Although Uncle Sam is one of the United States’ most recognizable national icons, many Americans have little or no notion of his beginnings. If pressed, the typical American may refer to the early twentieth century and Uncle Sam’s recurrent manifestation on army conscription posters, but the figure of Uncle Sam dates back much further.
The earliest, most identifiable image of Uncle Sam comes from the War of 1812. And yet, the foundation for a national icon like Sam had already been laid in the colonial era. Initially, cartoon versions of Sam were very similar to those of Brother Jonathan, a Revolutionary War image that symbolized the colonial Patriot. Brother Jonathan was geographically particular, centering on the New England area. The era of the 1780s and 1790s produced a widespread national feeling, but the War of 1812 triggered a renewed interest in state identity, especially in New England. This led to the assertion of a new image for the nation, emanating from the New England region and the upper Hudson River valley.
The starting point for the conversion of Brother Jonathan into Uncle Sam is as follows: Samuel Wilson, regularly called “Uncle Sam,” was an inspector of beef and pork in Troy, New York. He examined the meat bought for the government after the announcement of war against England in 1812. A supplier named Elbert Anderson acquired an amount of necessities, and the barrels were marked “E.A.,” the initials of his name, and “U.S.,” for United States. The final initials were not recognizable to Wilson’s employees, who asked what they meant. A tongue-in-cheek fellow answered, “I don’t know, unless they mean ‘Uncle Sam.’” An enormous quantity of goods subsequently passed through Wilson’s hands, labeled in the same way, and he was rallied on the scope of his belongings. The story stretched, and eventually the initials of America became know as Uncle Sam. The name has been in fashionable jargon ever since. A well-known chant says: “Uncle Sam is rich enough to give us all a farm.”
Uncle Sam first appeared in the War of 1812 as a popular reference to the federal government. In time, cartoonists and editorial writers adopted Uncle Sam as a symbol of patriotism and national identity. This version appeared on the American Doctrine cigar box label in 1895. From a lithograph by F. Heppenheimer’s Sons, New York. (The New York Historical Society/Getty Images)
As early as 1830, there were debates on the origin of the name “Uncle Sam,” which first materialized in writing in 1813. The possible connection between the cartoon image of Uncle Sam and the actual Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York, was detailed in an article in the New York Gazette on May 12, 1830, and later confirmed by Samuel Wilson’s great- and great-great-nephews. The legend of Sam Wilson’s identity as the first Uncle Sam can be traced to that article and has largely remained intact ever since.
By the early twentieth century, there was little physical similarity left between Brother Jonathan and Uncle Sam, or Samuel Wilson and Uncle Sam for that matter. As a symbol of an ever-changing nation, Uncle Sam went through many incarnations in the nineteenth century. The Civil War saw a major transformation in the development of Uncle Sam’s image, as it came to be associated with Abraham Lincoln and his appearance. It was during this period that Sam aged and acquired a beard and a gangly frame. While there are still variations on the image of Uncle Sam, the version that resembled Abraham Lincoln would later become the standard from which others diverge.
The caricature of Abraham Lincoln as Uncle Sam appeared frequently in the issues of Harper’s Weekly, beginning in 1862. The drawings addressed the notorious Trent Affair in which U.S. Marines boarded an English vessel and detained two Confederate commissioners, James Mason and John Slidell. In the editorial cartoon, the person who symbolized America was an updated version of the old Brother Jonathan. The figure had many of the characteristics we have come to associate with Uncle Sam: striped pants, a coat with tails, and a tall top hat. By 1864, Uncle Sam had turned into the more all-encompassing representation of the United States in the press and other mediums of communication. The Civil War served to increase the power of the presidency and the power of the federal government itself. Thus, the image of Abraham Lincoln as Uncle Sam, and Uncle Sam as the embodiment of national authority took root, and continued to gain traction after the war.
In large part, the popular graphic artist Thomas Nast set the iconic image of Uncle Sam. Nast also created popular images such as Santa Claus, the Republican Elephant, and the Democratic Donkey. Nast’s earliest picture of Uncle Sam was published in the November 20, 1869, issue of Harper’s Weekly. In this early stage, Nast didn’t limit representations of Uncle Sam to the tall, gangly Abraham Lincoln look-alike. His Thanksgiving Dinner image portrayed many people being served at Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving table—African Americans, white Americans, Chinese, and Indians, as well as numerous others. The image is captioned, “Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner; Come One, Come All, Free and Equal.” The pictures unmistakably illustrate that Uncle Sam was initially a mark of liberty and equal opportunity, solidifying him as a unifying figure. There are no distinguishing features to associate the dinner’s host with Abraham Lincoln—he could have been any white male in the United States at the time. This was a reflection of the need for some sort of spirit of national unity, and for readers of Harper’s Weekly to see themselves in the image of the nation’s chief icon.
Some years later, Nast’s image of Uncle Sam as it appeared on the front cover of the November 24, 1876, Harper’s Weekly characterized Uncle Sam wearing his traditional striped pants, a long overcoat, and a top hat. The image was a unique one because Uncle Sam’s top hat was feathered. The image dealt with reform of the civil service system. Here, Nast’s work helped to fasten the association between Uncle Sam, the bearded, top-hatted man in tailcoat and striped pants, and the government of the United States of America. Once again, there’s a return to depicting Uncle Sam as a close relation to Abraham Lincoln. In many ways, Lincoln’s reputation as the savior of the nation only grew after his death, which many considered an act of martyrdom. Lincoln’s legend cast a very long shadow over the last half of the nineteenth century, and this influence made the associations between Uncle Sam, the U.S. government, the federal authority, and the nation as a whole fixed and enduring.
In the twentieth century, the Uncle Sam image was pressed into service as the United States went to war in Europe and the Pacific, confronted the Soviet threat during the Cold War, and struggled with divisive domestic policy issues. Among the most well-known representations and uses of Uncle Sam is on the World War I recruiting poster created by James Montgomery Flagg (1877–1960). It first appeared on the cover of Leslie’s Weekly on July 6, 1916, and featured a very stern Uncle Sam pointing outward toward the viewer, and asking “What Are You Doing for Preparedness?” The poster of the image sold more than 4 million copies in 1916 and 1917, and was so powerful that the U.S. government enlisted the image for use in World War II, particularly for recruiting and selling war bonds. When FDR was presented a copy of the poster by the artist, Flagg remarked that the image was his own likeness, and he rejected the use of a professional model for reasons of thrift. FDR apparently approved, commenting favorably on his resourcefulness.
Despite the fact that the precise image of Uncle Sam has progressed over the years, one thing remains invariable: he is a major symbol of the American ideal. Beginning with the earliest days of the new nation until the present time, he has exemplified liberty, fairness, and national resolve. While the United States does not always perfectly achieve these ideals, Uncle Sam remains an affecting icon and reminder of these classic American virtues and ideals.
Gerardo Del Guercio
See also Founding Myths; Lincoln, Abraham, as Folk Hero
Further Reading
Aron, Paul. 2013. Why the Turkey Didn’t Fly: The Surprising Stories Behind the Eagle, the Flag, Uncle Sam, and Other Images of America. Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England.
Brown, Edward. 1923. American Folklore. Madison, WI: American Folklore Society.
Capozzola, Christopher. 2008. Uncle Sam Wants You: World War I and the Making of the Modern American Citizen. New York: Oxford University Press.
Horwitz, Elinor Lander. 1976. The Bird, the Banner, and Uncle Sam: Images of America in Folk and Popular Art. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.