Story-Teller
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UNCLE SAM
“The memory of the just is blessed; but the name of the wicked shall rot.”
—Proverbs
There really was an Uncle Sam, and the person who was the model for that venerable character was a real American hero. Born in 1766, Samuel Wilson was a youthful patriot who served as a drummer boy during the American Revolution. After the war, Sam opened a meat-packing company in Troy, New York. He was a fair businessman and was known throughout the community as “Uncle Sam.” When soldiers were stationed nearby during the War of 1812, Sam supplied them with meat. The crates that were to be sent to the army were stamped on the side with the initials “U.S.” (This was before those initials were in common usage.) When asked what the initials stood for, one of Sam’s employees said they were the initials of his boss, “Uncle Sam.”
The designation gained popularity among the troops, and American soldiers soon began to refer to themselves as “Uncle Sam’s men.” A cartoon version of Uncle Sam first appeared in 1820 and depicted the character wearing a black top hat and tailcoat. Red pants were introduced during Andrew Jackson’s presidency, and a beard was added during Abraham Lincoln’s term in office. During the Civil War, artist Thomas Nast made Uncle Sam tall and thin, modeling the character after Lincoln. The modern version of Uncle Sam was created by artist James Montgomery Flagg for a World War I poster that bears the now-familiar caption “I Want You for the U.S. Army.”
CONSIDER THIS: Uncle Sam was a real American who represented the American spirit of patriotism and fair play.
Biography of Uncle Sam
Historians aren't completely certain how the character "Uncle Sam" was created, or who (if anyone) he was named after. The prevailing theory is that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel Wilson.
Wilson was born in Arlington, Mass., on September 13, 1766. His childhood home was in Mason, New Hampshire. In 1789, he and his brother Ebenezer walked to Troy, New York.
During the War of 1812, Wilson was in the business of slaughtering and packing meat. He provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials "U.S." Supposedly, someone who saw the "U.S." stamp suggested -- perhaps as a joke -- that the initials stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from "Uncle Sam" led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the federal government.
Samuel Wilson died in 1854. His grave is in the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy.
Uncle Sam's traditional appearance, with a white goatee and star-spangled suit, is an invention of artists and political cartoonists; Samuel Wilson did not look like the modern image of Uncle Sam. For example, Wilson was clean-shaven, while Uncle Sam is usually portrayed with a goatee.
Thomas Nast, a prominent 19th-century political cartoonist, produced many of the earliest cartoons of Uncle Sam. However, historians and collectors take note: Many of Nast's cartoons may appear to depict Uncle Sam, while in fact they depict Yankee Doodle or "Brother Jonathan." It is easy to mistake a Brother Jonathan cartoon for one of Uncle Sam, since both figures wear star-spangled suits of red, white and blue. As a rule, Brother Jonathan was drawn with a feather in his cap, while Uncle Sam was not; and Uncle Sam is nearly always drawn with a beard, while Brother Jonathan was clean-shaven.
Some have suggested that Dan Rice, a 19th-century clown, inspired Thomas Nast's Uncle Sam cartoons. Rice's clown costume consisted of a hat and star-spangled suit, much like the costume worn by Uncle Sam. However, Rice was born in 1823, and did not begin clowning until 1844; and Uncle Sam cartoons appeared as early as 1838. Therefore, it seems unlikely that Rice was, in fact, the inspiration for Nast's cartoons.
The single most famous portrait of Uncle Sam is the "I WANT YOU" Army recruiting poster from World War I. The poster was painted by James Montgomery Flagg in 1916-1917.
Many early examples of Uncle Sam cartoons can be found in The Foremost Guide to Uncle Sam Collectibles, by Gerald E. Czulewicz (Collector Books, 1995).
“The memory of the just is blessed; but the name of the wicked shall rot.”
—Proverbs
There really was an Uncle Sam, and the person who was the model for that venerable character was a real American hero. Born in 1766, Samuel Wilson was a youthful patriot who served as a drummer boy during the American Revolution. After the war, Sam opened a meat-packing company in Troy, New York. He was a fair businessman and was known throughout the community as “Uncle Sam.” When soldiers were stationed nearby during the War of 1812, Sam supplied them with meat. The crates that were to be sent to the army were stamped on the side with the initials “U.S.” (This was before those initials were in common usage.) When asked what the initials stood for, one of Sam’s employees said they were the initials of his boss, “Uncle Sam.”
The designation gained popularity among the troops, and American soldiers soon began to refer to themselves as “Uncle Sam’s men.” A cartoon version of Uncle Sam first appeared in 1820 and depicted the character wearing a black top hat and tailcoat. Red pants were introduced during Andrew Jackson’s presidency, and a beard was added during Abraham Lincoln’s term in office. During the Civil War, artist Thomas Nast made Uncle Sam tall and thin, modeling the character after Lincoln. The modern version of Uncle Sam was created by artist James Montgomery Flagg for a World War I poster that bears the now-familiar caption “I Want You for the U.S. Army.”
CONSIDER THIS: Uncle Sam was a real American who represented the American spirit of patriotism and fair play.
Biography of Uncle Sam
Historians aren't completely certain how the character "Uncle Sam" was created, or who (if anyone) he was named after. The prevailing theory is that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel Wilson.
Wilson was born in Arlington, Mass., on September 13, 1766. His childhood home was in Mason, New Hampshire. In 1789, he and his brother Ebenezer walked to Troy, New York.
During the War of 1812, Wilson was in the business of slaughtering and packing meat. He provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials "U.S." Supposedly, someone who saw the "U.S." stamp suggested -- perhaps as a joke -- that the initials stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from "Uncle Sam" led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the federal government.
Samuel Wilson died in 1854. His grave is in the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy.
Uncle Sam's traditional appearance, with a white goatee and star-spangled suit, is an invention of artists and political cartoonists; Samuel Wilson did not look like the modern image of Uncle Sam. For example, Wilson was clean-shaven, while Uncle Sam is usually portrayed with a goatee.
Thomas Nast, a prominent 19th-century political cartoonist, produced many of the earliest cartoons of Uncle Sam. However, historians and collectors take note: Many of Nast's cartoons may appear to depict Uncle Sam, while in fact they depict Yankee Doodle or "Brother Jonathan." It is easy to mistake a Brother Jonathan cartoon for one of Uncle Sam, since both figures wear star-spangled suits of red, white and blue. As a rule, Brother Jonathan was drawn with a feather in his cap, while Uncle Sam was not; and Uncle Sam is nearly always drawn with a beard, while Brother Jonathan was clean-shaven.
Some have suggested that Dan Rice, a 19th-century clown, inspired Thomas Nast's Uncle Sam cartoons. Rice's clown costume consisted of a hat and star-spangled suit, much like the costume worn by Uncle Sam. However, Rice was born in 1823, and did not begin clowning until 1844; and Uncle Sam cartoons appeared as early as 1838. Therefore, it seems unlikely that Rice was, in fact, the inspiration for Nast's cartoons.
The single most famous portrait of Uncle Sam is the "I WANT YOU" Army recruiting poster from World War I. The poster was painted by James Montgomery Flagg in 1916-1917.
Many early examples of Uncle Sam cartoons can be found in The Foremost Guide to Uncle Sam Collectibles, by Gerald E. Czulewicz (Collector Books, 1995).
