Who Was the Inspiration For Uncle Sam?

By | December 27, 2018

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A participant dressed as Uncle Sam attends in Albany, New York. Source: (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Uncle Sam…he is a symbol of America and everyone’s most patriotic uncle. Images of him have been used to recruit people to enlist in the military and to uphold the American ideals. But how did this iconic character come to be? Let’s look at the inspiration behind Uncle Sam. 

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Source: (heavy.com)

Uncle Sam Emerges After Two Other Characters

The character of Uncle Sam may be a blending of two earlier characters that were used to personify the colonial Americans. The British have a term for American just prior to and during the Revolutionary War…Yankee Doodle. Yankee Doodle, to the Brits, was a rebel zealot who was gung-ho for American. The second figure was Brother Jonathan, another British-inspired character. Brother Jonathan was depicted as a backwoods rural hick who was viewed as dim-witted but was actually quite smart and able to overcome any obstacle or adversity. Uncle Sam takes qualities from both characters.