August 28

[The Story Teller]

August 28
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Uncle Sam
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“The memory of the just is blessed; but the name of the wicked shall rot.”
—Proverbs
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There really was an Uncle Sam, and the person who was the model for that venerable character was a real American hero. Born in 1766, Samuel Wilson was a youthful patriot who served as a drummer boy during the American Revolution. After the war, Sam opened a meat-packing company in Troy, New York. He was a fair businessman and was known throughout the community as “Uncle Sam.” When soldiers were stationed nearby during the War of 1812, Sam supplied them with meat. The crates that were to be sent to the army were stamped on the side with the initials “U.S.” (This was before those initials were in common usage.) When asked what the initials stood for, one of Sam’s employees said they were the initials of his boss, “Uncle Sam.”



The designation gained popularity among the troops, and American soldiers soon began to refer to themselves as “Uncle Sam’s men.” A cartoon version of Uncle Sam first appeared in 1820 and depicted the character wearing a black top hat and tailcoat. Red pants were introduced during Andrew Jackson’s presidency, and a beard was added during Abraham Lincoln’s term in office. During the Civil War, artist Thomas Nast made Uncle Sam tall and thin, modeling the character after Lincoln. The modern version of Uncle Sam was created by artist James Montgomery Flagg for a World War I poster that bears the now-familiar caption “I Want You for the U.S. Army.”



Consider This: Uncle Sam was a real American who represented the American spirit of patriotism and fair play.



Submitted by Richard