Uncle Sam Legend Has Roots in War of 1812
Uncle Sam has been an American symbol since the War of 1812.
Along with the Star-Spangled Banner flag, he is one of the main symbols to come from what has sometimes been called America's Second War of Independence.
The War of 1812 took place between the young United States and Great Britain.
There were several grievances that prompted President James Madison to go to war, but the key issue involved was that England was not recognizing its former colony as a sovereign nation.
The United States was hardly the superpower that it is today, but it was believed that the British would be distracted by their war in Europe with Napoleon so that the U.
S.
could invade and take over Canada.
Uncle Sam actually has his roots in a real person, businessman Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York.
During the war, Wilson had a contract to supply federal troops with salt beef, which was shipped in wooden casks.
The casks were stamped with a large "U.
S.
" that stood for "United States.
" The soldiers who received this salted beef, which was not particularly palatable or welcomed by the troops, joked that the "U.
S" meant it was from "Uncle Sam.
" The term thus came to be a catchphrase for the federal government that we still use today, if not always with a positive meaning.
Throughout the 1800s, Uncle Sam appeared as a character in newspaper political cartoons, often in opposition to his British equivalent Sam Bull.
In 1916, just before the involvement of the United States in World War I, artist James Montgomery Flagg created the image we know today.
The craggy, tough, white-haired Uncle Sam with the patriotic top hat first appeared on recruiting posters.
It is probably this version of our national symbol that most Americans know best, although he made his first appearance much earlier than World War I.
Uncle Sam was officially adopted in 1961 as our national symbol -- not bad for a character who got his start gracing shipments of salt beef.
Along with the Star-Spangled Banner flag, he is one of the main symbols to come from what has sometimes been called America's Second War of Independence.
The War of 1812 took place between the young United States and Great Britain.
There were several grievances that prompted President James Madison to go to war, but the key issue involved was that England was not recognizing its former colony as a sovereign nation.
The United States was hardly the superpower that it is today, but it was believed that the British would be distracted by their war in Europe with Napoleon so that the U.
S.
could invade and take over Canada.
Uncle Sam actually has his roots in a real person, businessman Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York.
During the war, Wilson had a contract to supply federal troops with salt beef, which was shipped in wooden casks.
The casks were stamped with a large "U.
S.
" that stood for "United States.
" The soldiers who received this salted beef, which was not particularly palatable or welcomed by the troops, joked that the "U.
S" meant it was from "Uncle Sam.
" The term thus came to be a catchphrase for the federal government that we still use today, if not always with a positive meaning.
Throughout the 1800s, Uncle Sam appeared as a character in newspaper political cartoons, often in opposition to his British equivalent Sam Bull.
In 1916, just before the involvement of the United States in World War I, artist James Montgomery Flagg created the image we know today.
The craggy, tough, white-haired Uncle Sam with the patriotic top hat first appeared on recruiting posters.
It is probably this version of our national symbol that most Americans know best, although he made his first appearance much earlier than World War I.
Uncle Sam was officially adopted in 1961 as our national symbol -- not bad for a character who got his start gracing shipments of salt beef.
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