On September 13, the United States recognizes Uncle Sam Day to commemorate Sam Wilson, the man behind the iconic image and fascinating nickname for the United States government who was born on September 13, 1766.
The origin of Uncle Sam
· The War of 1812: During the war, Samuel Wilson was a meatpacker in Troy, New York, who provided barrels of beef to U.S. Army soldiers.
· The nickname begins: The barrels were stamped with "U.S." for "United States." Soldiers began joking that the initials stood for "Uncle Sam," the nickname of Samuel Wilson.
· Spreading the story: The nickname caught on and spread among soldiers, eventually becoming a popular personification of the U.S. government.
The modern image
The now-famous visual of Uncle Sam—a stern, white-haired gentleman in a red, white, and blue top hat—was popularized decades later:
Thomas Nast: Cartoonist Thomas Nast helped refine the modern image of Uncle Sam in the 1870s.
James Montgomery Flagg: Artist James Montgomery Flagg's iconic 1917 "I Want You for U.S. Army" recruiting poster cemented the figure in the public imagination. The image is based on a British recruitment poster from World War I featuring Lord Kitchener.
How the day became official
· In 1961, the U.S. Congress formally recognized Samuel Wilson as the inspiration for the national symbol of Uncle Sam.
· A congressional
joint resolution later designated September 13, Samuel Wilson's birthday, as
"Uncle Sam Day".
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