The idea of Uncle Sam essentially is a marketing campaign.
Sam Wilson was a meat packer in Troy when the United States bought his products to feed the troops during the War of 1812. Each crate was stamped "U.S." Somehow, that became known as an abbreviation for "Uncle Sam." By all accounts Wilson was a friendly man, loved by all. It was an easy jump from there to the image of the guy in the star-spangled hat and beard, who wanted YOU to join the U.S. Army.
Good old Mr. Wilson died in 1854. He made a stop elsewhere, but eventually he wound up in his currently location - Oakwood Cemetery. It overlooks Troy and the Hudson River. There is a statue of him downtown.
If you want to learn more about Sam, head to Mason, New Hampshire. His boyhood home is there. Another photo opportunity can be found in Arlington, Massachusetts. That's his home town, and there's a statue of him there.
Think of him every September 13 - that's "Uncle Sam Day," as recognized by Congress in 1989.
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