Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam is a figure that symbolizes the United States of America. He is a man that is pictured as a tall, white-haired man with a goatee. Most of the time he is dressed in red, white, and blue, and wears a top hat.

      The term Uncle Sam was originally used as a derogatory term for American troops during the War of 1812. During that war, Samuel Wilson “Uncle Sam”, a businessman from Troy, New York, supplied the Army with beef barrels. The barrels were labeled “U.S” to show that they belonged to the United States.

    United States government. Perhaps this led to the use of “Uncle Sam” as a nickname for the United States. In 1961, Congress passed a resolution which recognized Samuel Wilson as the inspiration for the symbol Uncle Sam.