Uncle Sam

1897 cartoon

The first record that can be found of the cartoon figure of Uncle Sam appearing in print came on March 13, 1852, in the New York Lantern Weekly. However, legend says it came about much earlier during the War of 1812. Of course, Uncle Sam's initials are U.S., and he's used to represent the United States.

The term "Uncle Sam" actually appears in a 1816 book written by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy. The Adventures of Uncle Sam, in Search of His Lost Honor is written as an allegory. However, this 162-page book didn't include the caricature of newspaper fame that we associate with Uncle Sam today.

Even earlier than this, the name was used in oral history. In 1813, Samuel Wilson, a meat packer in New York whose company supplied barrels of beef to United States soldiers during the War of 1812, stamped the barrels with "U.S." However, the soldiers began saying the food came from Uncle Sam, and this was reported in the local newspaper.

Later on, cartoonist, Thomas Nash (1840-1902) popularized the image of Uncle Sam by creating the figure with a white beard and stars-and-stripes suit that we know today. He is also credited with drawing the modern image of Santa Claus and the elephant and donkey to represent Republicans and Democrats.

Although Uncle Sam's history is riddled with legends and uncertainty as well as facts, he is likely older than most people realize. He's also lasted a long time in political cartoons and is likely to last much longer.

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