Was Uncle Sam a Real Person?
Even in an age when our eyes are bombarded with viral photos of cats or two-second clips of celebrities, the image of an elderly, bearded Uncle Sam beseeching us to join him remains an iconic visual for the masses.
Of course, the likeness of Uncle Sam easily predates the internet age, and unlike most currently circulating memes, the character stands for something beyond the brief gratification of a giggle, as the visual representation of the United States government.
But while Uncle Sam is a highly recognizable figure, his origins are lesser known. And while it’s natural to wonder if he was based on one of the Founding Fathers or some other influential figure, the answer to that, like the story of the nation itself, is complicated.
“Brother Jonathan” Predated Uncle Sam
Well before the first appearance of Uncle Sam, the personification of the emerging identity of the American colonies took form in other characters.
Two such personas were women. America (or Amérique) was depicted as a primitive queen of the wild New World as far back as the 16th century. She was followed by Columbia, who was popularized in ode during the Revolutionary War by African American poet Phillis Wheatley, and remained a prominent allegorical symbol of the country until the late 19th century.
By the mid-1700s, the British were lampooning the colonists with the uncultured character of Yankee Doodle, best remembered in the song that endures to this day. But while the tune was intended to mock, the chippy colonists adopted Yankee Doodle for their own purposes, even singing the song in battle to antagonize the Redcoats.
Following the war, a new embodiment of the United States took root in the form of Brother Jonathan, a character supposedly based on the Continental Army-supporting Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull. However, for more than a century, “Jonathan” had also been a derogatory term for people opposed to the British monarchy, and the term may have been applied to the rebellious Patriots.
As with Yankee Doodle, the Americans adopted the term for themselves, transforming an initial insult into a source of national pride. Variously portrayed in verse and on stage as a seaman, peddler, or trader, the feisty Brother Jonathan soon regularly appeared in comic form across American publications, typically clad in a long-tailed coat and striped trousers, and often found tangling with John Bull, the corpulent embodiment of Great Britain.
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A Meatpacker Is Credited as the Inspiration for the Symbol
Along with providing plenty of fodder for additional rounds of Brother Jonathan and John Bull illustrations, the War of 1812 provided a business opportunity for an upstate New York resident who fueled the creation myth of Uncle Sam.
In early 1813, a Troy-based meatpacker and brickmaker by the name of Samuel "Uncle Sam" Wilson partnered with a contractor to provide beef and pork to American troops. Wilson's barrels were stamped with "U.S." to signify that they were earmarked for military use. However, the various employees involved in the distribution process joked that the initials stood for Uncle Sam, the nickname of the widely liked meatpacker, and the connection between the moniker and the government spread from there.
This story of Uncle Sam's human origins first appeared in print in 1830, and it was considered canon by the time Congress passed a resolution in 1961 that recognized "'Uncle Sam' Wilson of Troy, New York as the progenitor of America's national symbol of 'Uncle Sam.'"
However, recent research has uncovered use of the term from before Wilson's tenure as a food supplier for the troops. The earliest to date was found in an 1810 journal entry from Navy midshipman Isaac Mayo, who wrote of how "uncle Sam, as they call him, would certainly forever have lost the services of at least one sailor" due to Mayo’s extreme seasickness.
It's still plausible that those involved in Wilson's enterprise were responsible for introducing the term to a broader segment of the population, although it's clear that the concept of Uncle Sam already existed in some capacity before the popular meatpacker.
Cartoonist Thomas Nast Created the Iconic Image of the Character
Whatever his exact origins, Uncle Sam claimed a place in popular culture alongside Brother Jonathan as the 19th century progressed, the two essentially interchangeable as avatars of American interests. However, early versions of Uncle Sam lacked a defined form; he was depicted as both a toddler and an old man, his frame varying from thin to portly, and garb ranging from pajamas to formal wear.
The modern image of the character began solidifying after the Civil War thanks in large part to cartoonist Thomas Nast, who also popularized the contemporary perceptions of Santa Claus as well as the donkey and elephant mascots of America’s dominant political parties. A staunch supporter of Union causes, Nast captured the essence of President Abraham Lincoln by drawing Uncle Sam as a tall, thin, bearded man.
By that point, Uncle Sam had also taken on a more distinct persona as the embodiment of the American government, in contrast with Brother Jonathan’s representation of its industrious citizens. Uncle Sam ultimately eclipsed the older symbol outright before the end of the 19th century, even assuming Jonathan’s standard uniform of striped trousers, long-tailed coat, and top hat.
An Illustrator Used His Own Face for the Famed WWI Recruitment Poster
The final stage of Uncle Sam's evolution came from the drawing pad of James Montgomery Flagg, an American illustrator known for his "Nervy Nat" comic strip and images of curvy pinup girls in the first years of the 20th century.
Tasked with creating the art for a Leslie's Illustrated Weekly cover, Flagg reportedly worked off the "Lord Kitchener Wants You" British military recruitment poster from 1914, substituting Uncle Sam for the British secretary of state for war and using his own face as the model for his character.
Flagg's now-famous depiction of Uncle Sam sternly gazing and pointing at the viewer first appeared on the July 16, 1916, cover of Leslie's, with the heading "What Are You Doing for Preparedness?" By the following spring, the first of some 4 million World War I recruitment posters were printed with the Flagg-as-Uncle Sam image, this time above the words "I Want You for U.S. Army."
This was just one of 46 posters created by Flagg for the U.S. war effort, some of which depicted Uncle Sam as a muscular, superhero-type character. However, the initial recruitment poster proved the most enduring, as it was again used to beef up the military for World War II.
It also provided the best-known depiction of Uncle Sam in his modern form: a more mature version of Brother Jonathan, shaped by the backstory of a hard-working entrepreneur, set in the mold of Abraham Lincoln, and polished with the features of his wartime rebrander to stand out as a quintessentially American icon.
