In 1812, Samuel Wilson contracted with the U.S. Army to supply salted meat in barrels labeled US, short for United States.
The soldiers jokingly began to decipher the abbreviation as Uncle Sam, which means "Uncle Sam," and then the expression carried over to other US-labeled goods.
Thus Samuel Wilson became the prototypical symbol of America, which later appeared on many posters, the most famous of which recruited Americans for military service.
