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 earliest cartoons of Uncle Sam.
The most famous picture of Uncle Sam appeared on a 1917 Army recruiting poster illustrated by James Montgomery Flagg. The poster was designed in World War I and 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.
Uncle Sam is now a recognizable symbol of the United States; he is pictured as a white-haired man with a goatee, wearing a tall white hat decorated with a blue ribbon with white stars, a white shirt, a red bow tie, and a navy blue jacket. In full costume, people also wear red and white striped pants.
Uncle Sam facts and figures:
- More than four million copies of Flagg’s Uncle Sam poster were printed between 1917 and 1918.
- The artist, James Montgomery Flagg, used his own image when drawing Uncle Sam.
- Congress passed a resolution in 1961 that recognized Samuel Wilson as the inspiration for the symbol Uncle Sam.
To learn more, see the Library of Congress site.
The Liberty Bell is a familiar symbol of freedom in the United States. It was ordered by the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges; it was to be installed in 1752 in the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. The bell was cast in London, England and then shipped to Pennsylvania.
Soon after it arrived, the English bell cracked. In 1753, a new bell was cast from the metal of the English bell by local craftsmen John Pass and John Stow. Their names and the year in Roman numerals, MDCCLIII, are marked on the bell. It also has a Bible verse written on it: “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof” (Leviticus 25:10).
On June 7, 1753, the bell was hung in the tower of Independence Hall. In 1777, during the American Revolution, British troops captured Philadelphia. For safekeeping, the bell was moved to Zion's Reformed Church in Allentown, PA. It was returned to Philadelphia in 1778.
In the early 1800s, people who wanted to outlaw slavery called it the “Liberty Bell” and used it as a symbol for their campaign.
In 1846, another crack began to develop in the bell, and it was repaired. It rang for George Washington’s birthday on February 23, 1846, but then it cracked again. In order to repair the bell, a slot was carved along the length of the crack that prevented the two sides of the bell from vibrating against each other. Two rivets were inserted in this slot to control the vibration of the two sides and restore the bell's tonal quality.
The bell traveled around the country after the Civil War (1861-1865) but since 1915 it has remained in Philadelphia. Today, the Liberty Bell is on permanent display in a visitor center next to Independence Hall.
Liberty Bell facts and figures:
- The bell is an alloy, or a mix of metals; it is made of 70% copper, 25% tin, and also has zinc, lead, arsenic, silver, and even gold.
- It is very heavy and weighs about 2000 pounds, or 1 ton.
- The bell is suspended on what is believed to be its original yoke of American elm wood.
To learn more, see the Liberty Bell Center site.
The bald eagle was chosen in 1782 by our Founding Fathers to be the national bird of the United States and is one of the best known symbols of our Government. The bald eagle can be seen on the Great Seal of the United States, on the Presidential Seal, in the logos of Federal agencies, on coins and paper money, and on postage stamps.
The bald eagle has a white head and tail, dark brown body and wings, and yellow beak, feet, and eyes. The feathers are all brown for the first several years of their life until they are full grown. The name “bald eagle” does not mean that this bird has no feathers. It comes from the word piebald, which refers to the eagle’s light and dark colored feathers. This large, majestic bird can only be found in North America. It is a bird of prey that hunts mainly for fish but will also eat small mammals.
When Europeans first arrived on the North American continent in the 1600s, bald eagle populations were estimated at 25,000 to 50,000 birds, but populations have dropped for many reasons. Eagles were captured for getting too close to poultry or fishing nets; some were captured for falconry; and in modern times, many eagles were poisoned by pesticides. In 1967, the bald eagle was included on the Endangered Species List. Federal laws, such as the Bald Eagle Protection Act, protect the bald eagle and have led to the increase of bald eagle populations.
Bald eagle facts and figures:
- Bald eagle feathers hold great importance and symbolism among some Native American tribes; there are current eagle feather laws that allow members of some Native American tribes to acquire bald eagle feathers to use for ceremonial dress.
- In 2007, populations improved so much that the bald eagle was removed from the Endangered Species List.
To learn more about the bald eagle, see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site on bald and golden eagles.
Search govinfo.gov (FDsys) for Federal Government information on religious or spiritual use of feathers by Native Americans. Title 16 of the U.S. Code has more information on conservation of wildlife.
The Great Seal of the United States is a symbol of our independent Nation and self-government. It appears on official documents such as proclamations, warrants, treaties, and commissions of high officials of the Government.
The Continental Congress first created a committee to design a seal for the United States on July 4, 1776, the same day that they adopted the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams created a design that was eventually rejected, but one element was adopted: the motto E Pluribus Unum, which is Latin for “Out of Many, One.”
In 1780, James Lovell of Massachusetts and John Morin Scott and William Churchill Houston of Virginia developed a second design which was also rejected by Congress. Some elements, such as the olive branch, the thirteen stars, and the shield with red and white stripes on a blue field, were used in the final design. In 1782, a third committee used the eagle for the first time. The Secretary of the Continental Congress, Charles Thomson, created a fourth design that was then slightly changed by William Barton. The Continental Congress approved this design on June 20, 1782. The design used the eagle that holds a scroll in its beak with the E Pluribus Unum motto; in one claw is an olive branch, a symbol of peace, and the other claw holds thirteen arrows, a symbol of war.
The seal's reverse side contains a thirteen-step pyramid with the year 1776 in Roman numerals at the base. At the top of the pyramid is the Eye of Providence and above is the motto Annuit Coeptis, which is Latin for “It [the Eye of Providence] is favorable to our undertakings” or “He favors our undertakings.” Below the pyramid, a scroll reads, Novus Ordo Seclorum, which is Latin for “New Order of the Ages.” It refers to 1776 as the beginning of a new era of the United States.
Great Seal of the United States facts and figures:
- The Great Seal is used as our national coat of arms.
- The Great Seal is used officially as decoration on military uniform buttons, on plaques, and above the entrances to U.S. embassies and consulates.
- Both the seal and the reverse, which is never used as a seal, appear on the one-dollar bill.
- The Secretary of State is the official custodian of the Great Seal.
- Thirteen is an important number used in the Great Seal. It represents the original colonies and first 13 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.
- There are also 13 stars in the crest above the eagle; 13 stripes in the shield; 13 arrows in the eagle’s left claw; 13 olives and leaves in the eagle’s right claw; and 13 letters in the motto E Pluribus Unum.
To learn more, see the U.S. Department of State publication, The Great Seal of the United States.
The United States flag is one of our most important national symbols.
On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution, which said that the flag would be made up of thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white, five-pointed stars on a blue field. Stars have been added to the flag as new states join the Union.
The flag has 13 horizontal stripes that stand for the 13 original colonies; seven are red, and six are white. In the upper left corner there are 50 white stars on a blue background; these stand for the 50 states in our United States. The 50-star flag we use today dates from July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the fiftieth state, but stars were added in the past as new states joined the Union.
Images of the United States flag can be seen in many places: flying from flagpoles of public buildings, flown from private homes during Flag Day and Federal holidays such as Independence Day, and worn as a lapel pin, among many others. The flag is also referred to by other names including the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and the Star-Spangled Banner.
Since 1916, Flag Day in the United States has been officially celebrated on June 14. Title 4, Section 6 of the United States Code (4 U.S.C. 6) has the official information on the flag, including the standard proportions, rules to observe when displaying the flag, and how to treat this national symbol properly.
American Flag facts and figures:
- When Kentucky and Vermont were admitted to the Union, the flag expanded to 15 stars and 15 stripes, but was later changed back to 13 when it became clear that adding a stripe for each state would make the flag unmanageable.
- The official first flag to have the present design with 50 stars was flown at Fort McHenry National Monument at 12:01 a.m in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 4, 1960.
To learn more about the history of the flag and many related facts, incuding how to obtain a flag that is flown over the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, see the Senate document titled Our Flag (S. Doc. 109-18) from govinfo.