116
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
'''Uncle Sam''' is a [[personification]] of the [[United States of America]]. He is an old man with a white beard and a star-studded [[top hat]], who points at the viewer with one hand. Uncle Sam was first invented during the [[Civil War]], when the symbols of America were still the goddess [[Columbia]] and [[Yankee Doodle]] (the hero of a minstrel song). Uncle Sam quickly took over their roles in popular culture, and they are rarely heard from today.
The name "Uncle Sam" may have been based on the initials of "United States", or possibly on the first two initials of [[Ulysses S. Grant]], the president at the time.
The commercial character [[Colonel Sanders]] was inspired by Uncle Sam.[http://www.lexdon.com/article/Uncle_Sam_Extends_Tax_Deadline;/44459.html] There is also a British version of Uncle Sam, called "John Bull".
The name "Uncle Sam" may have been based on the initials of "United States", or possibly on the first two initials of [[Ulysses S. Grant]], the president at the time.
The commercial character [[Colonel Sanders]] was inspired by Uncle Sam.[http://www.lexdon.com/article/Uncle_Sam_Extends_Tax_Deadline;/44459.html] There is also a British version of Uncle Sam, called "John Bull".