Uncle Sam Day is observed on September 13 every year. The day commemorates the man behind the iconic image which is synonymous with the United States government. The fascinating nickname for the United States government came to be on September 13, 1766. Uncle Sam is as famous as the stars and the stripes and the eagle that is often used to represent the nation of America. Uncle Sam also makes for a fascinating case study of how an image can successfully represent a bunch of ideals and aspirations. Uncle Sam Day has become a permanent symbol of American strength and idealism.
HISTORY OF UNCLE SAM DAY
President George HW Bush declared September 13 as Uncle Sam Day in 1989. This was in honor of Samuel Wilson’s birth anniversary. The day also coincided with the bicentennial celebration of the City of Troy, New York where Wilson lived and worked.
Sam Wilson, a meat packer from New York, supplied barrels of meat to soldiers during the war of 1812. Wilson would stamp “U.S.” on the barrels to identify the meat for shipment. It wasn’t long before the soldiers associated the stamp of the US with Sam Wilson himself and cheerfully started addressing him as Uncle Sam. This nickname soon became popular.
However, the first illustration of Uncle Sam is not the one we know today. Published by Harper’s Weekly in 1861, the young Uncle Sam wore a bandana on his head and a striped vest and is depicted dividing up Virginia like a butcher. Through the years, the image of Uncle Sam would be renovated according to the political climate of the country. But it wasn’t an American who designed the Uncle Sam logo- the credit belongs to German-born illustrator and cartoonist Thomas Nast who designed the long-legged Uncle Sam we know today. Today Uncle Sam can be distinguished by a starred top hat and striped pants. Interestingly this Uncle Sam also made his debut in Harper’s Weekly. During the modern era, Uncle Sam has been recreated in color. The United States Army used the artwork for the “I Want You For The U.S. Army” campaign during World War I. It first appeared on the cover of Leslie’s Weekly.