4 million uncle sam images printed 1917-1918, One-hundred and ninety-seven years ago, on September 7, 1813, the earliest known reference to the United States by the nickname "Uncle Sam" was printed in the Troy Post.
The symbol got its start when Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker who lived on Ferry Street in Troy, New York, supplied barrels of meat stamped "U.S." to the Army during the War of 1812. The soldiers joked that the supplies were from "Uncle Sam," which was Wilson’s nickname.
The local newspaper picked up the story, and the name Uncle Sam became associated with the U.S. government and a widely recognized image of American patriotism. The first use of the term in literature was in an allegorical book, The Adventures of Uncle Sam in Search After His Lost Honor, by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy in 1816.
Thomas Nast, the famous political cartoonist, popularized the image of Uncle Sam, first in the November 20, 1869, edition of Harper's Weekly. He soon drew the character with a white beard and Stars and Stripes suit: red-and-white-striped trousers, blue tailcoat, and tall hat with a band of stars. He also created the elephant as the icon for the Republican Party and the donkey as a symbol for the Democrats.
During World War I, a portrait of Uncle Sam wearing a top hat and blue jacket, and pointing straight ahead with the words "I Want You For U.S. Army," was used as a recruiting poster. The image, created by James Montgomery Flagg, first appeared on the cover of Leslie’s Weekly on July 6, 1916. Flagg used a modified version of his own face for Uncle Sam, and it also resembles the face of Samuel Wilson.
In 1917-1918, more than four million copies of the national iconic image were printed in the United States. Due to its great popularity, the likeness was used again to recruit Americans in World War II.
In July 1940, Uncle Sam first appeared in National Comics #1, published by Quality Comics. He was depicted as a mystical being who was originally the spirit of a slain soldier from the American Revolutionary War, and who reappeared in the world whenever his country needed him.
Samuel Wilson died at age 88 in 1854, and is buried next to his wife at Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, which prides itself as "The Home of Uncle Sam," where there’s a memorial commemorating the life of Wilson near Riverfront Park. Every September, the city hosts a celebration and parade to honor its local hero.
On September 15, 1961, the U.S. Congress adopted the following resolution: "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."
