Uncle Sam

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For other uses, see Uncle Sam (disambiguation).

J. M. Flagg's 1917 Uncle Sam, based on the original British Lord Kitchener poster of three years earlier, 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[1].

Uncle Sam is a national personification of the United States, with the first usage of the term dating from the War of 1812 and the first illustration dating from 1852. He is often depicted as a serious elderly man with white hair and a goatee, dressed in clothing that recalls the design elements of the flag of the United States—for example, a top hat with red and white stripes and white stars on a blue band, and red and white striped trousers.

1 Origin of the Name
2 Brother Jonathan
3 Uncle Sam Imagery
4 World War I poster
5 Other media
6 See also
7 Bibliography
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Origin of the Name

Common folklore holds origins trace back to soldiers stationed in upstate New York, who would receive barrels of meat stamped with the initials U.S. The soldiers jokingly referred to it as the initials of the troops' meat supplier, "Uncle" Samuel Wilson, of Troy, New York. The 87th United States Congress adopted the following resolution on September 15, 1961: "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." A monument marks his birthplace in Arlington, Massachusetts, and a monument marks his burial in Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, New York.

Another theory suggests that Uncle Sam was a creation by Irish immigrants to the US who used the Gaelic acronym, SAM, or Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá, which is the translation for United States of America, as a nickname for their new host country. Unfortunately, however, the precise origin of the term may never be proven.

[edit] Brother Jonathan

Earlier representative figures of the United States included such beings as "Brother Jonathan," used by Punch magazine. These were overtaken by Uncle Sam somewhere around the time of the Civil War. The female personification "Columbia" has seldom been seen since the 1920s.

[edit] Uncle Sam Imagery

The cartoonist Frank Bellew was the first artist to portray Uncle Sam in human form, in the March 13, 1852, issue of the New York Lantern.<ref>Time, May 11, 1931.</ref>

Thomas Nast played an important role in creating the popular image of Uncle Sam in his post-Civil War era editorial cartoons. After the American Civil War, whiskers were added to Uncle Sam in reference to Abraham Lincoln. Today, with the possible exception of the Statue of Liberty, the character of Uncle Sam is probably the most easily recognizable personification of the U.S.

[edit] World War I poster

During World War I, a very famous poster inspired by a British recruitment poster depicted Uncle Sam pointing at the people with the words I WANT YOU FOR U.S. ARMY. The artist James Montgomery Flagg, who painted the poster in 1917, used a modified version of his own face for Uncle Sam.[2] Veteran Walter Botts posed for the drawing that became Uncle Sam. The poster was based on a 1914 recruitment poster from Britain featuring Lord Kitchener, which was designed by Alfred Leete.

The poster has been repeatedly imitated (and parodied), with many different variations on the simple slogan.

United Kingdom, 1914. Lord Kitchener wants you. Britons, join your country's army! The Uncle Sam poster is based on this one.	Red Army recruitment poster, 1920s. You, have you signed up for volunteers?	Basque Nationalist Party sticker, 1970s. Euzkadi´k bear zaitu (Euzkadi needs you).	Soviet Union poster. If you are not yet a member of the cooperative, sign up immediately!
A recruitment poster published in American Jewish magazines during WWI. Daughter of Zion (representing the Jewish people): I want your Old New Land! Join the Jewish regiment.	A revolution poster published in the state of São Paulo in Brazil in 1932 (it says: "You have a duty! Consult your conscience! (M.M.D.C.)"	In order to help prevent forest fires, the United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council started to release fire education posters featuring a black bear on August 9, 1944.

[edit] Other media

In addition to the appearance of Uncle Sam in politics, the character has also appeared as a comic book hero for both Quality and DC Comics. He is presented as the living embodiment of the United States and is the leader of the Freedom Fighters. See Uncle Sam (comics). There was also a short cartoon in the 1980s called "Uncle Sam's Adventures."

Furthermore, Uncle Sam appeared as a horror villain in the eponymously titled 1997 film, Uncle Sam. In this film, several pseudo-patriotic elements are used, including Sam attacking people with "friendly fire" and eventually dying from two cannon blasts.

In music, the long-lived folk-rock group Grateful Dead featured a skeletal Uncle Sam as one of the band's symbols. Uncle Sam, referred to in their song United States Blues, is one of the many elements that compose the band's "American mythology".

Also, the logo of the New York Yankees (see here) features Uncle Sam's hat covering the barrel of a red baseball bat.