls itself “The Home of Uncle Sam.”

And, now you know!


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