Uncle Sam - wikipedia Uncle Sam This article is about the national personification of the United States federal government. For its comic book adaptation, see Uncle Sam ( comics ). For other uses, see Uncle Sam ( disambiguation ). J.M. Flagg 's 1917 poster was based on the original British Lord Kitchener poster of three years earlier. It was used to recruit soldiers for both World War I and World War II. Flagg used a modified version of his own face for Uncle Sam, and veteran Walter Botts provided the pose. Uncle Sam ( initials U.S. ) is a common national personification of the American government or the United States in general that, according to legend, came into use during the War of 1812 and was supposedly named for Samuel Wilson. The actual origin is by a legend. Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of the US government in American culture and a manifestation of patriotic emotion. While the figure of Uncle Sam represents specifically the government, Columbia represents the United States as a nation. The first reference to Uncle Sam in formal literature ( as distinct from newspapers ) was in the 1816 allegorical book The Adventures of Uncle Sam, in Search After His Lost Honor by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy, Esq. Other possible references date to the American Revolutionary War : an Uncle Sam is mentioned as early as 1775, in the original lyrics of `` Yankee Doodle '', though it is not clear whether this reference is to Uncle Sam as a metaphor for the United States, or to an actual person named Sam. The lyrics as a whole celebrate the military efforts of the young nation in besieging the British at Boston. The 13th stanza is : Old Uncle Sam come there to change Some pancakes and some onions, For ' lasses cakes, to carry home To give his wife and young ones. Contents 1 Earlier personifications 2 Evolution 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links Earlier personifications Columbia The earliest known personification of the United States was as a woman named Columbia, who first appeared in 1738 ( pre-USA ) and sometimes was associated with another female personification, Lady Liberty. With the American Revolutionary War came Brother Jonathan, a male personification, and Uncle Sam finally appeared after the War of 1812. Columbia appeared with either Brother Jonathan or Uncle Sam, but her use declined as a national personification in favor of Liberty, and she was effectively abandoned once she became the mascot of Columbia Pictures in the 1920s. According to an article in the 1893 The Lutheran Witness, Uncle Sam was simply another name for Brother Jonathan : When we meet him in politics we call him Uncle Sam ; when we meet him in society we call him Brother Jonathan. Here of late Uncle Sam alias Brother Jonathan has been doing a powerful lot of complaining, hardly doing anything else. ( sic ) A March 24, 1810 journal entry by Isaac Mayo states : weighed anchor stood down the harbour, passed Sandy Hook, where there are two light - houses, and put to sea, first and second day out most deadly seasick, oh could I have got on shore in the hight ( sic ) of it, I swear that uncle Sam, as they call him, would certainly forever have lost the services of at least one sailor. Evolution Samuel Wilson Memorial in Arlington, Massachusetts Photograph of Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York Uncle Sam and Columbia in an 1869 cartoon by Thomas Nast Uncle Sam often personified the United States in political cartoons, such as this one in 1897 about the U.S. annexation of Hawaii Poster by the United States Fuel Administration during World War One : `` Uncle Sam needs that extra shovelful '' The precise origin of the Uncle Sam character is unclear, but a popular legend is that the name `` Uncle Sam '' was derived from Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker from Troy, New York who supplied rations for American soldiers during the War of 1812. There was a requirement at the time for contractors to stamp their name and where the rations came from onto the food they were sending. Wilson 's packages were labeled `` E.A -- US. '' When someone asked what that stood for, a co-worker jokingly said, `` Elbert Anderson ( the contractor ) and Uncle Sam, '' referring to Wilson, though the `` US '' actually stood for United States. Doubts have been raised as to the authenticity of this story, as the claim did not appear in print until 1842. Additionally, the earliest known mention definitely referring to the metaphorical Uncle Sam is from 1810, predating Wilson 's contract with the government. As early as 1835, Brother Jonathan made a reference to Uncle Sam, implying that they symbolized different things : Brother Jonathan was the country itself, while Uncle Sam was the government and its power. By the 1850s, the names Brother Jonathan and Uncle Sam were being used nearly interchangeably, to the point that images of what had previously been called `` Brother Jonathan '' were being called `` Uncle Sam ''. Similarly, the appearance of both personifications varied wildly. For example, one depiction of Uncle Sam in 1860 showed him looking like Benjamin Franklin, while a contemporaneous depiction of Brother Jonathan looks more like the modern version of Uncle Sam, though without a goatee. Uncle Sam did not get a standard appearance, even with the effective abandonment of Brother Jonathan near the end of the American Civil War, until the well - known `` recruitment '' image of Uncle Sam was first created by James Montgomery Flagg during World War I. The image was inspired by a British recruitment poster showing Lord Kitchener in a similar pose. It is this image more than any other that has influenced the modern appearance of Uncle Sam : an elderly white man with white hair and a goatee, wearing a white top hat with white stars on a blue band, a blue tail coat, and red - and - white - striped trousers. Flagg 's depiction of Uncle Sam was shown publicly for the first time, according to some, on the cover of the magazine Leslie 's Weekly on July 6, 1916, with the caption `` What Are You Doing for Preparedness ? '' More than four million copies of this image were printed between 1917 and 1918. Flagg 's image was also used extensively during World War II, during which the U.S. was codenamed `` Samland '' by the German intelligence agency Abwehr. The term was central in the song `` The Yankee Doodle Boy '', which was featured in 1942 in the musical Yankee Doodle Dandy. There are two memorials to Uncle Sam, both of which commemorate the life of Samuel Wilson : the Uncle Sam Memorial Statue in Arlington, Massachusetts, his birthplace ; and a memorial near his long - term residence in Riverfront Park, Troy, New York. Wilson 's boyhood home can still be visited in Mason, New Hampshire. Samuel Wilson died on July 31, 1854, aged 87, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, New York. In 1989, `` Uncle Sam Day '' became official. A Congressional joint resolution designated September 13, 1989 as `` Uncle Sam Day '', the birthday of Samuel Wilson. In 2015, the family history company MyHeritage researched Uncle Sam 's family tree and claims to have tracked down his living relatives. See also Uncle Sam billboard References ^ Jump up to : `` The Most Famous Poster ''. American Treasures of the Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2016 - 07 - 02. Jump up ^ Walter Botts, the Man Who Modeled Uncle Sam 's Pose for J.M. Flagg 's Famous Poster Jump up ^ Schauffler, Robert Haven ( 1912 ). Flag day ; its history. p. 145. Jump up ^ Terry Allan Hicks. Uncle Sam. Marshall Cavendish 2006, 40 pages, ISBN 0761421378. Retrieved 2015 - 08 - 01. ( p. 9 ) Jump up ^ p. 40 -- 41 of Albert Matthews, `` Uncle Sam ''. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, v. 19, 1908. pp. 21 -- 65. Google Books Jump up ^ Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution, Volume II, Supplement XIV ( 1850 ) Jump up ^ Aldrich, Mark ( 2004 ). A Catalog of Folk Song Settings for Wind Band. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 33, 59. Jump up ^ `` Uncle Sam, ''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Jump up ^ December 7, 1893 `` A Bit of Advice '' The Lutheran Witness pg 100 ^ Jump up to : Zimmer, Ben ( July 4, 2013 ). `` New Light on `` Uncle Sam '' referencing work at USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown, Mass ``. Jump up ^ Wyandott Herald, Kansas City, August 17, 1882, p. 2 Jump up ^ Matthews, Albert ( 1908 ). `` Uncle Sam ''. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, Volume 19. Jump up ^ Morgan, Winifred ( 1988 ). An American icon : Brother Jonathan and American identity. University of Delaware Press. pg. 81. Jump up ^ An appearance echoed in Harper 's Weekly, June 3, 1865 `` Checkmate '' political cartoon ( Morgan, Winifred ( 1988 ) An American icon : Brother Jonathan and American identity University of Delaware Press pg 95 ) Jump up ^ On page 32 of the January 11, 1862 edition Harper 's Weekly. Jump up ^ `` Who Created Uncle Sam ? ''. Life 's Little Mysteries. Live Science. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2012. Jump up ^ Macintyre, Ben. Operation Mincemeat, p. 57. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4088 - 0921 - 1 Jump up ^ `` Bill Summary & Status - 100th Congress ( 1987 - 1988 ) - H.J. RES. 626 - All Congressional Actions - THOMAS ( Library of Congress ) ''. loc.gov. Jump up ^ `` New York Butcher is Named as Real Live Uncle Sam ''. New York Times. 2015 - 07 - 03. Retrieved 2015 - 07 - 03. Jump up ^ `` The History Behind Uncle Sam 's Family Tree ''. Fox News. 2015 - 07 - 03. Retrieved 2015 - 07 - 03. Further reading Mouraux, Cecile, and Jean - Pierre Mouraux. Who Was `` Uncle Sam '' : Illustrated Story of the Life of Our National Symbol. Sonoma, CA : Poster Collector, 2006. OCLC 70129530 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam : The man and the meme by Natalie Elder ( National Museum of American History ) Historical Uncle Sam pictures James Montgomery Flagg 's 1917 `` I Want You '' Poster and other works at the Wayback Machine ( archived October 28, 2004 ) What 's the origin of Uncle Sam ? The Straight Dope Civil War Harper 's Weekly newspapers United States articles History By event Timeline of U.S. history Pre-Columbian era Colonial era Thirteen Colonies military history Continental Congress American Revolution War American frontier Confederation Period Drafting and ratification of Constitution Federalist Era War of 1812 Territorial acquisitions Territorial evolution Mexican -- American War Civil War Reconstruction Era Indian Wars Gilded Age Progressive Era African - American civil rights movement 1865 -- 1896 / 1896 -- 1954 / 1954 -- 1968 Spanish -- American War Imperialism World War I Roaring Twenties Great Depression World War II home front Nazism in the United States American Century Cold War Korean War Space Race Feminist Movement Vietnam War Post-Cold War ( 1991 -- 2008 ) War on Terror War in Afghanistan Iraq War Recent events ( 2008 -- present ) By topic Outline of U.S. history Demographic Discoveries Economic debt ceiling Inventions before 1890 1890 -- 1945 1946 -- 91 after 1991 Military Postal Technological and industrial Geography Territory counties federal district federal enclaves Indian reservations insular zones minor outlying islands populated places states Earthquakes Extreme points Islands Mountains peaks ranges Appalachian Rocky National Park Service National Parks Regions East Coast West Coast Great Plains Gulf Mid-Atlantic Midwestern New England Pacific Central Eastern Northern Northeastern Northwestern Southern Southeastern Southwestern Western Rivers Colorado Columbia Mississippi Missouri Ohio Rio Grande Yukon Time Water supply and sanitation Politics Federal Executive Cabinet Civil service Executive departments Executive Office Independent agencies Law enforcement President of the United States Public policy Legislative House of Representatives current members Speaker Senate current members President pro tempore Vice President Judicial Courts of appeals District courts Supreme Court Law Bill of Rights civil liberties Code of Federal Regulations Constitution federalism preemption separation of powers Federal Reporter United States Code United States Reports Intelligence Central Intelligence Agency Defense Intelligence Agency Federal Bureau of Investigation National Geospatial - Intelligence Agency National Reconnaissance Office National Security Agency Office of the Director of National Intelligence Uniformed Armed Forces Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard National Guard NOAA Corps Public Health Service Corps 51st state political status of Puerto Rico District of Columbia statehood movement Elections Electoral College Foreign relations Foreign policy Hawaiian sovereignty movement Ideologies anti-Americanism exceptionalism nationalism Local government Parties Democratic Republican Third parties Red states and blue states Purple America Scandals State government governor state legislature state court Uncle Sam Economy By sector Agriculture Banking Communications Energy Insurance Manufacturing Mining Tourism Trade Transportation Companies by state Currency Exports Federal budget Federal Reserve System Financial position Labor unions Public debt Social welfare programs Taxation Unemployment Wall Street Society Culture Americana Architecture Cinema Cuisine Dance Demography Education Family structure Fashion Flag Folklore Languages American English Indigenous languages ASL Black American Sign Language HSL Plains Sign Talk Arabic Chinese French German Italian Russian Spanish Literature Media Journalism Internet Newspapers Radio Television Music Names People Philosophy Public holidays Religion Sexuality Sports Theater Visual art Social class Affluence American Dream Educational attainment Homelessness Home - ownership Household income Income inequality Middle class Personal income Poverty Professional and working class conflict Standard of living Wealth Issues Ages of consent Capital punishment Crime incarceration Criticism of government Discrimination affirmative action antisemitism intersex rights islamophobia LGBT rights racism same - sex marriage Drug policy Energy policy Environmental movement Gun politics Health care abortion health insurance hunger obesity smoking Human rights Immigration illegal International rankings National security Mass surveillance Terrorism Separation of church and state Outline Index Book Portal National symbols of the United States Symbols Flag of the United States Seal of the United States Bald eagle Uncle Sam Columbia General Grant ( tree ) American 's Creed Pledge of Allegiance Rose Oak American bison Phrygian cap Songs `` The Star - Spangled Banner '' `` Dixie '' `` America the Beautiful '' `` The Stars and Stripes Forever '' `` Hail to the Chief '' `` Hail, Columbia '' `` My Country, ' Tis of Thee '' `` God Bless America '' `` Lift Every Voice and Sing '' `` The Army Goes Rolling Along '' `` Anchors Aweigh '' `` Marines ' Hymn '' `` Semper Fidelis '' `` The Air Force Song '' `` Semper Paratus '' `` National Emblem '' `` The Washington Post March '' `` Battle Hymn of the Republic '' `` Yankee Doodle '' `` You 're a Grand Old Flag '' `` When Johnny Comes Marching Home '' `` This Land Is Your Land '' Mottos In God We Trust E Pluribus Unum Novus ordo seclorum Annuit cœptis Landmarks Statue of Liberty ( Liberty Enlightening the World ) Liberty Bell Mount Rushmore National Mall West Potomac Park National personifications Argentina Effigies of Argentina Armenia Mother Armenia Australia Boxing kangaroo Little Boy from Manly Bangladesh Mother Bengal Belgium Leo Belgicus Brazil Efígie da República Cambodia Preah Thong and Neang Neak Canada Johnny Canuck China Yanhuang Czech Republic Čechie Czech Vašek Švejk Denmark Holger Danske Finland Finnish Maiden France Marianne Georgia Kartvlis Deda Germany Deutscher Michel Germania Greece Hellas Hungary Lady of Hungaria Iceland Lady of the Mountain India Bharat Mata Indonesia Ibu Pertiwi Ireland Ériu Hibernia Kathleen Ni Houlihan Israel Srulik Italy Italia turrita Japan Amaterasu Kenya Wanjiku Korea Dangun Ungnyeo Malta Melita Montenegro Fairy of Lovćen Netherlands Dutch Maiden New Zealand Zealandia Norway Ola Nordmann Philippines Juan dela Cruz Maria Clara Poland Polonia Portugal Efígie da República Zé Povinho Russia Mother Russia Serbia Mother Serbia Kosovo Maiden Spain Hispania Sweden Mother Svea Switzerland Helvetia Ukraine Cossack Mamay United Kingdom Britannia John Bull Dame Wales United States Brother Jonathan Columbia Lady Liberty Uncle Sam Billy Yank Northern states Johnny Reb Southern states Other symbols of Liberty American folklore and tall tales Folkloric figures Alfred Bulltop Stormalong Annie Christmas Br'er Rabbit Brother Jonathan Casey at the Bat Casey Jones Cordwood Pete Evangeline Feathertop Febold Feboldson Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox Ichabod Crane Joe Magarac John Henry Johnny Kaw Mose Humphrey Ola Värmlänning Ole Pete Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox Pecos Bill Rip Van Winkle Santa Claus Tony Beaver Uncle Sam Windwagon Smith Fearsome critters Agropelter Axehandle hound Ball - tailed cat Cactus cat Fur - bearing trout Glawackus Hidebehind Hodag Hoop snake Jackalope Jersey Devil Joint snake Sidehill gouger Skunk ape Snallygaster Splintercat Squonk Teakettler Wampus cat Legends Bloodstopping Confederate gold Fountain of Youth Lincoln 's ghost Lost Dutchman 's Gold Mine Lost Ship of the Desert Seven Cities of Gold White Lady Forbes Fictional 15 2002 Santa Claus Richie Rich Oliver `` Daddy '' Warbucks Scrooge McDuck Thurston Howell III Willy Wonka Bruce Wayne Lex Luthor J.R. Ewing Auric Goldfinger C. Montgomery Burns Charles Foster Kane Cruella de Vil Gordon Gekko Jay Gatsby 2005 Santa Claus Oliver `` Daddy '' Warbucks Richie Rich Lex Luthor C. Montgomery Burns Scrooge McDuck Jed Clampett Bruce Wayne Thurston Howell III Willy Wonka Arthur Bach Ebenezer Scrooge Lara Croft Cruella de Vil Lucius Malfoy 2006 Oliver `` Daddy '' Warbucks C. Montgomery Burns Scrooge McDuck Richie Rich Jed Clampett Mr. Monopoly Bruce Wayne Tony Stark Prince Abakaliki of Nigeria Thurston Howell III Willy Wonka Lucius Malfoy Tony Montana Lara Croft Mario 2007 Scrooge McDuck Ming the Merciless Richie Rich Mom Jed Clampett C. Montgomery Burns Carter Pewterschmidt Bruce Wayne Thurston Howell III Tony Stark Fake Steve Jobs Gomez Addams Willy Wonka Lucius Malfoy Princess Peach 2008 Uncle Sam Scrooge McDuck Richie Rich Gordon Gekko Jabba the Hutt Ebenezer Scrooge Tony Stark Thurston Howell III Bruce Wayne Adrian Veidt Jed Clampett Artemis Fowl II C. Montgomery Burns Lara Croft Mr. Monopoly Carlisle Cullen Scrooge McDuck Richie Rich Tony Stark Jed Clampett Adrian Veidt Bruce Wayne Tooth fairy Thurston Howell III Sir Topham Hatt Artemis Fowl II C. Montgomery Burns Chuck Bass Jay Gatsby Lucille Bluth 2011 Scrooge McDuck Carlisle Cullen Artemis Fowl II Richie Rich Jed Clampett Tony Stark Smaug Bruce Wayne Mr. Monopoly Arthur Bach Jo Bennett C. Montgomery Burns Chuck Bass Gordon Gekko Jeffrey Lebowski 2012 Smaug Flintheart Glomgold Carlisle Cullen Jed Clampett Tony Stark Richie Rich Charles Foster Kane Bruce Wayne Forrest Gump Mr. Monopoly Lisbeth Salander Tywin Lannister C. Montgomery Burns Robert Crawley Jo Bennett 2013 Scrooge McDuck Smaug Carlisle Cullen Tony Stark Charles Foster Kane Bruce Wayne Richie Rich Christian Grey Tywin Lannister C. Montgomery Burns Walden Schmidt Lara Croft Mr. Monopoly Mary Crawley Jay Gatsby VIAF : 296311612 GND : 1032266414 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uncle_Sam&oldid=838950478 '' Categories : American culture National symbols of the United States National personifications American folklore Posters Propaganda in the United States Hidden categories : Wikipedia indefinitely move - protected pages Webarchive template wayback links Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Asturianu Azərbaycanca Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar മലയാളം Mirandés Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Occitan پنجابی Polski Português Русский Scots Simple English Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Tagalog ไทย Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 中文 40 more Edit links This page was last edited on 30 April 2018, at 09 : 32. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who is on the we want you poster
Answer: Uncle Sam