LHS US Historical Skills Assessment - WWI.

Clad in his American flag suit, Uncle Sam has long been popular as the personification of the United States. His federally-accepted origins date all the way back to the War of 1812, when a man named Samuel Wilson prepared provisions for soldiers and marked them with the label “U.S.” He meant it to stand for “United States,” but that wasn’t yet a popular abbreviation, so soldiers said the provisions came from “Uncle Sam.”

While this origin story has faded from public knowledge, Uncle Sam went on to become an instantly recognizable figure. He has appeared in posters and political cartoons as far back as 1852. During the American Civil War, his popularity began to grow, escalating even more through the late 1800s and into the pre-WWI years.

Uncle Sam poster sprung up during WWI in response to the: “We Want You!” to enlist order from Woodrow Wilson. Decades later, World War II propagandists turned to the same image to call for enlistment after the United States declared war against Japan in 1941.

Portrayals of Uncle Sam have varied greatly since the beginning and authors, artists and organizations of radically different ideals have all used Uncle Sam to express their beliefs.

When the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, Native American individuals, communities and nations had to decide: How might a people, long treated with inequity, handle a call to arms to “make the world safe for democracy”?

The draft, which started with the Selective Service Act in May 1917, included Native Americans – both citizen and non-citizen – alike. Despite one-third of Native populations lacking U.S. citizenship, many embraced the call to action, while others resisted. Ultimately, over 12,000 Native Americans would serve in the U.S. military in World War I. The Onondaga and Oneida Nations formally declared war against Germany. Additionally, around 10,000 volunteered with the American Red Cross. The motivations behind engaging in the war effort were diverse and complex, including:

• cultural traditions of warriorship and defense of home,
• economic needs,
• the pursuit of civil rights,
• travel and adventure,
• escaping the reservation,
• having been forcibly preconditioned for military service in boarding schools,
• and a sense of humanitarian service.

And, with no legal recognition as American citizens, an estimated 3,500 Indigenous people chose to voluntarily enlist or accept notices to become part of America’s fighting forces in WWI.