"MEET THE REAL UNCLE SAM"

A Moment in Time

Kansas Historical Society

July 2001

A monthly series from the Kansas Historical Society

In the days leading up to the Fourth of July, many of us will display our patriotism by draping bunting and hanging flags. There's at least one character, though, who wears red, white, and blue all year 'round.

Uncle Sam, our nation's most important symbol, has consistently evoked American identity and loyalty for over 170 years. No other image has been reproduced more often to sway us towards a common cause or belief.

It is generally accepted that the character Uncle Sam got his name from Samuel Wilson, a successful meat-packer from Troy, New York during the early 1800s. In addition to butchering and preserving, Samuel and one of his brothers also made wooden casks to transport the meat throughout the Hudson Valley.

During the war of 1812, while northern troops were headquartered near Troy, the Wilson brothers received a government contract to supply meat to the soldiers. Sam also began working as an army meat inspector. On all the Wilson brothers' casks of meat, and on all other casks that passed his inspection, Sam stamped the initials "U.S." Although intended to stand for "United States," this caused some consternation because the more typical abbreviation at the time was "U. States."

Samuel was widely known by friends and business acquaintances as "Uncle Sam" for his genial character and sense of humor. Taking their cue from his reputation and the "U.S." he stamped on meat casks, army troops began joking that their food came from "Uncle Sam" and calling themselves "Uncle Sam's soldiers." After the war, people started to associate "Uncle Sam" with anything related to the U.S. government.

The appearance of the Uncle Sam character developed over time at the hand of political cartoonists. In the 1830s it was not uncommon to see a round-faced, dark haired Uncle Sam. Some historians believe the death of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 influenced cartoonists to make the character more like the nation's assassinated leader-tall and lean with high cheekbones.

Even today there is no "official" image of Uncle Sam, but the preferred one is lanky and has gray hair and a goatee. His red, white, and blue top hat and tails are inspired by the national flag, and probably evolved from the garb of an earlier character known as "Brother Jonathan."

American patriots during the Revolutionary War were derisively called "Brother Jonathan" by the British. Jonathan was depicted as a hayseed who wore striped pants, a tailcoat, and a top hat. Instead of being shamed by this image, Americans adopted Jonathan as their hero and transformed him into an independent country youth capable of outsmarting more sophisticated city folk. His image survived well into the 19^th century, but by the end of the Civil War had been replaced by the more popular Uncle Sam.

The most famous 20^th century depiction of Uncle Sam appeared on a World War I recruitment poster in 1917. Pointing his finger directly at the onlooker, Uncle Sam declared "I WANT YOU" in an effort to encourage army enlistment. Many subsequent artists have chosen to represent Uncle Sam in this same commanding pose on such diverse items as weathervanes, toy banks, mailbox holders, and other examples of folk art.

In 1961 the U.S. Congress acknowledged what political cartoonists had known for years, that Uncle Sam was a national symbol. Congress passed a resolution saluting "Uncle Sam Wilson of Troy, New York, as the progenitor of America's National symbol of Uncle Sam."

The Kansas Historical Society has several representations of Uncle Sam in its collections. "Uncle Sam Wants You!" is featured In The Spotlight case in the Kansas Museum of History. Visitors will enjoy a selection of Uncle Sam images from the collections, including a World War I recruitment poster.

The Kansas Museum of History is located at the Kansas History Center, 6425 SW Sixth Avenue, Topeka KS 66615-1099; 785-272-8681; TTY 785-272-8683; www.kshs.org The museum is open 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Saturday, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. Sunday, open July 4, and can be reached via exit 356 on I-70. There is a suggested donation of $2 adults, $1 children.

The Kansas Historical Society does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs. The Society requests prior notification to accommodate individuals with special needs or disabilities.