Historians aren't completely certain how the character "Uncle Sam" was created, or who (if anyone) he was named after. The prevailing theory is that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel Wilson.
During the War of 1812, Wilson was in the business of slaughtering and packing meat. He provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials "U.S." Supposedly, someone who saw the "U.S." stamp suggested -- perhaps as a joke -- that the initials stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from "Uncle Sam" led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the federal government. Either way "Uncle Sam" has become a long lasting symbol in and for the U.S. government, particulary the armed forces branch for progaganda/national support posters.
If your interested in propaganda posters. The grahic artist Ian Micah Wright has a website devoted to political posters targeting the War in Iraq and other issues of the day. If you are the faint of heart type who is easily offended, proceed with caution. His site is very critical of the current situation and of The President in particular. it's called The Propaganda Remix Project and includes a foreword by Steven Heller. If you ever want to feel really good about yourself just read some of Mr. Wright's hate mail. Yikes.
April 10, 2006
