The History of Uncle Sam's Nickname for United States

VIVA – In September 1813, the United States was nicknamed as Uncle Sam (US). Many countries in the world have nicknames. For example, Australia has the nickname as the country of Kangaroos because kangaroos come from Australia. Japan also has the nickname as the country of Sakura because Sakura come from Japan.

However, how about Uncle Sam? Why does the United States have Uncle Sam as a nickname? Here's the explanation.

As quoted from Britannica, Uncle Sam's nickname comes from a butcher named Samuel Wilson from New York.

During the World War in 1812. At that time, Samuel was in charge of sending meat to the battlefield. Then on the barrel filled with meat, he made a stamp that reads U.S, which means United States. However, the soldiers acknowledged that the U.S. stands for Uncle Sam.

Knowing the funny misunderstanding, the local newspapers carried and spread the story until the nickname Uncle Sam for the United States federal government was widely accepted.

After that, Uncle Sam’s nickname for the United States became popular. In the late 1860s to 1870s, a political cartoonist named Thomas Nast began to popularize the cartoon "Uncle Sam".

In Nast's cartoons, "Uncle Sam" is depicted as a man with white hair, a beard, and wearing a star-and-striped suit.

Besides Nast, the artist James Montgomery Flagg also popularized the physical image of Uncle Sam.

In Flagg's version, "Uncle Sam" is depicted as a man wearing a tall hat and blue jacket with his fingers pointing straight ahead.

In fact, during World War I, Flagg's cartoon "Uncle Sam" plus the words "I Want You for The US Army" were used as posters to recruit US Army soldiers to fight.

The poster became very popular. Not only in America but also internationally. Until now, the name and figure of Uncle Sam is still used everywhere.