Samuel Wilson was a businessman from Troy, NY, that supplied beef in barrels to the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. The barrels were labeled "U.S.
When asked what the initials stood for, one of Wilson's workers said that it stood for Uncle Sam Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from "Uncle Sam" led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the U.S. Federal Government.
Cartoonists of the 1800s drew many different versions of Uncle Sam and used him as a symbol for the U.S. Government. One of these political cartoonists, Thomas Nast, produced many of the
I WANT YOU FOR U.S.ARMY
earliest cartoons of Uncle Sam.
The most famous picture of Uncle Sam appeared
United States Army recruiting poster with James Montgomery
on a 1917 Army recruiting poster illustrated by James
Flagg's illustration of Uncle Sam
Montgomery Flagg. The poster was designed in World
War land was used again in World War II. The caption reads "I Want You for U.S. Army," and Uncle Sam is pointing directly at the viewer with a serious expression.
How does paragraph 1 contribute to the ideas in the passage?
1. it shows that uncle sam represented the military
2. it explains where the idea for uncle sam first came from
3. it shows that the symbol of uncle sam helped recruit soldiers
4. it explains why the us government adopted the idea of uncle sam
2. it explains where the idea for uncle sam first came from
The correct answer is 2. it explains where the idea for Uncle Sam first came from.
Paragraph 1 provides the historical background of how the idea of Uncle Sam originated from Samuel Wilson, a businessman who supplied beef to the U.S. Army. It explains how one of Wilson's workers associated the U.S. initials on the barrels with Uncle Sam Wilson, leading to the symbol of Uncle Sam representing the U.S. Federal Government. This paragraph establishes the origin of the Uncle Sam symbol and sets the foundation for the subsequent discussions in the passage about the various representations of Uncle Sam as a symbol for the U.S. Government and its use in recruiting soldiers.