The TRUTH Behind New York’s Very Own Uncle Sam

Few people in American history represent patriotism like Sam Wilson. No, I'm not referring to Anthony Mackie's character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe of The Falcon/Captain America. I'm referring to who he is named after, Uncle Sam Wilson. You can go visit the Uncle Sam Monument which is here in New York just like I did. Since Independence Day is right around the corner, it's time to brush up on America's favorite uncle!

Who Was Uncle Sam?

The character of Uncle Sam has been widely used in U.S. government propaganda to encourage support for various policies and military efforts over the years, including the financing of these activities, with varying economic impacts. Uncle Sam was used, for example, to promote the U.S. Treasury's liberty bond program to finance World War I military spending, which one study showed help drive the financialization of the U.S. economy during the early 20th century.

I visited the Uncle Sam Memorial in Troy, New York recently. The statue of the patriotic figure read,

Uncle Sam Wilson

1766 - 1854

Troy, New York

Born in Arlington, Mass

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Sam Wilson - One of the Prime Movers for Incorporation of Troy

Village - 1794

City - 1816

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Troy's Citizen

America's Uncle

"The big thing is not what happens to us in life but we do about what happens to us" - Sam Wilson

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U.S. of America

Uncle Sam of America

Originated During War of 1812

Uncle Sam is based on a real person named Samuel Wilson, who started a meatpacking company after the American Revolution. His company supplied troops in the War of 1812 with meat, earning him the nickname "Uncle Sam."

As the story goes, Wilson and Elbert Anderson, the contractor he supplied, stamped all their beef and pork barrels with the initials “E.A.-U.S.” The “U.S.” was shorthand for United States, but workers began joking that it stood for “Uncle Sam,” as Wilson was locally known. Before long, soldiers had helped bring the term into common use as a nickname for the United States.

The Sam Wilson story was first popularized in an 1830 article in the New York Gazette. It was later made a matter of public record in 1961, when Congress passed a resolution acknowledging Wilson as the “progenitor of America’s national symbol of "Uncle Sam.’” Nevertheless, many modern researchers doubt the tale’s veracity. Historian Donald R. Hickey has uncovered a reference to Uncle Sam in a U.S. Navy midshipman’s diary from 1810, which suggests that the term predated the War of 1812.