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Uncle Sam During the War of 1812, the United States was given the nickname "Uncle Sam." Some folks say there was a meatpacker by the name of Samuel Wilson who was born in 1766 in Massachusetts. He was called Uncle Sam by his friends. When crates of salted meat were shipped to soldiers during the war, some were stamped US This was the first time the initials had been used for the country, and townspeople assumed that they stood for their friend Uncle Sam. In 1961, Congress passed a law making Uncle Sam an official American symbol of independence and freedom. Uncle Sam is not a real person, but in 1930, political cartoonists drew pictures of him as a tall, thin man wearing a top hat, red and white striped pants, and a blue jacket. He still frequently represents the United States in cartoons. He has often been seen on army recruitment posters from World War I that read, "I want you for the US Army." South
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