Uncle Sam - Wikipedia Uncle Sam From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Personification of the United States and its government This article is about the national personification of the United States federal government. For its comic book adaptation, see Uncle Sam (comics). For other uses, see Uncle Sam (disambiguation). J. M. Flagg's 1917 poster was based on the original British Lord Kitchener poster of three years earlier. It was used to recruit soldiers for both World War I and World War II. Flagg used a modified version of his own face for Uncle Sam,[1] and veteran Walter Botts provided the pose.[2] Uncle Sam (initials U.S.) is a common national personification of the U.S. federal government or the country in general that, according to legend, came into use during the War of 1812 and was supposedly named for Samuel Wilson. The actual origin is by a legend.[3] Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of the US government in American culture and a manifestation of patriotic emotion.[4] While the figure of Uncle Sam represents specifically the government, Columbia represents the United States as a nation. The image has also developed notoriety for its use in military propaganda.[5] The first reference to Uncle Sam in formal literature (as distinct from newspapers) was in the 1816 allegorical book The Adventures of Uncle Sam, in Search After His Lost Honor by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy, Esq.[6] Other possible references date to the American Revolutionary War: an Uncle Sam is mentioned as early as 1775, in the original lyrics of "Yankee Doodle",[7] though it is not clear whether this reference is to Uncle Sam as a metaphor for the United States, or to an actual person named Sam. The lyrics as a whole celebrate the military efforts of the young nation in besieging the British at Boston. The 13th stanza is: Old Uncle Sam come there to change Some pancakes and some onions, For 'lasses cakes, to carry home To give his wife and young ones.[8] Contents 1 Earlier personifications 2 Evolution 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links Earlier personifications[edit] Columbia The earliest known personification of the United States was as a woman named Columbia, who first appeared in 1738 (pre-USA) and sometimes was associated with another female personification, Lady Liberty. With the American Revolutionary War came Brother Jonathan, a male personification, and Uncle Sam finally appeared after the War of 1812.[9] Columbia appeared with either Brother Jonathan or Uncle Sam, but her use declined as a national personification in favor of Liberty, and she was effectively abandoned once she became the mascot of Columbia Pictures in the 1920s. According to an article in the 1893 The Lutheran Witness, Uncle Sam was simply another name for Brother Jonathan: When we meet him in politics we call him Uncle Sam; when we meet him in society we call him Brother Jonathan. Here of late Uncle Sam alias Brother Jonathan has been doing a powerful lot of complaining, hardly doing anything else. [sic][10] A March 24, 1810 journal entry by Isaac Mayo (a midshipman in the United States Navy) states: weighed anchor stood down the harbor, passed Sandy Hook, where there are two light-houses, and put to sea, first and the second day out most deadly seasick, oh could I have got onshore in the hight [sic] of it, I swear that uncle Sam, as they call him, would certainly forever have lost the services of at least one sailor.[11] Evolution[edit] Samuel Wilson Memorial in Arlington, Massachusetts Photograph of Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York Uncle Sam and Columbia in an 1869 cartoon by Thomas Nast Uncle Sam often personified the United States in political cartoons, such as this one in 1897 about the U.S. annexation of Hawaii Uncle Sam taking the lead in cutting up China in J. S. Pughe's cartoon (Puck magazine Aug 23, 1899). Poster by the United States Fuel Administration during World War One: "Uncle Sam needs that extra shovelful" In July 1940 the Comics Superhero Uncle Sam, modeled on the national personification, was depicted hitting a Nazi villain - a year before the US got actually involved in the war against Nazi Germany. The precise origin of the Uncle Sam character is unclear, but a popular legend is that the name "Uncle Sam" was derived from Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker from Troy, New York who supplied rations for American soldiers during the War of 1812. There was a requirement at the time for contractors to stamp their name and where the rations came from onto the food they were sending. Wilson's packages were labeled "E.A – US." When someone asked what that stood for, a co-worker jokingly said, "Elbert Anderson [the contractor] and Uncle Sam," referring to Wilson, though the "US" actually stood for United States.[12] Doubts have been raised as to the authenticity of this story, as the claim did not appear in print until 1842.[13] Additionally, the earliest known mention definitely referring to the metaphorical Uncle Sam is from 1810, predating Wilson's contract with the government.[11] As early as 1835, Brother Jonathan made a reference to Uncle Sam, implying that they symbolized different things: Brother Jonathan was the country itself, while Uncle Sam was the government and its power.[14] By the 1850s, the names Brother Jonathan and Uncle Sam were being used nearly interchangeably, to the point that images of what had previously been called "Brother Jonathan" were being called "Uncle Sam". Similarly, the appearance of both personifications varied wildly. For example, one depiction of Uncle Sam in 1860 showed him looking like Benjamin Franklin,[15] while a contemporaneous depiction of Brother Jonathan[16] looks more like the modern version of Uncle Sam, though without a goatee. Uncle Sam did not get a standard appearance, even with the effective abandonment of Brother Jonathan near the end of the American Civil War, until the well-known recruitment image of Uncle Sam was first created by James Montgomery Flagg during World War I. The image was inspired by a British recruitment poster showing Lord Kitchener in a similar pose. It is this image more than any other that has influenced the modern appearance of Uncle Sam: an elderly white man with white hair and a goatee, wearing a white top hat with white stars on a blue band, a blue tail coat, and red-and-white-striped trousers. Flagg's depiction of Uncle Sam was shown publicly for the first time, according to some, on the cover of the magazine Leslie's Weekly on July 6, 1916, with the caption "What Are You Doing for Preparedness?"[1][17] More than four million copies of this image were printed between 1917 and 1918. Flagg's image was also used extensively during World War II, during which the U.S. was codenamed "Samland" by the German intelligence agency Abwehr.[18] The term was central in the song "The Yankee Doodle Boy", which was featured in 1942 in the musical Yankee Doodle Dandy. There are two memorials to Uncle Sam, both of which commemorate the life of Samuel Wilson: the Uncle Sam Memorial Statue in Arlington, Massachusetts, his birthplace; and a memorial near his long-term residence in Riverfront Park, Troy, New York. Wilson's boyhood home can still be visited in Mason, New Hampshire. Samuel Wilson died on July 31, 1854, aged 87, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, New York. In 1989, "Uncle Sam Day" became official. A Congressional joint resolution[19] designated September 13, 1989 as "Uncle Sam Day", the birthday of Samuel Wilson. In 2015, the family history company MyHeritage researched Uncle Sam's family tree and claims to have tracked down his living relatives.[20][21] See also[edit] Uncle Sam billboard Personification of the Americas Propaganda in the United States References[edit] ^ a b "The Most Famous Poster". American Treasures of the Library of Congress. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. ^ "Walter Botts, the Man Who Modeled Uncle Sam's Pose for J.M. Flagg's Famous Poster". Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2018. ^ Schauffler, Robert Haven (1912). Flag day; its history. New York : Moffat, Yard and Co. p. 145. ^ Terry Allan Hicks (2006). Uncle Sam. Marshall Cavendish 2006, 40 pages. p. 9. ISBN 978-0761421375. Retrieved August 1, 2015. ^ "What's the deal with Uncle Sam?". Retrieved 2020-09-27. ^ pp. 40–41 of Albert Matthews, "Uncle Sam". Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, v.19, 1908. pp. 21–65. Google Books Archived October 3, 2015, at the Wayback Machine ^ Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution, Volume II, Supplement XIV (1850) ^ Aldrich, Mark (2004). A Catalog of Folk Song Settings for Wind Band. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 33, 59. ISBN 9781574630282. ^ "Uncle Sam". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2012. ^ December 7, 1893 "A Bit of Advice" The Lutheran Witness he pg 100 ^ a b Zimmer, Ben (July 4, 2013). "New Light on "Uncle Sam" referencing work at USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown, Mass". Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015. ^ Wyandott Herald, Kansas City, August 17, 1882, p. 2 ^ Matthews, Albert (1908). "Uncle Sam". Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, Volume 19. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015. ^ Morgan, Winifred (1988). An American icon: Brother Jonathan and American identity. University of Delaware Press. pg. 81. ^ An appearance echoed in Harper's Weekly, June 3, 1865 "Checkmate" political cartoon (Morgan, Winifred (1988) An American icon: Brother Jonathan and American identity University of Delaware Press pg 95) ^ On page 32 of the January 11, 1862 edition Harper's Weekly. ^ "Who Created Uncle Sam?". Life's Little Mysteries. Live Science. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2012. ^ Macintyre, Ben. Operation Mincemeat, p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4088-0921-1 ^ "Bill Summary & Status – 100th Congress (1987–1988) – H.J.RES.626 – All Congressional Actions – THOMAS (Library of Congress)". loc.gov. Archived from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2013. ^ "New York Butcher is Named as Real Live Uncle Sam". New York Times. July 3, 2015. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015. ^ "The History Behind Uncle Sam's Family Tree". Fox News. July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015. Further reading[edit] Mouraux, Cecile, and Jean-Pierre Mouraux. Who Was "Uncle Sam": Illustrated Story of the Life of Our National Symbol. Sonoma, CA: Poster Collector, 2006. OCLC 70129530 External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam: The man and the meme by Natalie Elder (National Museum of American History) Historical Uncle Sam pictures James Montgomery Flagg's 1917 "I Want You" Poster and other works at the Wayback Machine (archived October 28, 2004) What's the origin of Uncle Sam? 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National symbols of the United States Symbols Flag Great Seal Bald eagle Uncle Sam Columbia Phrygian cap General Grant (tree) American's Creed Pledge of Allegiance Rose Oak Bison Landmarks Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) Liberty Bell Mount Rushmore National Mall West Potomac Park Mottos In God We Trust E Pluribus Unum Novus ordo seclorum Annuit cœptis Songs "The Star-Spangled Banner" "Dixie" "America the Beautiful" "The Stars and Stripes Forever" "Hail to the Chief" "Hail, Columbia" "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)" "God Bless America" "Lift Every Voice and Sing" "The Army Goes Rolling Along" "Anchors Aweigh" "Marines' Hymn" "Semper Fidelis" "The Air Force Song" "Semper Paratus" "National Emblem March" "The Washington Post March" "Battle Hymn of the Republic" "Yankee Doodle" "You're a Grand Old Flag" "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean" "This Land Is Your Land" v t e National personifications Albania Mother Albania Argentina Effigies of Argentina Armenia Mother Armenia Australia Little Boy from Manly Bangladesh Bangamata Belgium Leo Belgicus Brazil Efígie da República Cambodia Preah Thong and Neang Neak Canada Johnny Canuck Chile Roto China Jade Emperor Chinese dragon Czech Republic Čechie Czech Vašek Švejk Denmark Holger Danske Mother Denmark Europe Europa Europa regina Finland Finnish Maiden France Marianne Georgia Kartvlis Deda Germany Deutscher Michel Germania Greece Hellas Haiti Ezili Dantor Catherine Flon Hungary Lady of Hungaria Iceland Lady of the Mountain India Bharat Mata Indonesia Ibu Pertiwi Ireland Ériu Hibernia Kathleen Ni Houlihan Israel Srulik Italy Italia turrita Roma Japan Amaterasu Kenya Wanjiku Korea Dangun Ungnyeo Lebanon Abu Abed Malaysia Hang Tuah Malta Melita Netherlands Dutch Maiden New Zealand Southern man Zealandia Norway Ola Nordmann Pakistan Shaheen Madar-e-Millat Palestine Handala Philippines Juan dela Cruz Maria Clara Poland Polonia Portugal Efígie da República Zé Povinho Russia Mother Russia Russian Bear Serbia Kosovo Maiden Mother Serbia Singapore Merlion Spain Hispania Sweden Mother Svea Switzerland Helvetia Thailand Siam Devadhiraj Ukraine Cossack Mamay United Kingdom Britannia John Bull Dame Wales Welsh Dragon The Lion and the Unicorn United States Brother Jonathan Columbia Lady Liberty Uncle Sam Billy Yank Northern states Johnny Reb Southern states Other symbols of Liberty v t e American folklore Folk heroes Br'er Rabbit Casey Jones Daniel Boone Davy Crockett Geronimo John Henry Johnny Appleseed Mike Fink Molly Pitcher Ola Värmlänning Paul Bunyan Santa Claus Idiomatic figures Joe Sixpack Jody Cooter Brown Jack Robinson Kilroy Sam Hide Uncle Sam Fearsome critters Agropelter Axehandle hound Ball-tailed cat Belled buzzard Cactus cat Fur-bearing trout Gillygaloo Glawackus Goofus bird Gumberoo Hidebehind Hodag Hoop snake Hugag Jackalope Jersey Devil Joint snake Sidehill gouger Snallygaster Snipe Snow snake Splintercat Squonk Teakettler Wampus cat Ghosts and witches Bell Witch Lincoln's ghost White Lady Ghosts of the American Civil War Legends Bloodstopping Campfire story Confederate gold Fountain of Youth Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine Lost Ship of the Desert Madstone Mercy Brown vampire incident Mothman Seven Cities of Gold Tailypo Literary folk heroes Alfred Bulltop Stormalong Annie Christmas Brother Jonathan Casey at the Bat Cordwood Pete Evangeline Febold Feboldson Ichabod Crane Joe Magarac Johnny Kaw Kemp Morgan Mose Humphrey Ole Pete Pecos Bill Rip Van Winkle Tony Beaver Windwagon Smith v t e Forbes Fictional 15 2002 Santa Claus Richie Rich Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks Scrooge McDuck Thurston Howell III Willy Wonka Bruce Wayne Lex Luthor J. R. Ewing Auric Goldfinger C. Montgomery Burns Charles Foster Kane Cruella de Vil Gordon Gekko Jay Gatsby 2005 Santa Claus Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks Richie Rich Lex Luthor C. Montgomery Burns Scrooge McDuck Jed Clampett Bruce Wayne Thurston Howell III Willy Wonka Arthur Bach Ebenezer Scrooge Lara Croft Cruella de Vil Lucius Malfoy 2006 Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks C. Montgomery Burns Scrooge McDuck Richie Rich Jed Clampett Mr. Monopoly Bruce Wayne Tony Stark Prince Abakaliki of Nigeria Thurston Howell III Willy Wonka Lucius Malfoy Tony Montana Lara Croft Mario 2007 Scrooge McDuck Ming the Merciless Richie Rich Mom Jed Clampett C. Montgomery Burns Carter Pewterschmidt Bruce Wayne Thurston Howell III Tony Stark Fake Steve Jobs Gomez Addams Willy Wonka Lucius Malfoy Princess Peach 2008 Uncle Sam Scrooge McDuck Richie Rich Gordon Gekko Jabba the Hutt Ebenezer Scrooge Tony Stark Thurston Howell III Bruce Wayne Adrian Veidt Jed Clampett Artemis Fowl II C. Montgomery Burns Lara Croft Mr. Monopoly 2010 Carlisle Cullen Scrooge McDuck Richie Rich Tony Stark Jed Clampett Adrian Veidt Bruce Wayne Tooth fairy Thurston Howell III Sir Topham Hatt Artemis Fowl II C. Montgomery Burns Chuck Bass Jay Gatsby Lucille Bluth 2011 Scrooge McDuck Carlisle Cullen Artemis Fowl II Richie Rich Jed Clampett Tony Stark Smaug Bruce Wayne Mr. Monopoly Arthur Bach Jo Bennett C. Montgomery Burns Chuck Bass Gordon Gekko Jeffrey Lebowski 2012 Smaug Flintheart Glomgold Carlisle Cullen Jed Clampett Tony Stark Richie Rich Charles Foster Kane Bruce Wayne Forrest Gump Mr. Monopoly Lisbeth Salander Tywin Lannister C. Montgomery Burns Robert Crawley Jo Bennett 2013 Scrooge McDuck Smaug Carlisle Cullen Tony Stark Charles Foster Kane Bruce Wayne Richie Rich Christian Grey Tywin Lannister C. Montgomery Burns Walden Schmidt Lara Croft Mr. Monopoly Mary Crawley Jay Gatsby Authority control GND: 1032266414 VIAF: 296311612 WorldCat Identities: viaf-296311612 Template:American Institutionalized Racism Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uncle_Sam&oldid=1002703244" Categories: National symbols of the United States National personifications Legendary American people Fictional American people Hidden categories: Webarchive template wayback links Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Use American English from February 2019 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages Commons category link from Wikidata Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Languages العربية Asturianu Azərbaycanca বাংলা Беларуская Беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎ Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar മലയാളം Bahasa Melayu Mirandés Nederlands 日本語 Norsk bokmål Occitan پنجابی Polski Português Română Русский Shqip Simple English Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Tagalog ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 25 January 2021, at 18:17 (UTC). 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