Anyone know where the term 'Uncle Sam' came from?

Question

When referring to the US govt, where does the term "Uncle Sam" come from? Who was Sam?

Answer 1

Wikipedia has a great article on the origins of Uncle Sam: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam

But to sum it up, most people agree that the name dates back to the War of 1812 by soldiers stationed in upstate New York. They would jokingly talk about the barrels of meat stamped with the initials "US" as being supplied by Samuel Wilson, a meat-packer in Troy, NY. He was known locally as "Uncle Sam".

However, the character that everyone visualizes (man with white hat clad in stars & stripes) was really developed by artist James Montgomery Flagg, who painted the "I Want You for US Army" in 1917 for World War I (which was later reused for World War II). if you look at his picture, you'll see that he used his own face for that of Uncle Sam (minus the wrinkles and goatee).

Answer 2

The exact origins of Uncle Sam as a symbol for the United States are unknown. But the most widely accepted theory is that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel Wilson.

During the War of 1812, Samuel Wilson was a businessman from Troy, NY that supplied the U.S. Army with beef in barrels. The barrels were labeled "U.S." When asked what the initials stood for, one of Wilson's workers said it 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 and association stuck. In 1961, Congress passed a resolution that recognized Samuel Wilson as the inspiration for the symbol Uncle Sam

Answer 3

Uncle Sam is a national personification of the United States dating from the War of 1812. Common folklore holds that his origins trace back to soldiers stationed in upstate New York, who would receive barrels of meat stamped with the initials U.S. The soldiers jokingly referred to it as the initials of the meat supplier, Uncle Samuel Wilson, of Troy, New York. The 87th United States Congress adopted the following resolution on September 15, 1961: "Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives that the Congress salutes Uncle Sam Wilson of Troy, New York, as the progenitor of America's National symbol of Uncle Sam." A monument marks his birthplace in Arlington, Massachusetts.

However, counter-arguments to this theory have been raised by some. One theory suggests that Uncle Sam was a creation by Irish immigrants to the US who used the Gaelic acronym, SAM, or Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá, which is the translation for United States of America, as a nickname for their new host country. Unfortunately, however, the precise origin of the term may never be proven.

Most earlier representative figures of the United States such as "Brother Jonathan" were overtaken by Uncle Sam somewhere around the time of the Civil War. The female personification "Columbia" has seldom been seen since the 1920s. Thomas Nast played an important role in creating the popular image of Uncle Sam in his post-Civil War era political cartoons. After the American Civil War, whiskers were added to Uncle Sam in reference to Abraham Lincoln. Today, with the possible exception of the Statue of Liberty, the character of Uncle Sam is probably the most easily recognizable personification of the U.S.

Answer 4

Uncle Sam is a national personification of the United States dating from the War of 1812. Common folklore holds that his origins trace back to soldiers stationed in upstate New York, who would receive barrels of meat stamped with the initials U.S.

The soldiers jokingly referred to it as the initials of the meat supplier, Uncle Samuel Wilson, of Troy, New York.

The 87th United States Congress adopted the following resolution on September 15, 1961: "Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives that the Congress salutes Uncle Sam Wilson of Troy, New York, as the progenitor of America's National symbol of Uncle Sam."

A monument marks his birthplace in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Answer 5

There are a lot of stories floating around to try to explain it. But I think that the simplest answer is to look at the initials "U.S." Both "United States" and "Uncle Sam" have the same initials. Someone with some imagination probably coined the term a long time ago, and it stuck because it was catchy.

Answer 6

Uncle Sam was named after Samuel Wilson. He provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials "U.S." Apparently someone who saw the "U.S." stamp and suggested the initials stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. This led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the federal government.


The funny thing is that uncle sam did not look like the cartoon symbol you see to day. lol
For example, Wilson was clean-shaven, while Uncle Sam is seen with a goatee.

Answer 7

the original Uncle Sam was one Sam Wilson, a meat packer in Troy, New York, who supplied rations to the U.S. military during the War of 1812. Wilson was a subcontractor to one Elbert Anderson, and the letters "E.A.--U.S." were stamped on all the pair's army-bound grub. On being asked what the letters stood for (the abbreviation U.S. supposedly was unfamiliar at the time), one of Sam's workers joshed that it stood for "Elbert Anderson and Uncle Sam," meaning the jovial Wilson himself.

The joke was quickly picked up by Wilson's other employees. Many of these men later served in the army during the war, and the story spread from there. This tale appears to have first found its way into print in 1842.

Answer 8

Nobody is sure who Uncle Sam is supposed to be, but the prevailing theory is that he was named after Samuel Wilson ( http://home.nycap.rr.com/content/us_bio.html )

Uncle Sam was the character created for recruiting posters in World War I

Answer 9

the original Uncle Sam was one Sam Wilson, a meat packer in Troy, New York, who supplied rations to the U.S. military during the War of 1812.

Answer 10

Uncle Sam Is reffering to the United States.

Look----uNCLE sAM

U. S. -----That is Uncle Sam's Initials.

Look familiar? uNITED sTATES?

Uncle Sam is the United States.