[Ads-l] "Uncle Sam" Origin Blogging

[Shapiro, Fred]

"Uncle Sam" is a famous nickname for the United States government.  Its origin is widely believed to stem from a government contractor during the War of 1812: Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York.  Troy has created a cottage industry based on the Wilson story.

In fact, the Wilson tale is completely false.  There exists an 1803 letter using the term "Uncle Sam."  The letter was written by an associate of Eli Whitney and refers to New Haven.  Really, New Haven rather than Troy should be recognized as the source of the nickname.

Recently I contacted Stephen Winick of the Library of Congress to apprise him of the Samuel Wilson War of 1812 hoax.  He has now posted three superb essays on the Library of Congress blog:

https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2026/09/origins-of-uncle-sam-metafolklore-of-an-american-icon-part-1/
https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2026/09/origins-of-uncle-sam-metafolklore-of-an-american-icon-part-2/
https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2026/10/origins-of-uncle-sam-part-3-cartoons-and-advertising-in-the-nineteenth-century/

Winick's postings give credit to Barry Popik's outstanding work on the "Uncle Sam" origin.  Barry has been the leader in scholarship on this issue.

Fred Shapiro

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org