Who Is Uncle Sam? Uncle Sam emerged as a symbol of the United States during the Anglo-American War of 1812. American folklore suggests that the term "Uncle Sam" originated from a butcher named Samuel Wilson, who supplied provisions to the American army.2 photos

Wilson marked the meat barrels with the letters U.S., standing for the United States. The soldiers jokingly said that the meat came from Uncle Sam. On March 13, 1852, the New York newspaper "NY Lantern Weekly" published what is believed to be the first illustration of Uncle Sam. The traditional image was largely created by the artist Thomas Nast in a series of political cartoons published in the second half of the 19th century. Uncle Sam is often depicted as a tall, elderly man with distinctive facial features, a vintage beard, a hat in the colors of the American flag, and a blue coat with striped trousers. His image became particularly famous during World War I.

At that time, Uncle Sam appeared on posters urging people to volunteer for the U.S. army and fight in Europe. The poster showed him looking sternly at the viewer, pointing at them with his finger, with the caption "I need you in the U.S. Army." It was this poster that inspired Dmitry Moor to create the famous Civil War-era slogan "Have you volunteered?" On September 15, 1961, the 87th Congress of the United States passed a resolution honoring Samuel Wilson as the prototype of Uncle Sam. A memorial monument was even erected in his birthplace, Arlington, Massachusetts.

Samuel Wilson is buried in Troy, New York.