Hey! Let’s take the day off! It’s Uncle Sam Day! On this day back in
1852, the New York Lantern newspaper
published an Uncle Sam cartoon for the first time. The drawing was
the work of Frank Henry Bellew. Through the years, the caricature changed
with Uncle Sam becoming symbolic of the U.S. being just like a favorite
uncle. A prime example of this symbolism were U.S. Army posters that
portrayed Uncle Sam pointing and saying, “I want you!” As a result, many of
us joined his ranks.
Uncle Sam always wore a nifty suit of red, white and blue, a hat with
stars and stripes down the trousers of both of his long legs. The origins of how he
became known as Uncle Sam are varied, but include a dock worker wondering what the words
“From U.S.” meant on shipping crates. Reportedly, he was told jokingly, “Oh, this is from
your Uncle Sam.”
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