Considered one of the most famous symbols in the world, Uncle Sam is the personification of the most powerful country on the planet, the United States of America (USA). You've probably heard this name as a reference to the US. But do you know how Uncle Sam came about?
According to US historical documents, the term Uncle Sam was coined in 1812 by US soldiers who were in upstate New York. They ate meat whose containers were barrels with the following inscription: U.S (United States), in Portuguese, “United States”.
These soldiers started to play with the meaning of the letters, calling “affectionately” Samuel Wilson, owner of the food supplier, “Uncle Sam”, in Portuguese, “Uncle Sam”.
In 1870, cartoonist Tomas Nast drew Uncle Sam as a tribute to Abraham Lincoln (former president of the United States and considered a national hero), who had the features of his face as inspiration for the work. Thus, Uncle Sam was portrayed as a man with white hair and a beard, wearing clothes in the colors of the US flag (blue, red and white), in addition to a top hat with a white star.
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However, in 1917, James Flagg, at the request of the US Armed Forces, altered the original design. Uncle Sam started to have his finger raised and the following sentence was added: “I Want You”, in Portuguese, “I want you”. This modification was a marketing ploy for recruiting soldiers for World War I.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
Curiosities - geography - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FRANCISCO, Wagner de Cerqueira e. "Who was Uncle Sam?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/tio-sam.htm. Accessed on June 29, 2021.
