Look Familiar? | ‘BUYING or SELLING Teidy ie a 4 ew 4 665-2401 ManuHem Reavty Co. RICK HERSHEY (CALL ME PERSONALLY) 665-3797 397-8174 How Uncle Sam Became An Emblem of the Nation’ That astute fellow decked eut in top hat, striped pants end ehin whiskers, whom we fondly call Uncle Sam, is a legendary character with ori- gins that were considered laughable by early-day Amer- icans who aporeciated a good joke. A lesser personage might not have survived such odds, but Sam overcame his mirth- ful beginnings and has come on to enjoy world-wide notor- iety. How the nickname ‘Uncle Sam’ came about is one of bose quirks of history that prove truth really can be stranger than fiction. The story begins the early 1800's when young nation found itself embroiled in another war with Great Britain—the War of 1812—not many years af- ter the Revolution had sever- ed ties with the mother coun- try. A certain.meat packer and dealer named Samuel Wilson had built up a thriving busi- ness in the town. of Troy, near Albany in eastern New York-State. Troy_was an im- portant trading center those days for the country’s expan- sion to the north and west, as well as for the . Army. : Sam Wilson, whe was the butt of the joke in question, was a stalwart citizen of the Troy community, weM-known for his ‘honesty, common sense” and - jovial disposition. And, of course, he was -affect- ionately>ecalled ‘Uncle Sam” by ‘his many- friends and ac- quaintances:” By 18%¥2 “when the war stated, Sam wilson had be- back in the come prominent in state af- fairs and thus wads a natural choice for serving os _inspeet- or of provisions~for- the U.S. Army in the area, TAnd.it was natural, too, perhaps that as a leading mest packer he was “to symbolize called upon to supply meat to the Army quartermaster, Soon after the fighting be- gan, a group of government officials visited the Wilson plant in Troy. One of the group casually asked a work- man what the “U.S.” stamped on the meat barrels stood for. Actually. it referred to the U.S. government. But the workman jokingly replied that the U.S. stamp represen- ted his boss, Uncle Sam Wil- son. Thus was born the nick- name of the United States. Following the incident, “Uncle Sam’ became a stand- ard joke around the area and in the Army. The term spread among soldiers of that day much as “GI” (govern- ment issue) took over during World War II. Before long all government property was being referred to as Uncle Sam’s. Newspapers and magazines at home "and abroad picked up the name, too, and in a mat- ter of years Uncle Sam came the national character and the government itself, Cartoonists were especially instrumental in fixing the name and the image. Histor- ians credit the popular Brit- ish magazine Punch and its cartoons showing a lean, whiskered gentleman wearing a top hat and striped trousers with having set the stage for development of the modern Uncle Sam concept. By the turn of the century, through the efforts of such noted American cartoonist as Thomas Nast, Joserh Kep- pler, and others. Uncle Sam had become firmly entrench- ed in people's minds as the symbol of the republic. One of the most imagina- tive and lasting treatments of the symbol is James Mont- gomery Flagg’s Army recruit- ing poster showing the impos- Mode! AWMP 50-2 "AHAM- certified 5000 BTU, 7.5 amp.--plugs into any adenuately wired T15-voit household outlet FLINCHBAUGH'S cr > Whirlpool A: LI GIES DE TST LEER SY Soi (p&, oe Ni ez RGA TV MAAHEM PA STERED ing figure of Uncle Sam poin- ting his finger and saying: “I want you . . . ” Flagg’s post- er, credited with bringing in countless recruits and other- wise fanning the flame of pa- triotism, was used extensive- ly in both world wars. As alert readers may sense, Uncle Sam has changed with the times as cartoonists have PAGE 2 adapted his image to suit cur- rent issues and their timely conception of what the na- tion's image should be:at any particular point in history But his likeness remains un- mistakable and his usefulness unchallenged. As for Uncle Sam Wilson, who took it all as good-natur- ed jest, he continued to pros- per in meat and other busi- ness lines and enjoyed - the limelight as one of Troy's leading citizens. - Historians find no evidenee that he ever took advantage of his privil- ege status as the patron saint of the republic in his business and social affairs, It . ‘progenitor TUESDAY, JUNE 29, 1971 was a good joke, Sam Wilsen- passed on July 31, 1854, ‘at the age of 88. Hit grave site in Troy is marked by a four-ton granite monu. ment inscribed: “In loving memory of Uncle Sam, the name originating with ‘Sam. «uel ‘Wilson (1766-1854) during the War 1812‘ and since adop- ted by the United States?” In 1961 the U.. S. Congress adopted a. resplution saluting Uncle Sam. Wilson as “the -of «America's na- tional symbol.” By Lloyd J. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers