Essay Networks

Many people are aware of the existence of Uncle Sam. They may have encountered with the famous I WANT YOU poster. But not many have probably thought deeper about this symbol of the United States. The curiousness in finding out who exactly this person is (was), what this figure represents, and how it became a symbol of the United States, stood behind this BA Thesis work. The first, basic step, a curious person, who wants to learn basic elements of something would do, is to consult a dictionary or an encyclopedia. This is what the Oxford Guide to British and American Culture says about Uncle Sam: He is defined as “the imaginary person who represents United States and its government” (Crowther 553).

American citizens are famous for their extensive usage of their national symbols. They display these symbols all over. The flags are hanging in front of the houses even on ordinary day. They multiply on national holidays. The end of Civil war are Americans fixed to their flag. Stars and stripes play the position of religious idol and the flag is for Americans much more important symbol of national identity than for the other nations.

The usage of the national symbols in the United States became common and wide spread after the Civil war. This was due to the need to display the affinity to the newly reunited nation, on the side of Union. Michal Faber points out in his essay about patriotic covers of this era.

Frequent recurrence of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the American eagle, despite the different positions and sizes of the various slogans, does not represent a significant departure from the basic emblem. Symbolic subject encompass American heroes, male designs, female designs, eagles, flags, and shields. Liberty bells, verses, Globes, cannons, or hands with flags. Designs of national symbols mostly reveal how the Union projected itself as the genuine representative and preserver of the ideals of the Founding Fathers. (Fabre 223).

The story of Uncle Sam as national symbol begun in the war of 1812, but he was officially recognized only in 1961.

Uncle Sam, a figure symbolizing the United States, is portrayed as a tall, white-haired man with a goatee. He is often dressed in red, white, and blue, and wears a top hat. Uncle Sam is dressed in patriotic attire, with stars on his hat, and stripes on his shirt. The image is a cartoon from the December 21, 1861 edition of Harper’s Weekly. The exact origins of Uncle Sam as a symbol for the United States are unknown. But the most widely accepted theory is that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel Wilson. In 1961, Congress passed a resolution that officially recognized meat packer Samuel Wilson (1766-1854) as Uncle Sam’s namesake. Wilson, who supplied meat to the army during the War of 1812, is reputed to have been a man of great fairness, reliability, and honesty who was devoted to his country.

But Sam Wilson looked nothing like the Uncle Sam pictured above. Uncle Sam’s traditional appearance, with a white goatee and star-spangled suit, is an invention of artists and political cartoonists. One of these political cartoonists was named Thomas Nast. Nast produced many of the earliest cartoons of Uncle Sam, Nast’s first illustration of Uncle Sam appeared in the November 20, 1869 edition of Harper’s Weekly. Nast was also responsible for our popular images of Santa Claus, the Republican Elephant, and the Democratic Donkey.

Although Uncle Sam is one of American most familiar icons, many Americans have little or no concept of his origins. If pressed, the average American might point to the early twentieth century and Sam’s frequent appearance on army recruitment posters. In reality, however, the figure of Uncle Sam dates back much further. Uncle Sam is the culmination of a tradition of representative male icons in America which can be traced well back into colonial times. The actual figure of Uncle Sam, however, dates from the War of 1812. The setting was ripe for a figure such as Sam at that point. Previous icons had been geographically specific, centering most often on the New England area. The War of 1812 sparked a renewed interest in national identity which had faded since the revolutionary war. Like many mythological and symbolic figures, Uncle Sam has origins in actual fact and, in this case, an actual man. Born in Massachusetts, Samuel Wilson settled in the town of Troy, New York. Known locally as “Uncle” Sam, he would be the impetus for a regional saying which would eventually become a national icon.

Uncle Sam Wilson moved to Troy with his brother, Ebenezer, with whom he later began the firm of E. & S. Wilson. It was through this firm, and the war contracts they acquired in 1812, that Sam gained his notoriety. One such contract was for the supply of meats to the Army. Troy residents associated the “U.S.” on the sides of the barrels of troop rations with “Uncle Sam” — who they all knew was feeding the army. The connection between this local saying and the national legend is not easily traced. As early as 1830, there were inquiries into the origin of the term “Uncle Sam,” which first appeared in print in 1813. The connection between the popular cartoon figure and Samuel Wilson of Troy, NY was reported in the New York Gazette on May 12, 1830, and later confirmed by Samuel Wilson’s great- and great-great-nephews.

By the early twentieth century, there was little physical resemblance left between Samuel Wilson and Uncle Sam. As a symbol of an ever-changing nation, Uncle Sam had gone through many incarnations. Initially cartoon versions of Sam were very familiar to those of Brother Jonathan. The Civil War saw a major transition in the development of Uncle Sam as his image was associated with that of Abraham Lincoln. It was during this period that Sam aged and acquired a beard.

From his original inception as merely a phrase used amongst the troops of 1812, to a character with actions and personality, and then to an icon recognizable around the world, Uncle Sam has fulfilled many roles in the construction of American symbology. He has been an icon with which Americans could identify, and by which others identified us. On another level, Uncle Sam has helped to define the relationship between the American people and their government.

While Uncle Sam is globally associated with the nation as a whole, for many Americans Sam is a symbol specifically of the federal government. He is comparable to a kinder, gentler, Big Brother. Yet despite this strong relationship in popular culture between Uncle Sam and the government, he was not officially adopted until 1950. It was then that the State Department finally recognized the need for a standardized image of Uncle Sam, not only for Americans — who had a pretty good idea what he looked like and stood for already — but especially for the rest of the world, which had been producing its own, often uncomplimentary, versions.

Like many other American symbols, Uncle Sam was not produced by the government, or some propaganda office, and then filtered down to the masses. Rather Sam, like Yankee Doodle and Brother Jonathan, originated in popular culture and, after a hundred and thirty-seven years of almost Darwinian evolution amongst the masses, was only officially adopted when it had already become a national image.

While a large part of Uncle Sam’s popularity lies with his lack of definitive link to a specific region, there were two other main factors. The first of these was Sam’s role as an unofficial uncle. Unlike many figures representing national governments, Sam was not a monarch or any other kind of ruler. He protected and maintained, but he did not rule or punish. Uncle Sam was not a father or authority figure.

The final version of Uncle Sam that we are most familiar with today, came about in 1917. The famous “I Want You” recruiting poster by James Montgomery Flagg set the image of Uncle Sam firmly into American consciousness. The most famous poster Originally published as the cover for the July 6, 1916, issue of Leslie’s Weekly with the title “What Are You Doing for Preparedness?” this portrait of “Uncle Sam” went on to become–according to its creator, James Montgomery Flagg–”the most famous poster in the world.” Over four million copies were printed between 1917 and 1918, as the United States entered World War I and began sending troops and matériel into war zones.

Flagg (1877-1960) contributed forty-six works to support the war effort. He was a member of the first Civilian Preparedness Committee organized in New York in 1917 and chaired by Grosvenor Clarkson. He also served as a member of Charles Dana Gibson’s Committee of Pictorial Publicity, which was organized under the federal government’s Committee on Public Information, headed by George Creel. Because of its overwhelming popularity, the image was later adapted for use in World War II. Upon presenting President Franklin Delano Roosevelt a copy of the poster, Flagg remarked that he had been his own model for Uncle Sam to save the modeling fee. Roosevelt was impressed. Uncle Sam is one of the most popular personifications of the United States.

Uncle Sam has been and still is important figure in the American history, culture and society. He serves as a national symbol on different levels. While Uncle Sam does not show the top hat and striped pants that we have come to associate with him, he shows something much more important in this image. In this image, Uncle Sam is a symbol of unity and equality. The image shows many people welcomed at Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving table: Black, White, Chinese, and Indian, as wall as many others are seen sitting around the table. The image is captioned, “Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner; Come One, Come All, Free and Equal.” The image clearly shows that Uncle Sam was originally a symbol of freedom, and equality. Uncle Sam was a unifying symbol. While the exact image of Uncle Sam has evolved over the years, one thing remains constant. He is a symbol of the best ideals of the United States. From the earliest days until today, he has stood for Freedom, Equality, and Justice. While as a Nation, we do not always perfectly achieve these ideals, Uncle Sam remains a poignant symbol and reminder of the goal and objective. One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:1.”Uncle Sam.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 04 May. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/614065/Uncle-Sam>.

2.”Uncle Sam.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 4 May. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

3.Fabre, Michel. “Popular Civil War Propaganda: The Case of Patriotic Covers” The Journal of American Culture, June 1980, Vol. 3, Issue 2. pg 23-237.

4. James Montgomery Flagg. “I want you&#8230;”Poster. Uncle Sam: An American Autobiography,