About The United States Nickname and Official Symbol
Uncle Sam has been a long standing symbol of American patriotism
"Uncle Sam" is a personification of the United States government and is often depicted as a tall, older man with white hair, a goatee, and wearing red, white, and blue clothing, including a top hat adorned with stars and stripes.
Uncle Sam (based on a real person, Samuel Wilson) is both the official nickname and official symbol of the United States. On September 7, 1813, the United States officially earned the nickname Uncle Sam.
The name is linked to Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied barrels of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812.
Wilson was a well-liked and trustworthy man in Troy, and local residents called him "Uncle Sam." He labeled his barrels of beef with “U.S.” to indicate U.S. government property, but soldiers referred to the “U.S.” as Uncle Sam (Wilson). A local newspaper picked up the story on September 7th, 1813, and this identification eventually led to the widespread use of the nickname.
His grave site is located in Troy, NY where he lived and died. A historical marker stands next to his grave site that reads "Uncle Sam Gravesite". The headstone reads "Samuel Wilson Dies July 31, 1854 Aged 88 Years Old".
Samuel Wilson lived a few miles away from his current grave site at his Catskills, NY residence from 1817 until 1823. A historical marker currently stands in front of the historic home that reads "Samuel Wilson, “Uncle Sam” the official symbol of the United States, lived here 1817-1823".
Wilson stamped the barrels with “U.S.” for United States, but soldiers began jokingly referring to the grub as “Uncle Sam’s.” Wilson and his brother owned and managed a meat packing business in Troy. They supplied a contractor, Elbert Anderson, for the federal government with beef, pork, whiskey and salt, which were sent to troops stationed nearby.
Wilson got his barrels from local cooperages (barrel-making shops) or suppliers. Cooperages were common in many towns and cities during the 19th century, producing barrels for a variety of purposes, including shipping goods like foodstuffs, liquids, and other commodities.
The United States Government Publishing Office (GPO) recognizes Samuel Wilson as the celebrated American symbol. The Library Of Congress states Uncle Sam was officially adopted as a national symbol of the United States in 1950. The U.S. National Park Service acknowledges Uncle Sam as America’s national symbol.
The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate unanimously passed a law in 1961 which proclaimed that Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York, was the progenitor of the nation's symbol, Uncle Sam, and that Troy is the official home of Uncle Sam. The bill was signed by President John F. Kennedy.
For most people, the name "Uncle Sam" conjures an image from a World War I era Army poster, which depicts a top-hatted man with a white flowing beard, dressed in red, white and blue, pointing.
The poster, created by artist James Montgomery Flagg, read, "Uncle Sam Wants You!" That Uncle Sam is based on Samuel Wilson, who resided in Troy from 1789 until his death in 1854.
Samuel was born in historic Arlington (known as Menotomy at the time), Massachusetts, to parents originally from Greenock, Scotland. As a boy, he moved with his family to Mason, New Hampshire. In 1789, Samuel and his brother Ebeneezer moved to Troy, where they went into business.
In the late 1860s and 1870s, political cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902) began popularizing the image of Uncle Sam. Nast continued to evolve the image, eventually giving Sam the white beard and stars-and-stripes suit that are associated with the character today.
Uncle Sam has been a long standing symbol of American patriotism. His image has been used by the United States government in a number of different ways, from stamps and military recruiting posters to magazines and newspaper cartoons. When Sam Wilson died in 1854 he was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, NY which is his final resting place.