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UNCLE SAM

UNCLE SAM, a nickname of the U.S. government, first used during the War of 1812. Critics of the war applied the term somewhat derisively to customhouse officers and to soldiers while the "war hawks" generally avoided it. As contemporary newspapers show, the term

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was doubtless a jocular expansion of the letters "U.S." on uniforms and government property.

The name is also identified with Samuel Wilson of Troy, N.Y. (1766–1854), known as "Uncle Sam" Wilson, who supplied barrels of beef to the government. In 1961 Congress recognized Wilson as a namesake for America's symbol, which over the years has lost its negative connotations.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ketchum, Alton. Uncle Sam: The Man and the Legend. New York: Hill and Wang, 1959.

Albert Matthews/C. W.

See also War Hawks; War of 1812.