Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam made his illustrated debut in 1852, and quickly became the symbol of the United States. This famous poster dates from World War I.
Photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress

On March 13, 1852, Uncle Sam was featured as a cartoon character in the New York Lantern.
Grades
6 - 12+
Subjects
Social Studies, U.S. History
Contents
1 Image
Uncle Sam made his illustrated debut in 1852, and quickly became the symbol of the United States. This famous poster dates from World War I.
Photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress
On March 13, 1852, Uncle Sam was featured as a cartoon character in the New York Lantern. The name is associated with Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker who provided food for the Army during the War of 1812. Wilson's barrels of meat were stamped with "U.S." for United States. Soldiers started calling the meat "Uncle Sam's."
The (unillustrated) character of Uncle Sam appeared years earlier, and was even mentioned in a 1775 verse of “Yankee Doodle,” the first national anthem of the United States!
personification, or symbol, of the United States.
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 |
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 |
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 |
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.
Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society
Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society
Dec. 17, 2013
For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please visit our FAQ page.
If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.
Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.
Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.
Media (newspapers, magazine articles, videos) often has a bias or agenda behind it’s message. Being able to analyze content to determine its angle is key to staying informed. Some material is designed to inform and will try to represent all sides of an issue accurately and fairly, but other types, like propaganda, are deliberately biased or misleading and created to promote a particular point of view. Two examples of propaganda include the Uncle Sam army recruitment posters from World War I or the Rosie the Riveter poster from World War II. Both examples use symbols to represent strength and a sense of urgency as they encourage United States citizens to join the war effort. Use these resource to teach your students about bias, symbolism, and propaganda.
An interactive graphically displaying data that compares national diets and consumption patterns across countries over time.
On November 9, 1965, one of the biggest electrical power failures in history plunged much of the U.S. East Coast and Ontario, Canada, into darkness for more than 10 hours.
Media (newspapers, magazine articles, videos) often has a bias or agenda behind it’s message. Being able to analyze content to determine its angle is key to staying informed. Some material is designed to inform and will try to represent all sides of an issue accurately and fairly, but other types, like propaganda, are deliberately biased or misleading and created to promote a particular point of view. Two examples of propaganda include the Uncle Sam army recruitment posters from World War I or the Rosie the Riveter poster from World War II. Both examples use symbols to represent strength and a sense of urgency as they encourage United States citizens to join the war effort. Use these resource to teach your students about bias, symbolism, and propaganda.
An interactive graphically displaying data that compares national diets and consumption patterns across countries over time.
On November 9, 1965, one of the biggest electrical power failures in history plunged much of the U.S. East Coast and Ontario, Canada, into darkness for more than 10 hours.