Uncle Sam is one of the national symbols of the USA

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

Which of the American symbols are the most recognizable, have absorbed the national idea, live in the hearts of many people? Statue of Liberty, hamburger, Mickey Mouse. And, of course, Uncle Sam! This (akin to extraction ideas about Russians: balalaika, bear, vodka, caviar) is forever imprinted in the brains of any tourist who comes to the USA.

Character Story

Who is Uncle Sam? This is, in fact, the main character of the American propaganda poster. The drawing depicts an elderly man with delicate features, dressed in a blue tailcoat and a top hat in "American" colors with stars. He glares straight at us and says (literally), "I need YOU for the US Army!" The fact is that as a character, Uncle Sam has gained popularity in American folklore since 1812, during the war with Great Britain. According to one version, a certain businessman named Sam was the supplier of provisions for the army. All supplies to support the troops were marked then (and are marked now) in bold, with the letters U and S, which meant, of course, Unitedstates. However, in a miraculous way, the abbreviation coincided with the humorous decoding of Uncle Sam (USA - Uncle Sam). This is where the stable expression came from. Fortunately, that was the name of the ardent assistant to the American military!

Another version

According to another legend, the United States was not always called USA. Another name was practiced - USAm, from which Uncle Sam (U. Sam) comes. The pranksters of that time "deciphered" the inscription, hence the phrase "Uncle Sam" came from.

Finger Poster

I must say that Uncle Sam is far from the first (and not the last) agitation for the army. Three years earlier (1914), the British issued a similar poster, depicting the then British Minister of War, Lord Kitchener. A classic drawing of Uncle Sam was designed as a poster in 1917, during the First World War. Moreover, the artist (J. Flagg) painted his face on the character, thus perpetuating himself for all time. At the same time, the well-known inscription at the bottom of the picture appears: “The US Army needs you.” Uncle Sam, as it were, points his finger at the interlocutor standing right in front of him.

It is interesting that in the USSR they used this idea in the famous poster "Have you signed up as a volunteer?", only changed the color scheme of the picture from white and blue to radical red. The artist who painted this work (D. Moor) also used his face as a prototype of the Budennov hero, painted himself. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Moor updates an old poster - here is a soldier with a rifle, in a helmet and with sectional pouches. And the idea of a poster withBudyonnovets, in turn, was borrowed by I. Toidze, the artist who created the famous poster from the Second World War - “The Motherland Calls!”.

Tracking picture

All of the above posters, including "Uncle Sam", are built according to a model called "following image". Such a kind of artistic illusion, known to artists since ancient times, in which, looking at the picture from any angle, from any angle, as if you see the eyes of the character. It's like he's constantly looking at you. In propaganda campaigns, such techniques are designed to enhance the psychological effect of presence, to additionally influence the human brain. To make the picture tracking, they draw a person in full face. The body is turned directly towards the viewer. And the gaze is directed straight ahead. In this way, the desired effect is achieved.

Uncle Sam today

The classic, revered image in a modern interpretation sometimes undergoes some changes: it can be depicted in everyday clothes, even in overalls or jeans. But the cylinder, the same as a hundred years ago, remains traditional. The main feature of the uncle has also been and remains unchanged - caring for someone who needs it so much. Also known is the phrase: "Uncle Sam takes care of you", familiar to every poor or suffering American.

Perpetuate the image

In September 1961, the US Congress passed a resolution glorifying Sam Wilson as the prototype of Uncle Sam. A memorial monument has been erected in the businessman's hometown, telling howevents took place. A similar one is at the grave of "Uncle Sam", in the city of Troy. Disputes about the origin of the character do not subside to this day. There are all new versions, alternative theories. Although the exact story is unlikely to ever be known!

Interpretations and irony

In peacetime, as opposed to wartime, when the uncle's bright image carried positive, agitational, propaganda notes, many caricatures and parodies were created, seemingly (at first glance) "defaming" the name of Uncle Sam. But this is far from true! After all, negative advertising also has a good effect on people's minds. In countries where anti-American sentiment is present, uncle posters are often used to illustrate US imperial ambitions. At their demonstrations and pickets, the anti-globalists also sometimes burn an effigy of Uncle Sam along with the American flag. But, despite all this, the image of Uncle Sam in history was and remains more positive than negative.