Where did the bearded figure and name of Uncle Sam originate?


Uncle Sam's figure was first drawn bu the artist Thomas Nast in the late
nineteenth century. He also developed the Democratic party's symbol of
a donkey and the Republican party's elephant.

Uncle Sam is not an abbreviation for the United States of America.
There was a man named Samuel Wilson (and one of Gagler's ancestors) who
in the early part of the nineteenth century was a contractor for the
U.S. government for preserved beef. This beef was delivered to army
posts and elsewhere in large barrels and boxes marked "U.S." Soldiers
referred to these boxes as coming from Uncle Sam.