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Who is Uncle Sam? Joe Biden's finger-pointing action sparks hilarious comparison: 'Uncle Joe is the new Uncle Sam'

The story of Uncle Sam is a fascinating look at America's love for symbols, but why was Joe Biden compared to him?

It's highly unlikely you would have missed a poster of an old man dressed in a top hat, pointing and saying "I want you..." From the cry for a battle to a part of pop culture, the poster has been a part of America for well over a century. Now, many on social media are giving it a makeover with President Biden after an image from his address has gone viral and asking the question: Is 'Uncle Joe' the new 'Uncle Sam'? 

But, first: Who really is Uncle Sam? The story of Uncle Sam is a fascinating look at America's love for symbols. While it can be traced back to the revolutionary war, the character really went mainstream in World War 1 and 2. That version has stuck around to this day. It was even adopted as a national symbol in 1950. But who is Uncle Sam? It turns out, the character is based on a real person — Samuel Wilson.

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As Twitter pays homage to uncle Joe, we thought it would be a great idea to revisit the original Uncle Sam.

The origins of Uncle Sam

America has a long history with personification and symbols. Before the war of 1812, the nation was symbolized through Lady Liberty or another woman named Columbia. The first known reference to Uncle Sam can be dated back to 1775, with the song "Yankee Doodle". It isn't clear if the reference is to an actual person, or if it is a personification, but it does mark the first time the phrase appeared. With the Revolutionary War, Brother Johnathan became a personification for New England and was occasionally referred to as Uncle Sam. 

Then in 1816, the phrase made its first appearance in literature. 'The Adventures of Uncle Sam, in Search After his Lost Honor' by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy cemented the notion of America being represented by a male, rather than a female. That notion stayed, which gave us the Uncle Sam we know today. Uncle Sam became a popular rallying cry for the war of 1812 and beyond, with appearances varying widely. 

A popular legend links Uncle Sam to meatpacker Samuel Wilson from New York. Though the authenticity of that link cannot be verified, it is a tale that is told to this day, leading to 'Uncle Sam Day' being celebrated on September 13, the day Wilson was born.

Who is Samuel Wilson?

Born on September 13, 1776, Samuel Wilson was a meatpacker from Troy, New York. He was born in Arlington, Massachusetts and is a descendent of the oldest family in Boston. At 14, he joined the Continental Army where he became responsible for cattle and meat supply. It is not known when he quit the army, but it was reported after the Seige of Yorktown in 1781. Wilson then moved to New York, where he and his brother opened several businesses together.

One of those was a meatpacking business. With the war of 1812, the government needed food to feed its soldiers. The Wilson business began supplying meat to soldiers and eventually, Wilson was also appointed 'Meat Inspector'. The meat packed by the Wilson business was marked EA-US. EA for Elbert Anderson, the contractor who provided the meat and US for United States. However, many soldiers began linking the US to Uncle Sam, for Wilson whom the soldiers knew. 

Eventually, Wilson's nickname of Uncle Sam gained widespread acceptance and became a personification for the federal government. Today, there are two memorials to Uncle Sam - one at Wilson's birthplace in Arlington and another at his residence in Troy. In 1989, Congress passed a joint resolution marking Wilson's birthday as Uncle Sam Day. 

The character of Uncle Sam may have been inspired by Wilson, but the poster isn't. The well-known character was created by artist James Montgomery Flagg during World War 1. 

Move over Uncle Sam

A still from Biden's address has many drawing parallels with Flagg's original poster, and in some cases replacing it. The image was probably first spotted by a user who tweeted "There it is. that's the photo".

That got many on social media talking. A user tweeted, "Uncle Joe is the new Uncle Sam". Another said, "Move over Uncle Sam, Uncle Joe's here now, and I want you has been replaced with you need me." Another person tweeted, "It's Uncle Joe now, IDK who Uncle Sam is..." One user called on Twitter to start printing posters, saying, "Start printing the Uncle Sam-Joe posters, people!!"

Another said, "This needs to be turned into a billboard!" One more user tweeted, "Get that on a PSA poster ASAP." Hilariously, another user tweeted, "Uncle Sam sure needed Uncle Joe..."